For the 46th consecutive offseason the time to start talking about the offseason, next season, next steps & everything else came too soon. The pixie dust that was sprinkled over so many of the 18 games could not prevent the decrepit defense from being exposed and ultimately lead to a change at defensive coordinator for the second straight Winter. That it happened in front of the guy that many, including yours truly, wanted for DC to begin with (Andre Patterson) was an added twist. That continuity & expertise would not have been able to prevent what happened but the line he's working with now has made marked improvement so maybe he could have steered the defense better than Ed Donatell.
Moving forward on that, the first name we've heard for his replacement is Brian Flores, who spent this season working with the defensive expert that should never have left Minnesota for Pittsburgh - another thing that needs to be water under the bridge. Flores & O'Connell overlapped with New England in 2009 so K.O. is looking first at his own tree of experience before hopefully casting a wide net if Flores proves not to be the preferred choice. In addition to Flores, New Orleans' Ryan Nielsen & Seattle's Sean Desai have also been sought for interviews and other names are sure to continue coming through this week.
For all that's been made of the DC, the reformation of the roster will hinge on who is actually between the lines - duh, I know. The sifting of the players could bring a great many changes at positions on both sides of the ball. Harrison Smith, Patrick Peterson, Danielle Hunter, Za'Darius Smith, Eric Kendricks, Adam Thielen & Dalvin Cook are all on the list of options that have been & will be bandied-about. That would be more high-profile change to a 13-win operation than is usually seen but extreme measures must be taken to capitalize on the window of opportunity that Justin Jefferson & T.J. Hockenson present. Those two are the cornerstone pieces to the notion that Minnesota needs to do all it can to be San Francisco North - football wise, that is.
Their quarterbacking has not been better than what Cousins can do for the past few seasons but with George Kittle as the center-piece they've continually had a dynamic offense. We don't have anyone currently who can do what Deebo Samuel does but they don't have anyone that's as prolific as Jefferson so that pretty well balances out. They saw a flaw and added Christian McCaffrey, which has served them well. He hasn't been used the same way very often but keeping Cook in Purple would give MN much of the same explosiveness from the running back position.
They are the target to shoot for, which makes it all the more unfortunate that the teams didn't get to go head-to-head this weekend to see in no-uncertain-terms how much of a gap there remains between the clubs.
The elephant in the room being that Minnesota's defense is about as close to San Fran's as a Pop Warner team's. Part of it will be fixed with an infusion of youth, finding a way to another 12+ draft picks would be a decent start but they will also need to bring in several young free agents. At least two to help stabilise at cornerback, one linebacker & a pair of defensive lineman. With the youth around him at safety and an overall solid season yet again I think they would do well to retain Harrison Smith, freeing up some money in the process.
Several of the decisions will come down to whether the team & the player are able to meet at a number that helps open the door to raising the level of talent at player 8, 17, 34 & 50.
In a twist that's long been awaited, that doesn't especially apply to the offensive line - finally! There's certainly still room for improvement by that group but depending on what happens with Garrett Bradbury following his best season since getting draft the same five could be tasked with protecting Cousins in 2023. Now, counting on continuity alone to help avoid another career-high in sacks-taken by 8 doesn't pass the smell test. Even so, many of the pieces are in place to have a line that can keep the high-powered offense moving even more than it did this year which is another positive takeaway from the 13-wins.
In contrast to that, the case could be made that Minnesota has zero deserving corners right now. Duke Shelley came on as a darling of the roster but he still strikes as more of a spot-starter/backup on a middle-of-the-pack defense. For all the investment that's been made at the position in the draft, the mere possibility that that's accurate validates last offseason's change & means that it needs to be in the top 3 priorities for KA-M this Winter as well (and it's not two or three).
Oh for the days of Xavier Rhodes & Trae Waynes!
So there's plenty of room for improvement but the talk shouldn't be all doom & gloom! Minnesota is beginning a roster reformation instead of a total tear-down & rebuild following a third straight bad season. It can be easy to miss the forest for the trees because of the way Jones & Barkley did us last Sunday but there is just as much promise to this offseason & the 2023 as there is need for improvement. Don't just brush the good aside because they were not the best while we wait for all the next steps to unfold. One of these years the process may not start so soon!
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