Minnesota Vikings News and Links: KOC Feeling “Pretty Good” About Jordan Addison Playing vs. Giants

The second-year wideout is “in a good spot” per his head coach

In the pivotal Wednesday media session before a Sunday game, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell appeared optimistic about having his No. 2 option in the passing game available on Sunday.

Officially, Jordan Addison was limited on Wednesday and is listed as questionable for Sunday, but seems to be more likely to suit up than Jalen Nailor, who would likely be the team’s third option at wideout but is dealing with an ankle injury suffered in practice last week.

Brian Flores’ defense may have been a giant step forward from the abomination the team fielded under Ed Donatell the year before, but the team is looking for even more progress in Year 2 as the the entire team — including the defense — is in the midst of a major retooling.

Brian Flores has more buttons to push with Vikings’ defense this year (sub req’d)

In this piece from Matthew Coller at Purple Insider, he breaks down what the additions mean as the team has spread things out financially with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and rookie Dallas Turner as opposed to putting all their eggs — fragility pun possibly intended? — in the Danielle Hunter basket.

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

With Kene Nwangwu out of the picture, it was unclear who the Vikings would have returning kickoffs with the new rule change for the 2024 season. Initially, Myles Gaskin was considered an option — and while it appears things will stay in the backfield after Nwangwu’s departure, those duties will go to second-year rusher Ty Chandler.

Vikings running back Ty Chandler will return kickoffs in NFL’s new format

Chandler returned kicks in college at both of his stops — Tennessee and North Carolina — and will now get a chance to handle the ball a bit more often than as the handcuff to starting running back Aaron Jones.

If you need a refresher on the new kickoff rules, click here.

Judd Zulgad has a fun one over on his aptly named Judd’s Substack about how Vikings legend Harrison Smith isn’t quite ready to hang them up. Smith, a second-round pick in 2012, is one of just 21 draftees from that class to take at least one snap last season (as well as current Vikings cornerback Stephon Gilmore (10th overall) and former Vikings Riley Reiff (No. 23) and Kirk Cousins (No. 102).

Not done yet: Harrison Smith isn’t prepared to say this will be his last season

Related: Smith tore the gracilis in his left thigh in Dec. 2015 and has played through it, despite attempting (and ultimately succeeding in) purposely tearing the remaining 10 percent

Smith wants to push further on down that list of players from his draft class — and how’s this for a wild story? He tore a muscle in his left thigh against the Seahawks in 2015 — and deliberately tried (through much pain and anguish) to tear it the rest of the way on purpose before it happened almost accidentally.

What a warrior.

Matt Fries has a good piece over at Zone Coverage detailing how the Vikings and their Week 1 opponent, the Giants, have found themselves in similar situations entering the 2024 season.

The Vikings and Giants Took Diverging Paths — Did They End Up In The Same Place?

We all remember Danny Dimes ending the Vikings’ 2022 season in the playoffs, right? But we all also realize he’s played just seven games since — and won just one — right?

Both teams have question marks at quarterback, but only one team is paying theirs a huge portion of their salary cap this season.

How similar are the Vikings and Giants right now? Fries also draws comparisons with tight end trades and free-agent additions, though the quarterback stuff is the main course in my view.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the national media is overrating the Packers again. More on that in a second. Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com posted his list of 20 teams who could make the playoffs this season — spoiler alert: the Vikings are the only NFC North team not mentioned — and at the end, he concludes that the Packers will lose in the Super Bowl to the Chiefs.

2024 NFL playoff field projections: 20 teams that could make it

Don’t get me wrong; there’s certainly a chance Jordan Love is the next in the line of Packers quarterback lineage to lead the team to, or near to, the promised land. But do we really have to put them in the top five in power rankings to start every single season as though they’re written there in Sharpie?

Maybe it’s just sour grapes, but I really do think the national media’s love-fest with the Packers every offseason is just a bit too much. Sound off in the comments if you disagree.

In the news

• Tyrone Tracy Jr. did not appear on the injury report for the Giants this week — a minor miracle after he departed a training camp practice on a cart with an air cast nearly a month ago. Instead, Tracy was diagnosed with an ankle injury that did not cost him much time in the preseason, and he’s not slated for second-team work behind starter Devin Singletary.
• MarShawn Lloyd was projected as “limited” in Wednesday’s practice for the Packers. The team was traveling to Brazil for its first game of the season on Friday and not actually on the field practicing (hence the “projected” above). The Vikings play the Packers at the end of the month, so it’ll be worth monitoring how the carries are divvied up between Lloyd and Emmanuel Wilson behind starter Josh Jacobs. Romeo Doubs was also listed as “limited.”
• Ja’Marr Chase finally practiced for the Bengals, and appears ready to go for Week 1 despite holding out for a new contract during the preseason. We seem to be getting very close to the end of “disgruntled wideout” season.
• Damar Hamlin will be a starter this season, Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced on Wednesday. There isn’t even a Vikings tie-in here — it’s just great news for a player who nearly died on the field nearly two years ago.

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