Darrisaw, Tomlinson & Irv Smith Jr. Musse Minnesota Vikings 2022 rieseg Saisone bidden

The Vikings have a new general manager in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and a new head coach in Kevin O’Connell. In addition to that new leadership, the team is introducing new schemes on both offense and defense in an attempt to jump start the team’s performance after two dull-as-dishwater seasons in 2020 and 2021.

The new ideas and leadership should have a positive impact, but it all comes down to the performance of the players. In this piece, we look at four players who must show improvement or have a major impact for the Vikings to become legitimate playoff contenders.

We are not talking about obvious players like quarterback Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook, wide receiver Justin Jefferson or outside linebacker Danielle Hunter. These are the team’s clear leaders who must perform well if the team is going to have a season to remember.

But the depth players – starters who are not superstars – must show that they can make key contributions in 2022.

Tight End Irv Smith Jr.

The Vikings have Smith listed as the top tight end on the depth chart, and they need him to become a consistent threat for a full season. That seems a lot to ask since Smith missed the 2021 season due to a right knee injury.

While he has participated in OTAs, he is not 100 percent healthy at this point. The Vikings are confident that he will be a full training camp participant and that he will return to full health by July.

Smith caught 66 passes for 676 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons, and there was tremendous confidence in training camp that he would have a breakout 2021 season – before he suffered his knee injury.

Smith demonstrated that he was an excellent blocker at the position in his first two years, and that should keep him on the field if he is fully healthy. That will give him the opportunity to prove he can become one of the more dangerous tight ends in the NFL this season.

Offensive Tackle Christian Darrisaw

The start of the 2021 season was a rough go for Darrisaw, but the rookie from Virginia Tech improved steadily as the season went along. The Vikings have him listed as the starting left tackle on the depth chart, and they are hoping he will become a fixture on the offensive line for years to come.

Darrisaw was still recovering from injuries during training camp and at the start of the season, and he missed the first four games. His early performance was quite a struggle, but he made key gains in the second half of the season. Pro Football Focus graded his five best games of the season in the final six weeks, and that’s a sure sign that he should be a confident player at the start of the 2022 season.

Nose Tackle Dalvin Tomlinson

Tomlinson was unspectacular in his first season with the Vikings after playing with the New York Giants during the first four years of his career.

Tomlinson has the size and strength to clog the middle of the defensive line at 6-3 and 325 pounds, but the new regime would like to see him make more big plays than he did a year ago. Tomlinson finished the 2021 season with 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss.

However, that was something of a downturn because Tomlinson had 49 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in his last season with the Giants in 2020.

Tomlinson has the athletic ability to get through the cracks in the line of scrimmage and cause havoc in the backfield. That needs to happen much more frequently in 2022 if the Minnesota defense is going to show much-needed improvement.

Outside Linebacker Za’Darius Smith

The former Green Bay Packer is slated to team with Hunter to give the Vikings a dynamic 1-2 punch at the edge rusher slot. The mere presence of a healthy Hunter will cause nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators but teaming him with Smith has a chance to give the team a ferocious aura that has been clearly missing in recent years.

Smith played just one game last season before undergoing back surgery, but his recovery has been solid and he is expected to be healthy in training camp. Smith had 13.5 sacks in 2019 and 12.5 sacks the following year, and he made the Pro Bowl after both seasons.

The Vikings desperately need Smith to stay healthy and find a way to live in the opponent’s backfield consistently. If he is successful, the Minnesota defense could turn out to be one of the most improved units in the NFL.