Future of the Vikings, Part 3: Are the offensive weapons set?

Analyzing the seasons of every Vikings receiver and looking at any potential changes going forward

© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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By Matthew Coller

The Minnesota Vikings couldn’t have asked for much more from their wide receivers and tight ends than to guide their journeyman quarterback to over 4,300 yards, 35 touchdowns and a 102.5 quarterback rating.

With that said, there are plenty of takeaways from each wide receiver and tight end’s season and pending free agents so let’s break them all down…

Wide receivers

Justin Jefferson

Stat line: 103 catches, 1,533 yards, 10 touchdowns

What else is there to say about Jefferson? In the first year of his long-term contract extension, he finished second in the NFL in receiving yards and had the fifth highest yards per catch among receivers with at least 100 targets and scored the fifth most touchdowns. When Sam Darnold tossed the pigskin in his direction, he had a 107.4 QB rating and he caught 17 of 31 contested catches (per PFF).

No matter who quarterbacks the Vikings into the future, he is going to be the driving force of the offense. Kevin O’Connell proved again this year that opposing defenses do not have an answer for Jefferson, no matter how many double teams or extra defenders they run in his direction.

However, to give the tiniest nitpick, there were a few games where it seemed opponents were able to play him physically at the line of scrimmage and the Vikings struggled to get him the ball quickly. He only ranked 22nd in yardage on throws between 0-9 yards through the air. His contemporary Ja’Marr Chase had 67 catches and 629 yards to Jefferson’s 41 catches for 339 yards on the quick game. In 2022, when he won Offensive Player of the Year, JJ had 55 receptions on short throws past the line of scrimmage.

That’s a small thing to think about. Aside from that, he also took full command of a leadership role and worked through times that opponents were taking him away. He and O’Connell will continue to shape the offense together going forward.

Jordan Addison

Stat line: 63 catches, 875 yards, 9 touchdowns

It was a rough start to the season for Addison when he was cited for DUI right before training camp and then he suffered two ankle injuries that slowed him at the beginning of the year. After he got back to full strength, we saw plenty of elite flashes from the 2023 first-round pick. In the final eight games of the season he played at a 17-game pace of 89 catches and over 1,200 yards.

As long as Addison is alongside Jefferson, his production is likely to swing up and down from week to week. That’s the reality of being the No. 2 option behind the top receiver in the world. But when he was called upon, he largely stepped up to the plate. When Darnold threw his way, the QB posted a 122.3 QB rating, which was the 6th highest in the NFL. He grabbed 10 of 17 contested catches.

The target depth question that applied to Jefferson also stands for Addison. He had the 11th highest percentage of targets that traveled over 20 yards and nearly 60% of the throws his way went at least 10 yards through the air. It was clearly an effective strategy when Darnold looked his way but there were still 30 receivers targeted more than him this season. Could they have gotten him the ball a little more underneath? There were 63 receivers with more quick-game yards than Addison (targets from 0-9 yards through the air).

Going forward, there aren’t many remaining questions about Addison’s talent. Teams are going to press him at the line of scrimmage but he grew in terms of beating the press this season. The only question is about his off-field behavior. There is a possibility that he faces a suspension next season already and he can’t afford another issue behind the wheel — not just for football purposes but his own safety and the safety of others as well. This is an important offseason for him in that regard.

Jalen Nailor

Stat line: 28 catches, 414 yards, 6 touchdowns

When Addison was out with an ankle injury early in the season, Nailor came up with three touchdowns and several other key grabs like a game-ending throw down the middle that he caught against the 49ers. But when Addison returned, he largely disappeared from the target share. Between Week 9 and Week 16, Nailor failed to register a multi-catch game. Even with the offense drawn up to target Jefferson and Addison, the Vikings needed more from their WR3.

He did arrive back on the scene late in the season though. He was massive against the Packers with five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown and was the only receiver who had a good day against the Lions and Rams (six catches for 86 yards combined).

For several years, O’Connell argued that Nailor was a quality player who just needed to stay healthy. Overall, he proved that to be true. The question going forward is how Nailor can build on this season and how much he should be used. He has speed and deep ability but hasn’t proven himself as a complete receiver yet.

Is he locked into the WR3 spot for next season? Or would the Vikings have more of a competition at that position with some of their developing young receivers? We’ll find that out down the road.

Trent Sherfield

Stat line: 8 catches, 83 yards, 1 touchdown

While he didn’t get a large target share, Sherfield brought physicality to the Vikings receiving corps. He was used on 115 plays as a run blocker and graded by PFF as the seventh best run blocking receiver.

Sherfield also received an 84.3 PFF grade as a special teamer. He was a stellar punt gunner, making eight tackles and several key plays to down the football inside opponent territory.

Sherfield is an unrestricted free agent. The Vikings should be interested in having him return because he excelled at his job, even if that job wasn’t pretty.

Brandon Powell

Stat line: 7 catches, 71 yards, 0 touchdowns

In 2023, Powell was one of the players who stepped up when Justin Jefferson went out for nearly half the season with an injury. He caught 29 passes for 324 yards and a game-winning touchdown against the Falcons. He also worked as a solid punt returner.

This year, he just did not see the field very often. That is certainly because the receivers remained healthy and Sherfield carved out his run-blocking role but even when Powell was on the field he was rarely a target.

In terms of punt returning, his longest was only 15 yards and the Vikings ranked 32nd in yards per return. As much as Powell is liked by the coaching staff, there has to be some strong consideration for other punt returning options and receiver depth for next year.

Other receivers:

The Vikings signed Jeshaun Jones to a futures contract. He stood out at times in camp last year. Thayer Thomas will be going into his third year after spending two seasons on the practice squad. Lucky Jackson has also become a PS vet. They do not have a developing receiver that appears to have a chance to challenge for WR3 next season.

Options

Clearly the Vikings will not be big spenders in free agency but they do need to make decisions on Sherfield and Powell and possibly look to upgrade their depth in case of injury in 2025.

If they are only hunting players who can punt return and have some experience at receiver (at the cheapest prices), veterans like Dante Pettis, KC’s Mecole Hardman, Baltimore’s Tylan Wallace, Cleveland’s James Proche or Indy’s Ashton Dulin could be of interest.

If the Vikings are looking for a little bit more than that, there will be third tier type options.

Washington free agents Dyami Brown (30 catches), Olamide Zaccheaus (45 catches) and Noah Brown (35 catches) might all come at reasonable prices and be potential upgrades over Nailor. They could also look at Rams receivers TuTu Atwell (42 catches) and Tyler Johnson (26 catches) or an older veteran trying to hang on like Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Nelson Agholor or Brandin Cooks.

That might depend on how much cap space they have to spend.

Tight ends