Thank you for submitting questions for this week’s Vikings mailbag. You can always send questions to @Andrew_Krammer on Twitter or andrew.krammer@startribune.com. Listen for answers on the weekly Access Vikings podcast or find them here on Friday mornings. Let’s get to it.
Q: What could/should we expect from the rookies the rest of the season, particularly the ones not named Darrisaw? — @skolorwhatever
AK: The biggest positive from the latest close loss in Baltimore came from a couple rookies not named Christian Darrisaw. A couple fourth-round picks, safety Camryn Bynum and running back Kene Nwangwu, burst onto the scene and will continue to play roles on Sunday in Los Angeles. They’ll likely remain mainstays on special teams through the end of the season, while Bynum will be the top backup once Harrison Smith is cleared to return. On the flip side, the Vikings have received only 64 snaps – just six on defense, none on offense – from their four third-round picks, quarterback Kellen Mond, guard Wyatt Davis, linebacker Chazz Surratt and defensive end Patrick Jones. There’s been opportunity at defensive end, but coaches have gone with Kenny Willekes as the No. 3 option over Jones, who played six snaps in the first game after Danielle Hunter’s season-ending injury.
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Q: With Garrett Bradbury being the disappointment he’s been, is it a sure thing they don’t sign his fifth-year option and let him walk when his contract is up? Will he be on the roster next year? — @chadm214
AK: It hasn’t looked good for Bradbury in parts of his third NFL season, and Pro Football Focus has tabbed him with 17 pressures allowed — the most among all centers. Immediate pressure up the middle has quickly disrupted plays and worn thin confidence in the 2019 first-round pick. I don’t imagine they’d cut him, but there may be ongoing discussions about the long-term future of that position. They’ll indicate their direction publicly this spring, when the deadline on Bradbury’s 2023 option comes. The fifth year is typically expensive for first-round picks, making it unlikely the Vikings spring to keep him around that extra year.
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Q: Does Kirk Cousins have the ability to audible out of a run? I have season tickets and it doesn’t look like it from where I’m sitting and watching. — @briperry29
AK: Coordinator Klint Kubiak has said Cousins’ input in the offense away from the field has evolved, with the veteran voicing his opinion more and more. On the field, Cousins said, “it’s a little nuanced. I think you get the extremes of plays not called until you’re at the line of scrimmage, and you’ve hard-counted, and you’ve basically got the whole playbook in front of you. And you’ve got the other extreme of the play has the answers, and there’s never an audible. And you live in that spectrum from play to play, game to game, series to series. It really changes.”
The play has the answers, for instance, when a play design has a route pattern designed to have answers for multiple coverages. Kubiak went as far as to say Cousins has freedom “every play” to make adjustments.
“There’s so many times this season where he’s put it on his shoulders and bailed me out of bad situations,” Kubiak said. “We have all the confidence in the world in his instincts to get us into the right play.”
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Q: What percentage of blame for the offense’s struggles after opening drives goes to Klint Kubiak, Kirk Cousins, Mike Zimmer, offensive line, or other? I want exact percentages, please. — @mlawsonmvp
AK: The Vikings have remarkably scored in seven straight opening drives — including five touchdowns — yet the familiar fade in games has left them ranking 17th in scoring. It’s impossible to accurately parse judgment on every play without knowing the calls and responsibilities blow-by-blow; however there’s the consistent theme of both a young coordinator and veteran quarterback struggling off script. Receiver Adam Thielen was diplomatic this week in saying players are working hard “so that when things do get figured out, I’m ready to go. And when the ball does come, I’m ready to make a play.”
The largest percentage, in my opinion, falls on coaching. Cousins and the offensive line have been who they are for years now, but the younger Kubiak’s iteration of the offense has stumbled the most. Kubiak, 34, has talked about getting a feel for the flow of games as a play caller, and that remains a work in progress eight games into his tenure.
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Q: What will it take for Wyatt Davis to get a chance in the starting lineup? — @dantaylor26
AK: We got a glimpse at the Vikings’ backup plan when right guard Oli Udoh missed a play against the Ravens. They replaced him with tackle Blake Brandel, not Davis, who was active but did not see a single snap on offense or special teams.
“He’s coming along,” Zimmer said Monday. “He’s still a young guy, so he’s still got work to do.”
Davis, the former Ohio State team captain, has been buried on the depth chart since he arrived in Minnesota and nothing has changed at this point.
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Q: Do you think the Vikings draft a quarterback in the first three rounds regardless of Kirk’s success this season? — @jjettaz
AK: I think it’s too early to make any kind of judgment about their current draft pick, Kellen Mond, after one preseason. I think it’s more likely they use a first-round pick on a quarterback if the right top-tier talent presents itself, although this isn’t widely considered a strong class of passers. Perhaps Cousins’ contract is tradable, which as it stands would be a one-year, $35 million deal for a prospective team in 2022. Or perhaps they ride out the deal and lean on the veteran for another year, regardless of who is coaching or general managing, while bringing along a young talent. Extending Cousins likely hinges on this leadership staying and deciding he can win games for them. Both could be open questions.