Will the Minnesota Vikings play their starters in the 2022 preseason?

On the floor, the query posed within the title of this publish appears a bit foolish.

Will the Minnesota Vikings play their starters within the 2022 preseason?

Effectively in fact they’ll, proper? Conventional NFL process was modified a bit final 12 months with the transition from 4 preseason video games to 3, however come that 2nd and third preseason sport we’re certain to see Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook dinner, Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, et al, for handful of drives. It’s how they prepare for the season, how they mentally and bodily grasp the pace of the sport after a protracted offseason. Many would say it’s important to preparations for an NFL season.

Not Sean McVay, and that’s the place this example will get a bit extra fascinating.

Paul Allen broached the topic this Monday morning on his present on KFAN highlighting the truth that Sean McVay’s philosophy to arrange for a season consists of no preseason snaps for Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp and most of their different starters as effectively. It was an entire lot of quarterback Bryce Perkins on offense as he led the crew in passing and speeding for the preseason and in addition pushed them to a whopping 0-3 preseason file.

However McVay didn’t care and both did the Rams.

Regardless of the shortage of in-game preparation for the starters the Rams nonetheless ran out of the gate and began the season 3-0, pushed to a 12-5 common season and in the end made a run all the best way successful Tremendous Bowl 56.

As in case you haven’t already pieced this collectively, the rationale that every one of this issues for the 2022 Minnesota Vikings is as a result of new head coach Kevin O’Connell comes from that Sean McVay teaching tree. And because it’s his first 12 months teaching, we don’t have any foundation for a way comparable or how completely different he plans to run issues right here in Minnesota.

Thus far, O’Connell has made clear among the variations that we would have the ability to anticipate between his philosophy and that of McVay, but when solely as a result of we haven’t gotten to a sure level within the course of there’s nonetheless lots that we don’t know, with preseason philosophy being one such factor.

So what do we predict? Do the Vikings want to play their starters within the preseason?

There are clear arguments for either side, most of which come from the aspect of enjoying them as that’s what we all know greatest so let’s begin there. There wasn’t a ton of turnover on this roster, however there may be at all times some. A profit may be sought by enjoying subsequent to your teammates and attending to know their tendencies. That is showcased significantly within the passing sport on the offensive aspect of the ball. Timing between a quarterback and receiver is crucial and there are sides of that which might solely be skilled at full pace. Jefferson, Thielen, and Osborn all have some rapport with Cousins that can carry over into 2022 nevertheless it’s Irv Smith Jr. who’s coming off of a knee damage who would possibly profit most from preseason reps.

On the defensive aspect of the ball, Za’Darius Smith’s addition, Anthony Barr’s departure and the change from a base 4-3 to a base 3-4 are all arguments to get some preseason reps in for the Vikings defensive starters. However can they get that by way of additional and full pace reps at OTAs, MiniCamps and Coaching Camp?

After which there’s the wrinkle of the rumored joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers. The “scrimmages” that can happen throughout these joint practices main as much as the second preseason sport can nearly be checked out like an unofficial fourth preseason sport. They’re all recorded for movie, they’re all dissected throughout all ranges and extra importantly the gamers usually tend to go full pace when they’re up towards a brand new face and an out of city opponent at that stage within the race.

On the finish of the day, O’Connell and Kwesi have a plan already. Like all coaches and GMs that plan is topic to alter primarily based off of the degrees of progress that they’re observing in camp main as much as these preseason video games.

If I needed to guess, we’ll see a hybrid philosophy birthed the place reps are existent, however could be extra restricted than what we’re used to seeing. All of the extra motive to be okay with the concept that there are two away preseason video games and just one dwelling preseason sport this 12 months.