Vikings preview: Five offensive backups who could play key roles this season
While the Vikings are hoping to avoid injuries, the reality is they have to be prepared to deal with starters missing time. Here's a handful of players who could end up filling the void.
It’s inevitable that the Vikings will have injury issues this season. The hope is that there won’t be too many players who miss time, but there is no getting around the fact that each of the 32 NFL teams will have to rely on backups at some point.
I wrote about five Vikings defensive reserves who could play key roles this season. Here are five players from the offensive side of the ball.
QB Carson Wentz: The hope is that Wentz doesn’t have to take a meaningful snap this season, but J.J. McCarthy did miss last year because of a meniscus injury, and the Vikings roster is built to win now. That means that if something happens to McCarthy, the Vikings still will be expected to win games. Wentz was signed in late August on the same day that expected backup Sam Howell was traded to Philadelphia. Howell had a poor training camp and it was clear coach Kevin O’Connell wanted an upgrade behind McCarthy. Wentz was a starter for the first six seasons of his NFL career — he finished third in MVP voting in 2017 with the Eagles — but has started only nine games for three teams over the past three seasons. He has 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in that time.
WR Tai Felton: The third-round pick from Maryland had an up-and-down training camp and it will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets when the season begins. The expectation was that Felton would return kickoffs, but the Vikings’ depth chart has him behind Myles Price and Ty Chandler. Felton had an up-and-down training camp, showing off his speed but not looking completely comfortable catching the ball at times. The Vikings are hoping Felton can show the type of improvement in the NFL that he did in college. After catching 48 passes for 723 yards with six touchdowns in 13 games in 2023, he had 96 receptions for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games last season. Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Jordan Addison and Adam Thielen are ahead of him on the depth chart, but Addison will be serve a three-game suspension so Felton could be forced into action.