Vikings running back Dalvin Cook spent time lined up as a wideout during the team’s OTA practices this spring and said that he’s happy to play “wherever they want to fit me in” on offense during the 2022 season, which are a couple of many signs being sent about the team’s new look on offense under head coach Kevin O’Connell.
There has been frequent mention of modernizing an offense that had grown stale in recent seasons and wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been enthusiastic about the direction that he sees the team moving in this year. That continued to be the case in a recent appearance on NFL Network.
Jefferson said there’s “definitely a different vibe, a different connection” with O’Connell running the show and one of the changes appears to be a direct benefit to Jefferson and others who will be catching passes from Kirk Cousins this season.
“Our offensive style, it’s not a run-first offense anymore,” Jefferson said. “Just us being able to put different people in different positions and distribute the ball, really. I’m so excited in this offense. Us just being in OTAs, learning the plays, going through it with our defense, and stuff.”
Jefferson produced at a high level while playing in that “run-first offense” the last couple of years, so the shift in philosophies could be setting him up for even bigger things in 2022. That’s good reason for Jefferson to be excited and for others to be curious about what the Vikings will do offensively this fall.