Photo By Brian Curski
Written By Chris Schad
This is the second installment of a seven-part series that will cover the offseason picture for the Minnesota Vikings. Cold Omaha staff writer Chris Schad took a look at quarterback in the first installment with the second covering running backs.
Running back hasn’t been an issue for the Minnesota Vikings since Adrian Peterson came to town. Since 2007, the star running back has torched opposing defenses, run his way to a single-game rushing record that rookie season and earned a Most Valuable Player award in 2012. As a result, he became the face of the franchise.
Unfortunately, running back has become the most unpredictable position in the NFL. As teams have geared themselves to high-octane schemes that lean toward the pass, they have figured out that it’s wiser to try and strike gold and get a couple years out of a lesser-known prospect than investing money and high draft picks.
While the story of how running backs fall as they hit age 30 is a similar one across the league, Peterson’s story was different and makes the former cornerstone of the offense a question mark heading into the offseason.
How the Vikings Envisioned 2014
After several years under the unimaginative watch of Bill Musgrave, Norv Turner was brought in along with Mike Zimmer to rejuvenate the offense. There were several players who were expected to benefit with Turner’s addition, but Peterson had the most to gain.
With Turner being a coordinator that likes to throw the ball downfield, the Vikings would no longer have to ride Peterson to move the chains. Even though the expectation was that Peterson would have less of a burden, those lost carries were to move over to the passing game where the team could get their most dangerous weapon into space and become more explosive.
Peterson would also have help in third-round pick Jerick McKinnon, who came into the NFL as a raw rookie with big-play ability. Getting two backs in the mix would keep Peterson fresh and open up opportunities in the passing game that had been lacking with the previous regime.
How 2014 Played Out
Peterson played one game for the Vikings before reports of child abuse emerged before their Week 2 matchup with the New England Patriots. While the Vikings initially deactivated Peterson for that game, they planned on bringing him back the following week while his legal troubles played out.
Unfortunately, this situation came weeks after a tape of Ray Rice knocking his fiance out in an elevator was released, and the public wanted the NFL to take a stand against domestic violence. As sponsors revoked their endorsement deals with the team, the Vikings were forced to place Peterson on the Commissioner’s exempt list, which would ultimately (but not officially) result in a 15-game suspension.
That left the backfield to McKinnon and Matt Asiata, who had troubles initially getting the running game going. Despite a Week 4 victory over the Atlanta Falcons where the Vikings ran for 241 yards, they couldn’t provide the same threat that Peterson brought to the table. The team finished 14th in the league in rushing offense and had to deal with what Asiata, McKinnon and cameos from Ben Tate and Joe Banyard.
The Current Situation
Peterson is scheduled to be reinstated next April, but the Vikings may not be willing to pay the $15.4 million salary to a running back who sat out a season and will turn 30 next March. That would leave the backfield to McKinnon. Asiata also is a restricted free agent that shouldn’t draw massive interest on the open market.
Offseason Plan & Targets
While the fate of Peterson figures to dominate the offseason headlines, the Vikings can’t afford to wait until April to see if they need a running back. As usual, the free agent market is filled with replacement level talent, but could potentially feature Dallas Cowboys running back Demarco Murray and Mark Ingram of the New Orleans Saints.
Spending money on running backs has fallen out of favor in recent seasons (hence why the Vikings are considering cutting Peterson), so a better course of action could be to tap into a strong draft class that features several feature runners including Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon or Georgia’s Todd Gurley.
Even if the Vikings wanted to wait and select Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon or South Carolina’s Mike Davis in the later rounds, it would be a perfect complement to McKinnon if the Vikings decide to let Peterson go. That would create a similar environment to the one that the Cincinnati Bengals created this year by drafting Jeremy Hill to team with Giovani Bernard (Insert Thunder and Lightning cliche here).
All of this means nothing if the Vikings can reach a restructured deal with Peterson and he is reinstated by the NFL. But Rick Spielman will need to have a definitive answer heading into 2015 if the team wants to take pressure off the shoulders of Teddy Bridgewater.