The Minnesota Vikings will be using the bye week to learn more about themself as they have a new coaching staff that is still figuring out how to prepare this team for success.
One of the things that they will be looking at is giving players more playing time, specifically rookies.
In the course of the next 11 games, this week will be important in rotating players in and out to both get players more experience and also to help give starters a little bit of a rest.
We identified five players who will see more time after the bye week.
LB Brian Asamoah
The Vikings selected Asamoah in the third round of the NFL draft as a potential replacement and/or running mate for Eric Kendricks. The Vikings signed Jordan Hicks to be the stopgap guy until Asamoah was ready. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Hicks has not been good this year. He gets lost in coverage and no longer has the speed to run with high-level players.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has already spoken about wanting to get Asamoah more involved.
Kevin O'Connell said he showed the team some clips of Brian Asamoah dominating on special teams against the Bears. Asamoah also played six defensive snaps.
"We’ve got E.K. and Jordan who have played really well, but we want to be able to mix Brian in there. It’s a long season."
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 12, 2022
WR Jalen Reagor
The Vikings traded a conditional fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick to the Eagles for the former first-round pick but he hasn’t seen a lot of offensive snaps. He has seen the field for 18 snaps on offense this season but has scored a touchdown. With time to have learned the playbook, the Vikings could utilize his speed to stretch the field and get him in open spaces.
CB Andrew Booth Jr.
After only playing in one snap against the Green Bay Packers, Booth Jr. injured his quad and missed the next four games. In the preseason, Booth Jr. showed a lot of struggles. He has been grabby and was a little slow out of breaks. He needed some time to grow and develop but Chandon Sullivan has not been good in the slot. Putting him in the slot would give the Vikings a higher ceiling and Booth Jr. some needed playing time.
DE Esezi Otomewo
When the Vikings selected Otomewo, it was a long-term play. He wasn’t ready to play right away but the tools that he has are excellent. His length and quickness are great tools to work with and the Vikings have kept him on the active roster because he would have been scooped up before he would be able to sign to the practice squad. Activating him on gameday and mixing him in for about 10 snaps per game could be a major benefit for his development.
DE Ross Blacklock
The Vikings traded for Blacklock during roster cutdowns and they have been slowly integrating him into the fold. A second-round pick in 2020, Blacklock is a gap-shooting interior rusher that was under a cost-controlled contract and has real potential. He has only had 64 snaps so far on the season and has six pressures thus far. Some more time on the field could see those numbers spike.
