The Minnesota Vikings are back from the bye at 5-0, and Kevin O’Connell made it clear Wednesday that the work isn’t limited to Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
With the NFL trade deadline three weeks away, O’Connell didn’t shut the door on roster upgrades as the Vikings continue to weigh what’s available and what makes sense with General Manager Nolan Teasley.
"It’s talking about positions where there could be not only some good players available, but maybe some value. I know he’s really excited about where we’re at as a team, but if there’s a chance for us to get better, if there’s a chance for us to improve our team, we’re going to have those conversations," O’Connell said.
"At the same time, I got a lot of confidence in this team right now. We’re going to have to gauge what’s best for our team."
The deadline lands at 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 10, after Week 10 of the regular season, and the Vikings’ decision-making will center on a few key questions: what can they add, what would it cost, and how close this roster is to making a playoff run as constructed.
For now, the immediate focus is getting healthier.
O’Connell said T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, Jordan Addison and Jordan Mason will all return to practice Wednesday.
Hockenson is dealing with a concussion, Darrisaw with a concussion, Addison with a hamstring injury and Mason with a thumb issue. Mason has been on injured reserve since Week 1 and would need to be activated in order to play against the Colts on Sunday.
That matters because the bye week came at the right time for an offense that could use bodies back in the mix. The Vikings open the post-bye stretch against an Indianapolis team that just fired its general manager after a loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans.
On paper, it’s the sort of game that can lull a hot team into trouble. The Vikings remain one of three undefeated teams left, and the schedule only gets nastier from there.
After the Colts, Minnesota faces a four-game run that includes a trip to Detroit, a Monday night home game against the Buffalo Bills, a visit to Green Bay and a home matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
That backdrop made the message at Wednesday morning’s team meeting pretty simple: keep the edge.
"We need to make sure we hit the ground running coming off the bye. We can’t have any kind of sluggish start coming off the bye, and we’re talking a lot about that," O’Connell said. "Tons of energy and focus, and we earned the right to show up with a ton of confidence by what we do in practice this week."
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Cashman has also been willing to talk about the bigger prize, and that matters in a market that has waited a long time for a true championship run. He spoke openly about wanting the Vikings to win a Super Bowl and what it would mean for the state, which is exactly the kind of mindset a locker room can feed off when the season starts to feel like something more than a hot streak. For now, the defense is doing its part, and Cashman keeps adding to the sense that this team is not just winning early but chasing something far more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]