O’Connell echoed Adofo-Mensah’s evaluation that Gaskin’s diverse skill set could help the Vikings on special teams and offense, adding context to the decision to waive running back Kene Nwangwu.
“That move was about Myles Gaskin [and] his versatility to really be a true three-down back,” said O’Connell, noting he earned the opportunity “from a standpoint of what he had improved on during his time here; the work he put in that really changed his physical style as a player; from the quickness to the strength to some of the things that showed up in the non-returning phase of the kicking game.”
From pass-protection to running off tackle to returning – and possibly covering – kicks, Gaskin gives the Vikings a player with 17 career starts in addition to Jones and Chandler.
2. Construction of DBs group
The Vikings defensive backs room looks quite a bit different heading into the regular season than it did at the start of the offseason. Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell have had to navigate difficult circumstances that started with rookie Khyree Jackson tragically being killed in a July car accident. The team then lost Mekhi Blackmon for the season to a torn ACL. Most recently, Minnesota parted ways with 2022 draft picks Lewis Cine (waived) and Andrew Booth, Jr. (traded to Dallas).
Free agent addition Shaq Griffin missed most of training camp with an injury but is expected to be ready to go for the season, and the Vikings also signed veteran All-Pro Stephon Gilmore. Undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern impressed throughout the preseason and earned himself a spot on the team’s initial 53-man roster.
“We like how we played defense last year, but we wanted to give ourselves the flexibility to be a little more versatile, maybe play a little bit more man to cover defense,” Adofo-Mensah explained. “So we went out, decided to figure out how to give ourselves an ability to do that – loving the people we have in the building but also trying to give ourselves other options. And I think we’ve done that with an eye on today, but also the future.
“We love keeping Dwight McGlothern, [who] we think is potentially a really good player. We have Mekhi Blackmon … coming back next year. We have Akayleb [Evans]. We have different players to be thinking [about], and we love that they’re in a room with Stephon Gilmore and a Byron Murphy, Jr., to learn from,” he added. “We responded, and we feel good about the…
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