Analyzing Kevin O'Connell's Owners Meetings Quotes on Cousins, Murphy, Osborn, More

O'Connell talked to reporters in Phoenix this week about a variety of topics.
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Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and owner Mark Wilf were in attendance at the NFL's owners meetings this week, the 2023 edition of which took place in Phoenix, AZ.

In addition to the annual head coach and GM group photos, a few new rule changes, and plenty of behind-the-scenes discussions, the week is notable because there was an O'Connell press conference in which Minnesota's second-year coach touched on a number of interesting Vikings topics.

Let's go over six quotes from O'Connell and analyze them a bit further.

1. On Kirk Cousins:

"Kirk and I have had a ton of dialogue throughout the offseason, just really in anticipation and excitement of his year two in our offense. He actually brought this up to me, the last time he had the same voice calling plays in the same system in his ear was Sean McVay, 2015 to 2016. This'll be really cool for him to be in the same system, call the same formations, the same plays. I'm just excited to see him in year two and my goal is that 2023 is one of the best seasons Kirk Cousins has had playing quarterback in the NFL."

For all of the talk about the Vikings' future at the quarterback position with Cousins heading into the final year of his contract, this is still the veteran QB's offense in 2023, barring something unexpected. And O'Connell brings up a notable point by reminding people that this will be the first time in Cousins' Vikings tenure in which he has the same coach in his ear for a second consecutive season. 

Cousins' statistics were down a bit from their usual range last season, but that may have had a lot to do with the difficulty of adjusting to a brand new offense — and he more than made up for it by leading the NFL in fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives. If he can take a big step in mastering O'Connell's offense this year and bring his efficiency numbers back to his career norms, that could go a long way for Minnesota's offense (and Cousins' future, wherever that may be).

2. On new cornerback Byron Murphy:

"Adding a guy like Byron Murphy was huge because it allowed us to have a player truly with that inside-out flex. Base defense, he can be an outside corner. Nickel defense, he can go inside. And it's great to have the skill set to do it, but (also) the mentality to do that, because they're really two different worlds when you're playing those positions. I've seen some players do it in the past at a really successful clip, Jalen Ramsey used to do it for us in LA. I think Byron's going to be (someone) where he's so instinctive, he's got great ball skills ... he's played a lot of football, 25 years old, and so much great football ahead of him."

With no disrespect to Marcus Davenport, Josh Oliver, or Dean Lowry, Murphy is clearly the Vikings' marquee addition of free agency this year. A former second-round pick who has 48 starts under his belt at age 25, he was one of the top cornerbacks on the market this offseason. And as O'Connell notes, one of the big things Murphy brings to the table is versatility. Regardless of who else the Vikings add to their cornerback room, Murphy should play plenty at both outside corner and in the slot moving forward. The ability to do both at a high level is a difficult trait to find, and one that will be a big benefit for defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

3. On the cornerback room at large

"At the same time, we know we need to add, either through the draft or potentially some other veterans, we need to add some more numbers in that room. Also, the offseasons that Akayleb (Evans) and Andrew Booth are having, those guys are in the building every day, they're pushing each other, they're doing all the things that we're asking of them right now in what is really a voluntary — they're just in there working out on their own, choosing to be in our building, and I think there's going to be some real positive things that come with that. That room will be a very competitive situation throughout the spring and training camp."

This was right after O'Connell's quote about Murphy. It's no secret that the Vikings can't be done adding to their cornerback room, which lost Patrick Peterson and Duke Shelley in free agency. Murphy is a capable No. 1, but both Booth and Evans missed time due to injury in their rookie seasons. It would be great if one or both stayed healthy and emerged as a major contributor in year two, but that's not something the Vikings can count on happening. Ideally, they add another serviceable veteran at some point and then draft a corner, potentially in the first round. It's good to hear Booth and Evans are working hard this offseason, but they need to be looked at as potential luxury depth, not locked-in starters.

4. On the quarterback position and their contracts

I think it's one of those things that if you are building a roster around one of those (elite) quarterbacks that's kind of resetting the market, you're probably in a good position. If you've got a quarterback, you're excited; if you don't, you're excited to go find him. It's clear the benefits of drafting one and having those four years of that player on the scale that allows you to build a roster around those players has been an advantage. It's not a cliche to say that that position really defines a lot of buildings in the NFL."

Interesting. Very interesting. O'Connell recognizes an obvious truth, which is that the best quarterback situation to be in is to have one of the elite players at the position — and the second-best place to be is to have a quarterback on a rookie contract, because of the financial flexibility that creates. The Vikings, since signing Cousins five years ago, have been in neither of those camps. Cousins is clearly among the better quarterbacks in the non-elite veteran tier, but there's a reason why the team is rumored to be exploring their options for 2024 and beyond.

At some point, whether it's this year or next, you get the sense that O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah would love the opportunity to select their guy in the draft and build around them while they're on that rookie contract. The tricky thing is that they have the 23rd pick in this year's draft and will likely be at least in the mid-teens next year, too, if not in the 20s again. You can always move assets to trade up, but that's a risky game. 

5. On how a more balanced offense can help

"A lot of times we were successful moving the ball via the pass last year, and what ended up happening is that becomes something you can game-plan: coverage, double-teams on J.J., if you're playing zone coverage, how you're loading zones to wherever he is, trying to make Kirk hold the football and take some hits in the pocket, the attrition of that. I think the balance on offense is one where it takes the pressure off of the quarterback and the offensive line. And if we can run the football a little more efficiently, marry the run and the pass with play-pass, keepers, and screens, different variations of our pass game on our terms, I think that's going to bode well (against) teams that want to feature so much coverage to Justin."

The Vikings' inability to run the ball efficiently last season held back a potentially excellent offense. They finished 18th in EPA per play, ranking 10th in EPA per dropback and just 29th in EPA per rush. Both Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison were among the league leaders in the percentage of their runs that went for one yard or less, which put the Vikings' passing game in less-than-advantageous situations. Eventually, Minnesota basically abandoned the run game altogether, finishing with the league's third-highest passing percentage.

Thus, a major focus for O'Connell this offseason is improving the run game to become more balanced. That's a big reason why Oliver, one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, was a priority addition in free agency. The Vikings also brought back Garrett Bradbury — a great run blocker at center — and fullback C.J. Ham. It seems like they're ready to lean into heavier personnel packages that should allow them to have more success running the ball. In turn, that should prevent defenses from sending so many coverage resources towards Jefferson, who managed a historic 1,800-yard season despite receiving all kinds of defensive attention. That's the idea, anyways. Running the ball effectively on early downs would make O'Connell's life as a play-caller much easier.

6. On K.J. Osborn and the WR position sans-Adam Thielen:

"I think K.J.'s showed, I think back to that Indianapolis game, (playing) Chicago, that first third down, a huge catch down the field, just the versatility that he has. And then really how he understands — he's a really smart player — how he pairs with Justin in trying to beat some of that coverage that Justin tends to see. Excited for a guy like Jalen Nailor and Jalen Reagor to kind of get a chance to really compete and have the ability, in year two, to play multiple spots and handle that, which is really, really important."

O'Connell went on to praise the tight end position, with T.J. Hockenson being joined by Oliver. Hockenson figures to serve as the Vikings' de facto No. 2 receiver this season. And while Osborn is a good all-around player and guys like Nailor and Reagor have some upside, Minnesota's non-Jefferson receiving corps is very weak after the release of Thielen. That's why receiver is another popular position sent to the Vikings in first-round mock drafts these days. They don't necessarily have to go that route, but they do need to add another capable receiver at some point so they're not stretching Osborn beyond his ideal role.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.


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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.