![]() “It just has a natural progression, and you always have the next group of guys that are ready to step up and take on a bigger role - not just on the field but certainly in the locker room,” Cousins said. O’Connell said this week he’s “well aware” of the resulting leadership void created by those decisions and has thus challenged some of the younger standouts on the team to help fill it. The Vikings also traded edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to Cleveland for two late-round draft picks. The Vikings cleared $9 million from their salary cap last week by releasing running back Dalvin Cook, the ultimate move in what has amounted to a major offseason makeover.ĭumping locker room leaders and longtime standouts such as Cook, wide receiver Adam Thielen and linebacker Eric Kendricks has on one hand been a jarring turn for a 13-win team and on the other hand made good sense in the context of data-based decision-making and maximum flexibility the front office under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has stated as guiding roster-crafting principles. “During the season, even during training camp, it’s difficult to find the time to do that.” ![]() “When you spend time with your teammates, when you ask questions, when you get to know them, when you care about them, it just changes the way you pull for them and the way you pull for each other, the way you work together,” Cousins said. Bibby happens to be Murphy’s uncle.Ĭousins has been taking small groups of teammates out for dinners this spring, too, including one outing to a Chili’s restaurant near Vikings headquarters that fit right in with the quirky-yet-wholesome dad brand he’s presented to the public throughout his career. New Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy, in a head-to-toe Vancouver Grizzlies uniform featuring former point guard Mike Bibby, was declared the winner. An assistant coach who wanted to needle his boss, whom O’Connell declined to name, found a replica of the head coach’s jersey from his college career at San Diego State. Cousins chose a Georgetown-era Allen Iverson jersey.
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