Who emerges as WR4 for the Vikings?

In 2019 under Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak, the Minnesota Vikings ran a lot more plays out of multiple tight end sets than a lot of teams did. With a group that includes the venerable Kyle Rudolph and rising threat Irv Smith Jr., it’s understandable that the team wants both of them on the field frequently. Also, with the Vikings wanting to run the ball a lot, multiple tight end sets help with that as well.

However, now that Kubiak has the keys to the offense all to himself with Stefanski’s departure, apparently we might have to get used to the idea that the team might want to spread things out more as well, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Jefferson did get some work with the first team Sunday in three-wide receiver sets. Kubiak expects the Vikings to regularly use four receivers and plans to consider “all of them as starters.’’

I don’t have the numbers in front of me that show how often the Vikings used a four-wide set in 2019, but I can’t imagine that the number is very high.

Going into this training camp, I wasn’t sure how much the #4 wide receiver spot on the depth chart was going to matter. In light of this, however, it will be worth tracking how things go in Eagan with the limited access we have to actual news about things.

If we assume that the top three wide receivers on the Vikings’ depth chart as of now are Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, and Olabisi Johnson, I’m not sure who emerges as the #4. The Vikings signed free agent Tajae Sharpe this offseason, they drafted K.J. Osborn in the fifth round in April, signed a highly touted UDFA at the position in Quartney Davis, and also have players like Chad Beebe fighting for that spot.

Who do you think comes out of Vikings’ camp as the #4 wide receiver, folks?

(Hat tip to the folks from Vikings Territory for noticing this quote first.)