RB Alexander Mattison Will Increase Offensive Efficiency For Vikings In 2023

The 13-4 record the Vikings had in the 2022 season is in the history books, and as free agency has started, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s vision is starting to come into focus.

There may still be some fuzziness around the quarterback position as far as the future is concerned, but the Vikings are clearly designing their offense around Justin Jefferson. Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell believe that he is the best receiver in the league. But how does the team best take advantage of his skill?

The new league year has seen the Vikings re-sign backup running back Alexander Mattison to a 2-year, $7 million deal that includes $6.35 million in guaranteed money. Why are the Vikings so concerned with the No. 2 running back position? Because they are likely to move starter Dalvin Cook in the near future.

Cook has a cap hit of $14.1 million in the 2023 season, and while he is a legitimate home run hitter who can deliver explosive plays on occasion, he also is held to no gain or negative-yardage plays with much greater frequency.

O’Connell clearly likes what Mattison can bring to the Minnesota offense. There is a dependability to his game that the head coach believes can bring more consistency to the production.

“I think the home runs and the long ones are great, but as a play caller, I would love to be second-and-5,” O’Connell said.

“If you tell me I’m in second-and-5, we’re in a position to do a lot of different things. Second-and-5 is a really great place to be for an offense like ours, with the type of personnel we have, so what hurts is second-and-10, second-and-11, second-and-12 into a third-and-8 on the road with crowd noise. When we run the football better, hopefully we can give ourselves a lot more friendly circumstances to try to attack.”

Mattison was successful on nearly 46 percent of his carries last year, while Cook’s rate was 34 percent. Mattison is not going to take the ball 70 yards or more for a touchdowns the way Cook can, but the big plays don’t happen often enough to justify the salary or the success rate.

Mattison may be the best backup running back in the league, but if he is promoted to the top spot, can he build on everything he has done to this point? It appears that the brain trust is banking on that development.

O’Connell appears to understand offense better than most head coaches in the league. It’s one thing to advocate the belief that positive first-down success dictates what will happen the rest of the drive, and it’s quite another to make a dramatic change in the lineup that leads to that kind of success. If the Vikings deal Cook, that’s just what will happen.

Running backs don’t carry the value in trades that they offer on the field. The 27-year-old Cook has been a top-three running back in the league the past four seasons, but that may no longer be the case. However, if Adofo-Mensah can find one serious suitor who will exchange a productive defensive player for the running back, it is a deal he should make. The belief here is that the Buffalo Bills are extremely interested in bringing Cook aboard and teaming him with younger brother James Cook.

In addition to Mattison’s new deal, the Vikings have released Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks. Patrick Peterson and Dalvin Tomlinson signed elsewhere. Defensive lineman Marcus Davenport and cornerback Byron Murphy have been added. Quarterback Kirk Cousins had his contract restructured.

Many more moves are likely before the draft in late April. Some may be on the offensive side, but the most important ones will come on defense.