VIKINGS VETERAN DT SAYS TEAM IS LACKING ONE KEY COMPONENT
The Minnesota Vikings will likely have some ups and downs in 2024, especially on the offensive side of the ball, after quarterback Kirk Cousins left this offseason to join the Atlanta Falcons.
The team has since added a few new faces to the room: Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens and J.J. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips believes Minnesota still lacks one key component: leadership.
"There's gonna be a huge loss," Phillips said via Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. "Kirk Cousins as a person, as a leader, as a teammate, that's a big void in your locker room. ... To ask one person to fill that void is probably not probable."
Phillips is correct that one person will not be able to replicate Cousins' impact, at least not immediately.
Over the past six years, Cousins led Minnesota to a 50-37-1 record while throwing for 23,265 yards, 171 touchdowns and just 55 interceptions.
Phillips did acknowledge that there is power in numbers.
"What we're going to do is have a great leadership team," Phillips added. "We're going to pass that torch off and kind of division of labor. We're going to all carry that load together, and maybe we can be a better football team for it."
Phillips, who is heading into his seventh season in the league, is hoping he can be a leader on defense after the Vikings parted ways with captains Danielle Hunter (Texans) and Jordan Hicks (Browns) this offseason.
"Kirk's obviously amazing. I've learned a lot from him and the leadership side of things," Phillips finished. "That's an area I'm trying to step up and improve my game by working on those abilities."
McCarthy will heavily impact the offense, but he also led Michigan to a national title and multiple playoff appearances during his time in Ann Arbor. So, there's certainly reason for Minnesota to be optimistic.
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