Andrew Janocko To Take Over as Vikings Wide Receivers Coach
Andrew Janocko has been named as the Vikings' new wide receivers coach, the team announced Monday as part of a number of updates to the coaching staff. He replaces Drew Petzing, who recently joined Kevin Stefanski's staff with the Browns.
Janocko is entering his fifth year on the Vikings' offensive staff. He was previously the team's assistant offensive line coach, and worked with the tight ends prior to that.
He'll take over a group that features a pair of in-their-prime stars in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, both of whom are under contract until at least 2023. Diggs posted his second straight 1,000-yard season in 2019 and tied for the NFL lead with eight catches of 40+ yards. Thielen missed a major chunk of the 2019 season with a hamstring injury, but still scored seven touchdowns. He had over 1,200 receiving yards in both 2017 and 2018.
Seventh-round rookie Bisi Johnson emerged as the team's No. 3 receiver and saw expanded playing time in Thielen's absence. He'll look to continue to develop under Janocko. Laquon Treadwell likely won' return in 2020, but the team also has Alexander Hollins on the roster, plus three reserve/future players at WR in Dillon Mitchell, Davion Davis, and former Canadian Football League star Bralon Addison.
The Vikings may also be inclined to select a wide receiver in the upcoming NFL draft. Minnesota's Tyler Johnson could be an option in the middle rounds.
Prior to joining the Vikings staff in 2015, Janocko was the QBs coach at D-II Mercyhurst. Before that, he was an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a graduate assistant at Rutgers. He played football at Pitt.
To replace Janocko, the Vikings have hired Phil Rauscher as their assistant offensive line coach. Rauscher spent the last two years with the Redskins, serving as their OL coach for the last 11 games in 2019. Before that he was with the Broncos, where he worked with current Vikings coaches Gary and Klint Kubiak, Rick Dennison, and Brian Pariani.
Here is the Vikings' finalized offensive coaching staff, courtesy of the team's website:
On the defensive side, the team announced Monday that it had hired Daronte Jones as defensive backs coach and promoted Andre Patterson and Adam Zimmer as co-defensive coordinators.
