Matthew Coller: Addison, Pace Jr.'s next steps are key to Vikings' plan

EAGAN — Jordan Addison put it bluntly when he was asked about building chemistry with new quarterbacks Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy.

“At the end of the day we get paid to catch the ball so we gotta catch it,” Addison said following last week’s OTA practice.

Those are the facts, indeed.

Last year at this time we had no idea whether Addison would be able to catch footballs or not. He missed most of the offseason program with an injury and didn’t take any reps with the offense until training camp. However, it became clear very quickly that Addison wouldn’t have any issues getting his mitts around Kirk Cousins’ passes. He ran away with the WR2 job in camp and made a spectacular grab in his first preseason game.

From there he put together a strong rookie year, despite playing half the season without Jefferson taking up all the attention and Cousins missing the final nine games with a torn Achilles. Addison made 70 catches on 104 targets and scored 10 touchdowns. He produced the third most yards among all rookies.

The Vikings need more where that came from.

Last offseason the team made a concerted effort to get younger at key positions, including receiver. Drafting Addison and letting Adam Thielen walk in free agency was a calculated move with the hope of finding a long-term partner for Justin Jefferson to continue the tradition of the Vikings’ unstoppable duos (or trios) of receivers. Addison’s strong rookie year justified their decision to replace Thielen with a draft pick rather than spending it on defense.

But with KJ Osborn exiting in free agency to sign with the Patriots and no additional receivers brought in outside of re-signing Brandon Powell, it’s now Addison’s show and the expectations only increase from here.

While he put together a quality Year 1, there were some areas where Addison went into the offseason looking to improve. For instance, he said, his releases. He found that NFL cornerbacks are a lot better at handling receivers off the line of scrimmage than in college.

“Last year I wasn’t as confident in my releases, I wasn’t being decisive, I didn’t have a plan when I came up to the line, just freelancing trying to do what I could do and make something work but now it’s my focus,” Addison said.

The former Pitt and USC star also only pulled in nine of 22 contested catches (per PFF), which could be improved with more experience and strength in Year 2.

“I feel like he came back more explosive and faster with his releases, he’s been working on his craft a lot,” cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. said, taking notice of Addison’s improvement.

Not that Cousins didn’t need great wide receiver play to thrive — in fact, he quickly declared last year that Addison was a home run draft pick and said the 2023 group of weapons was the best he’d ever had — but this year there is even more emphasis on the receiving corps’ job to smooth out the transition from Cousins to a new quarterback. Sam Darnold has rarely had a single elite receiver, much less two of them.

Year-by-year, here are Darnold’s top two receivers during seasons he started at least five games:

2018: Robbie Chosen (50 receptions), Quincy Enunwa (38)

2019: Jamison Crowder (78), Robbie Chosen (52)

2020: Jamison Crowder (59), Braxton Berrios (37)

2021: DJ Moore (93), Robbie Chosen (53)

2022: DJ Moore (63), Terrace Marshall Jr. (28)

Addison’s rookie year topped all but two of those seasons.

What about the concept of a sophomore slump? Is it real? Should that be a concern?

The 2022 class featured six receivers who had at least 50 targets and a PFF grade over 70. Of those players, five ended up with lower grades in 2023. New Orleans’ Chris Olave was the only one to match his standout rookie grade.

However, there is some context required, like the fact that Garrett Wilson was supposed to play with Aaron Rodgers and instead ended up with Zach Wilson and friends. Pittsburgh’s George Pickens graded a 68.8 as a rookie and then shot up to 75.3 in 2023. Christian Watson and Treylon Burks battled injuries.

Addison’s value goes beyond his sophomore year though. The Vikings are expecting him to be one of the main reasons that the environment for McCarthy is favorable long term.

If we look at teams without Patrick Mahomes on their roster who have made deep playoff runs in the past, it’s notable how many of them have a duo of top receivers that elevated the play of a quarterback. Whether it’s AJ Brown and De’Vonta Smith in Philadelphia or Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, it’s not a stretch to say that their quarterbacks wouldn’t be the same with just one quality receiver.

Addison, again bluntly, seemed like he was up for the challenge.

“He’s got a nice tight spiral,” Addison said. “So you have to make sure you catch it.

On the defensive side, the Vikings have another Year 2 player that they expect to be a big piece of the operation for years to come: Ivan Pace Jr.

The undrafted free agent emerged during training camp in 2023 and won the starting job next to Jordan Hicks. It’s very rare for a UDFA to win a job outright in camp but Pace Jr. took the ball and ran with it. He played over 700 snaps and ran away with the title of highest PFF graded rookie linebacker (77.1 out of 100). The ex-Cincinnati Bearcat picked up 15 QB pressures and allowed just 5.7 yards per reception into his coverage.

Pace Jr. also handled the defensive play calling during a span while Jordan Hicks was sidelined. He felt that experienced was valuable to his development.

“It definitely did because in college it revolved around me and I didn’t have to do much communication but I came here and it made me think more and I had to break down what our defense was doing and what the offense was doing so it helped a lot,” Pace Jr. said.

“It’s basically like being a coach out there on the field,” he added.

The Vikings defense is finally built to last, rather than scratching together just enough pieces for one year as has been the case in recent seasons. They went into the free agent market to sign veteran Blake Cashman to a multi-year deal to play alongside Pace Jr. and signed pass rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to multi-year contracts. Last year before the season began they extended Josh Metellus as well. Drafting Alabama’s Dallas Turner gave them more to work with along the front seven.

The success of the defense this year and going forward requires the undersized linebacker to continue to play at a high level. He was above average by PFF as a tackler, pass rusher and in coverage, which gave defensive coordinator Brian Flores flexibility on his usage. Without that the unit would look quite different, particularly because the Vikings overhauled their depth at the position.

Performance from linebackers can be volatile when it comes to the PFF grading system and traditional statistics but Pace Jr. said that he has had his mind on building on Year 1 all offseason.

“I came back in the offseason wanting to get better at everything, footwork, coverage, my eyes,” the softspoken Pace Jr. said.

There are often bumps along the way as good young players attempt to either take the next step or sustain their previous performance. In the case of Addison and Pace Jr., the Vikings’ path toward building a juggernaut requires that both of them continue to progress and both appear to understand that improvement is needed in order to get there.