2022 Combine Preview & Upcoming Roster Decisions

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When will HC Kevin O’Connell meet the team for the first time? I’m really excited for the offseason and the next season in general! Greetings from Germany!

It’s the start of a busy week, so let’s get rolling.

We’re about a month away from O’Connell’s first full-team meeting, as the Vikings can begin Organized Team Activities on April 4. This is two weeks earliest than most teams, but it’s allowed by the league because the Vikings have a new head coach.

But if we’re building off Benedikt’s excitement for the offseason, the real fun — and O’Connell’s introduction on a national stage — is right around the corner.

The 2022 NFL Scouting Combine kicks off this week in Indianapolis, and it is back in person after a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’ll be on the ground in Indy with a strong contingent of folks from Vikings Entertainment Network, and we’ll have wall-to-wall coverage on everything Vikings-related that goes down in Indianapolis.

That means national introductions for both O’Connell and Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Both are not new to the combine, but they will be there for the first time in their respective roles.

We’ll get a better idea of where they stand on Minnesota’s roster and the 300-plus invited combine participants, plus get some insight on where things stand with free agency and the start of the New League Year almost two weeks away.

To me, the combine always feels like the true start of the offseason, and it will be great to be back in this week.

For a week each year, Indianapolis is the center of the football world, with anyone and everyone descending on the city for at least a few days.

The conversations that take place there could end up shaping the rest of the 2022 offseason.

For the Vikings, that means meeting with agents of their own potential free agents, plus getting the lay of the land for what else is happening around the league.

Be sure to check Vikings.com all week for plenty of in-depth coverage.