I’m not a big Kyle Rudolph fan. He’s a solid enough player (particularly around the goal line) but I just don’t think he’s going to get enough opportunities.
The Vikings have another tight end, Irv Smith, who’s also essentially a full-time player, and he’s ready to do more in his second year. Last year, Smith caught only 3 fewer passes than Rudolph.
And with the offense they run, I think they’ll be emphasizing the run. Minnesota was a bottom-10 passing team last year, with Rudolph catching only 39 passes.
They are switching offensive coordinators, of course. Kevin Stefanski is gone to Cleveland, and Gary Kubiak is taking over. But Kubiak was working closely with Stefanski last year, so I don’t think they’re making any meaningful changes.
Kubiak has been around for years with various teams, and he doesn’t have a strong track record with tight ends. In the last 10 years, only one Kubiak tight end has finished a season with top-13 PPR numbers.
KUBIAK'S TIGHT ENDS (2010-19) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | PPR | Rk |
2012 | Owen Daniels, Hou. | 62 | 716 | 11.6 | 6 | 169.6 | 9 |
2019 | Kyle Rudolph, Min. | 39 | 367 | 9.4 | 6 | 113.7 | 14 |
2013 | Garrett Graham, Hou. | 49 | 545 | 11.1 | 5 | 133.5 | 15 |
2011 | Owen Daniels, Hou. | 54 | 677 | 12.5 | 3 | 139.7 | 16 |
2014 | Owen Daniels, Balt. | 48 | 527 | 11.0 | 4 | 124.7 | 18 |
2015 | Owen Daniels, Den. | 46 | 517 | 11.2 | 3 | 115.7 | 21 |
2010 | Joel Dreessen, Hou. | 36 | 518 | 14.4 | 4 | 111.8 | 22 |
2011 | Joel Dreessen, Hou. | 28 | 353 | 12.6 | 6 | 99.3 | 24 |
2010 | Owen Daniels, Hou. | 38 | 471 | 12.4 | 2 | 97.1 | 26 |
2012 | James Casey, Hou. | 34 | 330 | 9.7 | 3 | 85.6 | 32 |
2019 | Irv Smith, Min. | 36 | 311 | 8.6 | 2 | 79.1 | 33 |
2012 | Garrett Graham, Hou. | 28 | 263 | 9.4 | 3 | 72.3 | 36 |
2013 | Owen Daniels, Hou. | 24 | 252 | 10.5 | 3 | 67.2 | 42 |
2016 | Virgil Green, Den. | 22 | 237 | 10.8 | 1 | 51.7 | 42 |
2011 | James Casey, Hou. | 18 | 260 | 14.4 | 1 | 51.1 | 43 |
2013 | Ryan Griffin, Hou. | 19 | 244 | 12.8 | 1 | 49.4 | 48 |
2015 | Virgil Green, Den. | 12 | 173 | 14.4 | 1 | 35.3 | 56 |
2014 | Dennis Pitta, Balt. | 16 | 125 | 7.8 | 0 | 28.5 | 57 |
2014 | Crockett Gillmore, Balt. | 10 | 121 | 12.1 | 1 | 28.1 | 58 |
2010 | James Casey, Hou. | 8 | 98 | 12.3 | 0 | 17.8 | 65 |
2016 | Jeff Heuerman, Den. | 9 | 141 | 15.7 | 0 | 23.1 | 67 |
2019 | Tyler Conklin, Min. | 8 | 58 | 7.3 | 0 | 13.8 | 86 |
—Ian Allan