Team news: Atlanta Falcons | Page 29

"It's definitely better to be in the second year with a quarterback than the first year." Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen on the development of a relationship between quarterback and wide receiver.

Related players: Stefon Diggs, Kirk Cousins

Thielen said it takes a long time to get on the same page with a quarterback and that you're always working on it. He added it's about the QB understanding what receivers are good at, like body control or a jump ball player. It could mean more efficient seasons for both Thielen and Diggs as well as Cousins, which is a scary thought as both WRs were over 1,000 yards and each caught nine TDs a year ago.

Vikings beat writer Chris Tomasson tweets, "QB Kirk Cousins: "Chad Beebe is another guy who I just think will make a major difference for our offense this year.''

Camp buzz for Chad Beebe has been strong so far and it looks as though he all but has the Vikings slot position wrapped up. Minnesota will look to run a bit more than they did last season and Beebe won't be a high-volume target, but his presence could push Adam Thielen to the outside more. Thielen thrives in the slot, so he'll still spend time there, but if Beebe works out, we could see Thielen's slot snaps scaled back, hurting his overall upside. Beebe's value is good compared to his ADP at the moment, but he'll likely need to be in a deep league to pay dividends.

After missing out on the Cleveland Browns' head coaching job, Kevin Stefanski will return to Minnesota.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Stefanski is expected to return as the Vikings' full-time offensive coordinator, per a source informed of the situation.

Stefanski took over in Minnesota with three games left in the 2018 season after the Vikings jettisoned OC John DeFilippo. The Vikes offense got back to the ground game in the first two outings of the 36-year-old's play-calling career, compiling 320 rushing yards in back-to-back victories.

The Vikings offense, however, struggled brutally in the must-win season finale, compiling just 164 total yards in a loss to the Bears that dashed Minnesota's playoff plans.

Returning as full-time offensive coordinator, Stefanski will be tasked with unleashing an offense that vastly underperformed expectations in 2018. Despite a star running back in Dalvin Cook, two 1,000-plus-yard receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, and an $84 million quarterback in Kirk Cousins, the Vikings were an inconsistent mess this season. If the Vikings can't finally figure out their offensive line issues in 2019, it likely won't matter who is calling plays.

After firing DeFilippo, HC Mike Zimmer demanded that Stefanski establish the run game. Under DeFilippo, the Vikings averaged 40.3 pass attempts and just 21.1 rush attempts, a 65.7% pass rate. In three games under Stefanski, Minnesota averaged 27.3 pass attempts and 27.7 rush attempts for a 49.7% pass rate. The team's offensive pace slowed from 61.4 plays per game under DeFilippo to 55.0 plays per game under Stefanski. Kirk Cousins and the passing game suffered in the final three games, as his fantasy PPG dropped from 17.6 PPG to 15.8 PPG. Meanwhile, Dalvin Cook's usage spiked--he averaged 14.9 touches per game under DeFilippo and 18.0 touches per game with Stefanski calling the plays. His PPG (PPR) was 17.7 over the final three games after averaging 12.9 PPG in eight games under DeFilippo. Adam Thielen's averages (21.8 vs. 8.0) took a major hit while Stefon Diggs' production (18.4 vs. 14.5) also dipped. Keep in mind that one of the three games was at home against the Bears, who own the top defense in the league. Still, the Stefanski full-time hire looks to be good for Cook and bad for Cousins, Thielen and Diggs.