The Minnesota Vikings announced their 2018 captains on Tuesday. A total of six players will serve as captains for the entire season. These are the 2018 Minnesota Vikings captains:
Offense
Kirk Cousins
Quarterback Kirk Cousins enters his first season as a Viking as a captain. This is far from a surprise as quarterbacks are almost always named captains. His role with the new offense is critical for the team’s success this season, and he has to be a leader.
Riley Reiff
Offensive lineman Riley Reiff was a captain last season, and his duties carry over into 2018. The Vikings have several injuries and question marks along the offensive line, and Reiff has to be a leader for the unit. The Vikings coaching staff is very high on Reiff.
Kyle Rudolph
Tight end Kyle Rudolph is also a returning captain. The Vikings have a ton of weapons and big names in the offense, but the career of Kyle Rudolph is by far the most impressive. He is the longest tenured player on the offense as he enters his eighth season in Minnesota. His teammates seem to rally around him and he is exactly the lead-by-example type of player the Vikings need.
Defense
Everson Griffen
Everson Griffen is now the longest tenured player on the defense after Brian Robison was waived earlier in the week. Griffen has been a captain for Minnesota in the past because of his vocal leadership and the way he approaches the game. The Vikings have Griffen locked up for the foreseeable future and he is one of Mike Zimmer’s favorites.
Linval Joseph
Linval Joseph is a new addition to the captains. Joseph is a huge force in the run game and is a game-changer on defense.
Anthony Barr
The most interesting choice is Anthony Barr. He is undoubtedly one of the best players on the team, but his future is murky. Barr has not yet been signed to a long-term extension despite several others getting that luxury. Still, Zimmer is high on the young linebacker and he has a chance to prove himself as a true leader in 2018.
There aren’t many, if any at all, surprises on this list. The Vikings released punter Ryan Quigley and kicker Kai Forbath during the preseason, leaving youth on special teams. Perhaps because of this, there are no special teams captains for the Vikings this season.
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