A pair of Vikings have received some postseason accolades.
The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) announced Monday that Vikings running back Dalvin Cook and kick returner Kene Nwangwu were named to the organization's All-NFC Team.
Cook, who was recently named to his third straight Pro Bowl, was a selection at running back along with Washington's Antonio Gibson.
Cook led the NFC with 1,159 rushing yards, a total that ranked fifth in the league. He also scored six touchdowns and averaged 4.7 yards per attempt. Cook played in 13 games in 2021.
He is familiar with this award, as he was an All-NFC selection in 2019 and 2020. He was an All-NFL selection in 2020.
Nwangwu, meanwhile, was PWFA's selection at kick returner on the All-NFC Team after a dynamic rookie season.
The 2021 fourth-round pick out of Iowa State led the NFL with a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns. He racked up 579 kickoff return yards on just 18 attempts, good for a whopping 32.2 yards per return.
Nwangwu helped the Vikings average 26.5 yards per kickoff return, which ranked
second-best in the NFL behind only the Jets.
Nwangwu was one of two rookies named to the All-NFC Team, as Dallas outside linebacker Micah Parsons was also a selection.
Green Bay had three players selected to the All-NFC Team, while Minnesota and Chicago each had a pair of players named to that squad.
PFWA's list of the All-NFL, All-AFC and All-NFC Teams can be found here.
The PFWA has selected an All-NFL team since 1966, and All-AFC and All-NFC teams since 1992.
Coller outlines Vikings secondary as offseason area to watch
While the Vikings search for a new general manager and head coach continues, some who cover the team have looked at what decisions might await them down the road.
Mattew Coller of Purple Insider recently answered fan questions in a mailbag and was asked what area needs to be focused on first with the defense.
Coller opined that the Vikings new brass will need to turn their attention to the back end to help shore up that unit.
He wrote:
It starts with the secondary. At this moment, the only experienced players on the roster are Harrison Smith and Cam Dantzler. Taking the long approach by drafting several CBs and aiming to sign players who are not top-of-the-line free agents but guys with some experience and potential is the way to go. I know I use Buffalo examples all the time but, well, they're good, and they got Micah Hyde from Green Bay in free agency and he's turned into a star. Find one or two guys like that.
It's not a one-step process though. Rebuilding entirely through one-year free agent signings doesn't work. They have to make a decision on [Danielle] Hunter and then either spend a ton of money or high draft pick on another edge rusher. We've seen over the years that the slow development process of mid-rounders isn't all that fruitful.
Minnesota ranked 30th in the NFL in yards allowed (383.6 per game) and 24th in points allowed per game (25.1).
The Vikings have some key decisions to make, too, as Patrick Peterson and Xavier Woods are free agents after being starters in 2021.
Other notable defensive free agents include: Anthony Barr, Sheldon Richardson, Nick Vigil, Mackensie Alexander and Everson Griffen.
Coller's full mailbag can be found here.
