After a productive offseason aimed at upgrading and growing towards becoming a championship caliber football team, the Minnesota Vikings head into the summer primed to take a huge step to that goal. For the first time since the 2009 team, the Vikings have a squad capable of reaching the NFC Championship game and beyond.

Heading into 2016, the Vikings now have one of the most complete rosters in the league. One that is young and talented and can be a serious Super Bowl contender for the next three to five years. The Vikings success on the field can be just as much attributed to their success off it, with three keys as to why they are poised to take a huge step forward in 2016.

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Additions and Subtractions to the Roster

By the time Vikings’ season concluded with a Wild Card game loss to the Seattle Seahawks, most everyone associated with the Vikings – organization and fans alike – knew what the focus of the offseason would be. For the first time in three years, the Vikings focused more resources on the offensive side of the ball than its defense.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had spent his first two seasons running for his life behind poor pass protection and inconsistent play from his receivers. The Vikings addressed both issues in big ways.

The Vikings brought in offensive line help via free agency. Offensive guard, Alex Boone, is expected to take over starting duties on the left side, shifting fellow guard Brandon Fusco back to his natural place on the right side of the line. They also brought in former Cincinnati Bengals right tackle, Andre Smith, to compete with longtime starter Phil Loadholt for the same position.

The team cut wide receiver Mike Wallace after just one season and used their first round pick to select Ole Miss wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, regarded by many as the best receiver in this year’s draft class. Like the case with Bridgewater in 2014, the Vikings benefitted from a “bad pro day” affecting Treadwell’s fall to their draft slot. He will likely be an immediate contributor who will pair with 2015 fifth-round draft pick, Stefon Diggs, to give Bridgewater two dependable threats on the wings.

For added measure, the Vikings also added a project player at the same position in the sixth round, Moritz Boehringer. He has a combination of attributes – size and speed – that if developed can make him a key contributor to the team down the line. For now, he’s likely to spend some time on the practice squad or riding the pine behind the more established vets trying to catch up to the American style of play.

On defense, the Vikings added safety Michael Griffin from the Tennessee Titans to compete for the starting job alongside Harrison Smith. They brought in more depth to the linebackers unit and found a luxury talent in the second round with cornerback Mackensie Alexander from Clemson. There may not be a team in the league with more quality depth in their secondary.

With no major personnel losses and the additions made throughout the spring, this team continues to build one of the most talented rosters in the league. The Vikings may arguably be one of the deepest teams in the NFL heading into the 2016 season.

Strength of Schedule/Quality of Opponents

The Vikings 2016 schedule would appear to be much easier than compared to 2015. The Vikings played against two of the NFL’s toughest divisions in the NFC and AFC West last year and now face what projects to be two of weakest in the NFC East and the AFC South. Both divisions had champions with nine and seven records and only one of the remaining six teams even finished with a .500 record.

Just as the Vikings have done, each of these teams made significant offseason moves to improve their rosters to compete in 2016. It’s possible that a number of these teams could be more competitive and put the rest of the league on notice. It is also possible that they don’t improve enough to compete with top level competition.

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