By the time Vikings rookie receiver Laquon Treadwell was up to speed and healthy last year, Sam Bradford and Pat Shurmur had taken control of the offense.
Treadwell, the 23rd overall pick in last year's draft, didn't earn enough playing time in practice or games to build a connection with the Vikings' new quarterback.
"That connection between the quarterback and skill position players is really important," Shurmur said last week. "And that chemistry is really built in the offseason when you get the chance to slow it down, run the individual routes in the concepts."
After Treadwell's one-catch season for 15 yards, the Vikings hold out hope he will prove worthy of the first-round draft pick for an offense that hasn't produced a 1,000-yard receiver since 2009.
"[Treadwell] is going to be like any young player that's going from Year 1 to Year 2. This is going to be an offseason that is very critical," Shurmur said.
ANDREW KRAMMER
