Over the next two weeks, we will take a position-by-position look at where the Vikings stand heading into the offseason after their 7-9 season in 2014. Today, we will take a look at the tight ends.

Given offensive coordinator Norv Turner's track record with tight ends, big things were expected of Kyle Rudolph this past season. After all, look what Turner did with guys like Antonio Gates and Jordan Cameron in his previous stops. But a pair of injuries limited Rudolph to just nine games.

After Rudolph underwent sports hernia surgery in Week 3, it was up to Chase Ford and Rhett Ellison to hold down the position. Ford showed flashes as a pass-catcher and Ellison fared well as a run blocker. But neither emerged as a consistent threat for rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Rudolph returned after the bye week, but it took him a while to resemble his old self. He finally busted out with seven catches for 69 yards in the Week 15, but he suffered knee and ankle injuries and wouldn't make another catch the rest of the way.

Collectively, that trio combined for 66 catches for 697 yards and four touchdowns — not awful considering the circumstances, but not exactly the big-time production expected under Turner.

ONE REASON FOR OPTIMISM: Turner will be back as offensive coordinator, and one can presume the plans for his offense won't go up in smoke like they did in Week 2, when running back Adrian Peterson was lost for the season due to his legal issues. It also didn't help that Rudolph was lost in Week 3. Rudolph should have a larger role in the offense in 2015, particularly in the red zone…

ONE REASON FOR CONCERN: … but only, of course, if Rudolph can remain healthy enough to play. The Vikings are banking on big production from Rudolph, evidenced by the five-year, $36.5 million contract extension they gave him during training camp. But he has missed 15 total games the past two seasons due to injury, and he must stay on the field to reward them for their investment.

GRADES WITH A GRAIN OF SALT: Since the Vikings (understandably) won't make their player grades public, we turn to Pro Football Focus, whom some players and coaches have been critical of. For context with these grades, a grade of 0.0 is considered average. Positive grades are good. Negative grades are not. Ford was the only tight end graded in the green with a plus-4.6 grade. Ellison was slightly below average at negative-0.2. Rudolph was a negative-2.8 overall. Former Gopher MarQueis Gray graded as a negative-1.5 in limited action before he was waived.

STAT THAT STANDS OUT: two — passes caught 20 or more yards downfield by Vikings tight ends, both by Ford. In 2013, when Turner coordinated the Browns offense, Cameron was targeted much more often downfield. But the Vikings in 2014 targeted one of their tight ends deep only three times.

POTENTIAL DEPARTURES: All three tight ends are under contract through the 2015 season.

OFFSEASON LEVEL OF NEED: Very low. The Vikings have three young tight ends who all bring something to the table. The key will be Rudolph staying on the field, but the position is not a priority.