MINNEAPOLIS -- For the past six seasons, it was easy for the Minnesota Vikings' defense to quickly fall into a rhythm at the start of training camp.

A unit that had been together for the majority of coach Mike Zimmer's tenure since 2014 had long been the model of stability, strength and cohesiveness. The notion that the defense was ahead of the offense was common in Minnesota as new quarterbacks, offensive coordinators and scheme changes became a routine part of every July and August.

But all that is changing in 2020.

"It's kind of unfamiliar territory for me," said Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who is part of a defense that lost nine veterans in the offseason. "It's nice. It's kind of the flip side, we're talking about the defense changing and stuff, that's normally not what we're talking about. [Usually] we're talking about the offense. Now we've got continuity with [quarterback] Kirk [Cousins] and a bunch of guys over there, building on success. Especially without preseason games, it'll be good to go against a group like that in practice who's going to be clicking at a high level ... It's definitely going to help us out as a defense leading up to the season."

Continuity has been the buzzword around a Vikings offense that will be the backbone of the team during a season filled with uncertainty. Minnesota ran Gary Kubiak's offense last season when he was a senior advisor. Now he is the offensive coordinator after Kevin Stefanski left for the Cleveland Browns. And Cousins received a two-year contract extension after winning his first playoff game.

The faces are largely the same except for the receivers group that lost Stefon Diggs via a trade to the Buffalo Bills. That unit is undergoing its own version of a rebuild with veteran Adam Thielen assuming a No. 1 role while first-round pick Justin Jefferson aims to fill big shoes as a rookie.

Beyond that, not much else has changed. And that's seen as a good thing.

"We're not starting from ground zero," tight end Kyle Rudolph said. "Anytime you enter a training camp, we always go back and start with install one, even though we may have gone through it all in OTAs and minicamp. So from that standpoint, as we go through meetings here in training camp, that doesn't feel any different. But it's important for us as an offense. Now we're able to kind of hone in on details of Gary's scheme and things that we can build on from last year."

After struggling on the interior offensive line last year, Minnesota went into the offseason planning for a "wide open competition" at both guard spots, especially after right guard Josh Kline was cut in free agency. They drafted Ezra Cleveland to potentially supplant Riley Reiff at left tackle as a rookie. New players were expected to assume roles in the latest revamp.

Those were the plans in April. Now, Kubiak is having to weigh consistency by keeping four starters from last year -- Reiff at left tackle, Pat Elflein at left guard, Garrett Bradbury at center and Brian O'Neill at right tackle -- in their same spots rather than experimenting with new lineups.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Cousins from building a rapport on the field with his new pass-catchers this offseason, but he doesn't have to learn a new offense.

"It's rare to have continuity, but you appreciate it when you get it," Cousins said. "So, like you said, with a little bit less work this offseason, going into my ninth year, I am probably not as concerned about that, but my concern is more on young offensive linemen, our draft picks at positions we know we're going to need to be counting on, that's probably where my concern is. I've got to help get them along, get them caught up to speed, and that's as much my job, potentially, as it is for the coach or the player himself."

Minnesota ranked 10th in offensive efficiency in 2019, a product of Cousins' downfield passing ability. It was an offense that stayed healthy outside of Thielen's hamstring injury and relied on a run-first attack that ushered in more opportunities for Cousins to play his best.

But not everything will stay the same. Will the offense be more aggressive on early downs with Kubiak as the playcaller? Will tight end usage spike in the passing game to compensate for the absence of Diggs? How can the run game take the next step behind an offensive line that's still a work in progress?

The answers to those questions will begin to be uncovered over the next five weeks. But the carryover from last season makes the offense's job easier to get up to full speed.

"It gives you a little comfort zone as coaches," Kubiak said. "You know, how far can we take this? How much more can we give them? If we were sitting here with three new faces on the offensive line and a new quarterback, something like that I think we'd have to stop and say ‘Well, we better slow down here.'

"But for the most part we've been able to keep moving forward, had great teaching sessions virtually throughout the course of the offseason. The players have been great and we're starting to watch them respond as we get on the field. I think it's a plus, but you've still got to put a plan into action so that's what we've got to do now."