Vikings Training Camp Preview – Yahoo Sports

The Minnesota Vikings will begin training camp next week, beginning with rookies reporting on July 26th and veterans on July 28th. There will be a total of 13 practices open to fans, beginning with the August 1st practice and ending with the joint practices with the Ravens on August 19th and 20th. The first padded practice is August 3rd.

So what are some things to look for and camp battles that could play out? I’ve broken it down by position group.

Managing Training Camp

One thing that I felt happened last year in training camp was that it was too much about just getting through it healthy and not so much about preparing as much as possible for the regular season. Kevin O’Connell was pretty casual walking around and making jokes during training camp last year, coming off a 14-3 season, Coach of the Year award, and contract extension. Justin Jefferson was given training camp off after a minor hamstring injury, and other veterans missed a lot of time. He didn’t play starters much in preseason games either. I didn’t write much about it at the time- I thought I may be making too much out of the more casual approach- and there were legitimate reasons to hold players out and not play them much, but it’s something I’m paying more attention to this year.

That more casual approach showed up in the first joint practice against the Patriots, who were a lot more physical and competitive as Mike Vrabel was looking to establish a culture as a new coach with a lot of young players who weren’t really expected to compete last season at that point. The Vikings did better the second day of joint practices, but the exercise did more to buoy the previously 4-13 Patriots than provide any momentum for the Vikings.

Looking back, we can appreciate how valuable setting a tone can be early on. The Patriots went to the Super Bowl and Mike Vrabel won Coach of the Year. The previous year, Kevin O’Connell took advantage of everyone writing off the Vikings as a six-win team to give them a chip on their shoulder and set a tone that helped propel them to the 14-win season.

So, given all that, it will be interesting to see what approach Kevin O’Connell takes toward training camp this year.

Quarterback

Of course all eyes will be on the competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy for the starting quarterback job. Who gets first-team reps and how many? Who is more accurate? Who makes more mistakes? Who shows more flashes? How improved does McCarthy look compared to last year? Is Murray mastering the scheme or struggling to do so? How does the team react to each quarterback?

Beyond those elements, is the competition really close or not? Is there enough visual evidence to determine who’s winning? What if things get tense during practices and it becomes a distraction? Will the loser handle it gracefully?

Ultimately each quarterback will be measured on being able to call the play and lineup on time, make the right adjustments at the line, play with proper timing and mechanics, process and make progressions, and throw with timing and accuracy. Watching training camp doesn’t provide insight into all of those things, but sometimes we can judge a bit about some of the hidden elements by the quarterback’s comfort level. And making it uncomfortable for both will be Brian Flores’ defense. There are no actual sacks in training camp, but there are would-be sacks. Who is able to handle pressure better?

Lastly, when does Kevin O’Connell declare a winner? Is there a gradual slide in reps toward the winner before it is declared or is it even until the end? How the competition is managed may be as important as the competition itself.

Offensive Line

The first thing to look for is the health of Christian Darrisaw. Is he still taking some practices off? If so, is it precautionary or because he still can’t handle a full load? All signs point to a fully healthy Darrisaw but sometimes later that doesn’t prove to be the case. A fully healthy Darrisaw would be a big improvement in the offensive line over last year when he missed half the season.

The second thing about the offensive line is how they practice. Beat reporters commented several times during the offseason program that the offensive line was pushing the limits in terms of how hard they were practicing. What does it look like in training camp? Is new offensive line coach Keith Carter looking to establish more of an offensive line identity?

How the interior offensive line fares against the interior defensive line in padded practices will be interesting as well. I would expect the offensive line to win against the rookies most of the time. If that’s not the case, there potentially are some positive and negative adjustments in expectations that would need to be made.

The battles for the backup positions will be interesting to watch as well. Where the backups are playing may be as interesting as judging the competition. Who is competing for the backup center position? Does third-round pick Caleb Tiernan play tackle or guard- or some of both? Does Walter Rouse take snaps at guard? There are a lot of moving parts there and it will likely take some time to understand what the coaching staff vision is with the backups in this group.

Running Backs

Among the veterans, I’m curious how the reps will be divided. Does Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason split them evenly or what? Is there evidence of any changing role or workload? For the rookies Demond Claiborne and Max Bredeson, how many reps are they given and are they worked in with the starters at all?

I’m particularly interested in how much Bredeson works with the starters as a sign of how big his role will be this season. Frank Smith used a fullback more in Miami than Kevin O’Connell has with the Vikings, so it will be interesting to see how big a role the Vikings are envisioning for Bredeson. Whether Demond Claiborne gets any significant first-team reps will also be interesting.

Wide Receivers

It will be interesting to see how involved Justin Jefferson is in training camp. I don’t think you could say his rapport with any of the Vikings quarterbacks is good at this point. What’s the plan there? And apart from better quarterback play, is there anything else on tap to get Jefferson back into prime form? Or doesn’t he need to practice? I expect Jordan Addison to be involved extensively. And I’m curious how Jauan Jennings will be used.

For the backups, is there notable improvement from Tai Felton? Does Myles Price get many reps? What about Dillon Bell? Does he continue to stand out?

I’m also curious which of the backups are given reps on special teams and how they look with them. Is Myles Price still the returner? Any significant competition?

Tight Ends

The main thing I’m looking for in this group is any signs of changing roles or usage that might signal an evolution in scheme. This is likely T.J. Hockenson’s last season with the Vikings after he was asked to restructure his contract- is there any sign of a changing role for him this season or is it business as usual?

Edge Rushers

I’m mainly interested in who the primary backups will be here and if Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is in the mix as a true edge rusher. Are there any standouts among the backups? I’m also curious to see Dallas Turner battle Christian Darrisaw.

Interior Defensive Line

This group is likely to be a big focus in padded practices. How are the two top draft picks doing? Is there improvement among last year’s backups? Any standouts? Any surprises? Is Caleb Banks full-go? There is a bigger range of outcomes for this group this season with so many young players that any clues about their development will be newsworthy.

Linebackers

All eyes will be on second-round pick Jake Golday here. Does he get any reps with the starters? How does he look- particularly in coverage? How is he used? Where is he on the depth chart? It will be interesting to see if there are any clues about how big his role will be this season.

Cornerbacks

It will be interesting to see how the new guys look here- veteran James Pierre and rookie Charles Demmings. Particularly Demmings. Where is he on the depth chart? How does he handle the jump in competition from Stephen F. Austin?

Is there any other backup cornerback to seriously challenge for a roster spot?

Safeties

Very curious about the pecking order here and if it changes over the course of training camp. Also curious about how the rookies perform and how they are mixed in, particularly Jakobe and Jacob Thomas. I’m not expecting Harrison Smith to be there for training camp so it will be interesting to see who the starters will be in his absence.

Punter/Holder Competition

Johnny Hekker is the established (but aging) veteran expected to win this competition, but will rookie Brett Thorson prove he can both out punt Hekker and be a good holder too? Thorson may be the underdog but I’m not ruling him out to win the job. Whether it’s Thorson or Hekker may come down to whether the coaching staff has confidence in Thorson’s holding ability.

Other Special Teamers

It is usually more of an afterthought if it is considered at all, but beyond returner duties who is getting the reps on special teams can provide some insight into who wins the last few roster spots. It’s difficult to track who is on the special teams units with all that is going on, and preseason games play a bigger role, but training camp reps can provide some insight as well.

Who Will Be Mr. Eagan (formerly Mr. Mankato)?

This award is for the best young player in training camp- usually a rookie but possibly a second-year player- who was either a Day Three draft pick or a UDFA. It’s not an official award and in recent years different media outlets have picked different players at the end of training camp, but my prediction is that Demond Claiborne will win it this year.

Stay tuned.

Follow me on X/Bluesky @wludford

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