Vikings: 5 position battles to watch at training camp
The Minnesota Vikings held their first padded practice of training camp on Monday at TCO Performance Center.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Vikings report to training camp this weekend, and their first practice open to the public is July 27 at TCO Performance Center.
The Vikings used organized team activities and mandatory mini camp to get new players familiar with teammates and coaches, and tweak any system installations before the preseason. We really won’t get a true look at the team until Week 1 at the New York Giants. The Vikings will be careful to not show anything either in training camp, at joint practices in Cleveland or in the preseason.
So what are the position battles to watch as we inch closer to training camp? Here is a look:
NO. 3 RECEIVER
What’s clear for the moment is that Justin Jefferson is the No. 1 receiver and Jordan Addison is the No. 2. That’s pending future discipline from the Vikings on his recent arrest on suspicion of DUI in Los Angeles. The real battle in camp at the receiver position is behind them. The names to watch there are Brandon Powell, Jalen Nailor, Trishton Jackson, Trent Sherfield Jr. and Lucky Jackson.
LEFT GUARD
Since the offseason started, Blake Brandel has been the unofficial starter at left guard on the offensive line. He got every first-team rep there in OTAs and mini camp. Late in the offseason, the Vikings brought back Dalton Risner on a one-year deal. Risner played 15 games last year and got 11 starts with the Vikings, and did what was asked of him. Can he win the job in training camp?
KICKER
It’s not a Vikings’ season without a kicker competition, and there will definitely be one this season. Greg Joseph left in free agency, and the Vikings signed John Parker Romo. They also drafted Alabama’s Will Reichard. He left the Crimson Tide as the NCAA’s all-time career points leader with 547 on 84 field goals and 294 extra points. He’s the first kicker the Vikings drafted since Daniel Carlson, so what could go wrong? They’re not going to keep two on the roster, so Reichard will have to take the job from Parker Romo.
SECONDARY
One of the more interesting position battles for the Vikings will be in the secondary. They have six safeties (Cam Bynum, Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Jay Ward, Lewis Cine and Theo Jackson) and nine cornerbacks (Mekhi Blackmon, Andrew Booth Jr., Akayleb Evans, A.J. Green III, Shaq Griffin, Byron Murphy Jr., NaJee Thompson, Jaylin Williams and Dwight McGlothern).
Are Cine’s days in Minnesota numbered since his leg injury in London? Can Thompson or Williams win a job?
QUARTERBACK?
No, there isn’t a quarterback controversy. Sam Darnold will enter training camp as the starter. The question is if Darnold goes down, who is the No. 2? That battle is likely between Nick Mullens, and rookie J.J. McCarthy. In five games and three starts last year, Mullens threw for 1,306 yards and seven touchdowns, but had eight interceptions. The Vikings will do everything they can to keep McCarthy on the sideline as a rookie to learn the offense, in hopes he could be the starter in 2025.
Enjoy the summer, Vikings fans. Football season is almost here.