Vikings Training Camp Opens In 11 Days!
Sean Borman
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Vikings Training Camp Preview
In just 11 days, the Minnesota Vikings open training camp on the Minnesota State, Mankato campus. Rookie practices begin on Monday, July 24th and full team practices start Thursday, July 27th.
As usual, this time of year has brought optimism to the Vikings and their fans. But this year, things seem different. There’s good reason to be excited, as the offseason resulted in refreshing roster replacements, an influx of young talent, and a promising outlook on lovable quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
To recap the offseason moves, Minnesota added free agents Latavius Murray, Riley Reiff, Datone Jones, Michael Floyd, and Mike Remmers.
WAVE OF YOUNG TALENT
The team also drafted eleven players; Dalvin Cook, Pat Elflein, Jaleel Johnson, Ben Gedeon, Rodney Adams, Danny Isidora, Bucky Hodges, Stacy Coley, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Elijah Lee and Jack Tocho.
Several familiar veterans departed, including Adrian Peterson, Captain Munnerlyn, Matt Kalil, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jeff Locke and Rhett Ellison. Despite the losses, the Vikings roster remains both deep and talented, at least on paper.
The Vikings front office did a good job of replacing these players, but keep in mind that none of the departing players had monumental seasons in 2016.
ROSTER REPLACEMENTS
| 2016 Player | 2017 Replacement(s) |
| RB Adrian Peterson | Latavius Murray Dalvin Cook Jerick McKinnon |
| CB Captain Munnerlyn | Mackensie Alexander Terence Newman |
| LT Matt Kalil | Riley Reiff |
| WR Cordarrelle Patterson | Rodney Adams Stacy Coley |
| TE Rhett Ellison | David Morgan Bucky Hodges |
| P Jeff Locke | Tyler Symmank Ryan Quigley |
The recycling of talent has given fans a legitimate reason to adopt an “addition by subtraction” mindset.
The team added players that fit their coaches’ schemes. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur runs a version of the West Coast offense and George Edwards coordinates Mike Zimmer’s 4-3 attacking/hybrid defense. How the incoming players are able to mesh with the schemes as well as their new teammates will likely play a large part in the team’s success in 2017. Early reports are positive.
There will be plenty of training camp storylines to follow that involve the Vikings depth chart:
- Will the Vikings make any trades during camp?
- What tough cuts will be made due to the abundance of roster competition?
- Will Teddy Bridgewater be placed on PUP/IR, or be medically cleared to play?
- Who will win these position battles?
| Running back | Latavius Murray Dalvin Cook Jerick McKinnon |
| Center | Nick Easton Pat Elflein |
| Weakside linebacker | Emmanuel Lamur Edmond Robinson Elijah Lee Ben Gedeon |
| Defensive tackle | Datone Jones Tom Johnson Jaleel Johnson Sharrif Floyd |
| Slot cornerback | Mackensie Alexander Terence Newman |
| Kicker | Kai Forbath Marshall Koen |
| Punter | Tyler Symmank Ryan Quigley |
| Backup quarterback | Taylor Heinicke Case Keenum |
| 3rd and 4th wide receivers | Laquon Treadwell Michael Floyd Jarius Wright Rodney Adams |
| OT depth | Rashod Hill Jeremiah Sirles Reid Fragel Austin Shepherd Aviante Collins |
| OG depth | Danny Isidora Zac Kerin Willie Beavers TJ Clemmings Freddie Tagaloa |
The VT team will take a look at each one of the position battles in the coming days.
TEDDY’S PROMISING SPRING
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater saw action during the Vikings OTAs. He looked further along in his rehab than most fans anticipated. While he’s not medically cleared to practice, he may become healthy enough to avoid landing on the team’s PUP list. It seems unlikely at this point, but never say never to Teddy Two Gloves.
How the Vikings play in camp practices will provide a glimpse into the 2017 team. These questions and more will be answered in the coming weeks:
- Can the rebuilt offensive line perform better than last year?
- How will the defense be affected by the loss of leader Chad Greenway?
- Will the Vikings be able to improve the running game?
- Can the offense be more successful in the red zone?
- How will this team respond to injuries?
These storylines should make for an eventful, and dare I say grand finale training camp in Mankato. The Maverick City will be the place to come July 24th.
Your 2017 Vikings training camp dates and practice schedules can be found here.