4 Takeaways from Day 10 of Vikings Training Camp

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Aug 8, 2021
U.S. Bank Stadium
Image Courtesy of @salspice on Twitter.

The Minnesota Vikings held a scrimmage with fans in attendance at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday, the first event of its kind in the edifice’s five-year history. One week prior, the Vikings held a similar event at TCO Performance Center in Eagan. It was the night that three Vikings quarterbacks were held out due to vaccine-related fallout.

The team plays its first game five weeks from now, traveling to Cincinnati for a Week 1 game with the Bengals.

Here are the four notable takeaways from Day 10 of the Vikings 2021 training camp, this time in their glass palace.

1. Justin Jefferson Was in the House as a Spectator

The panic settled.

On Friday, Jefferson caught a pass and hit the turf in Eagan with force on a tackle by new cornerback Bashaud Breeland. The Vikings wide receiver immediately bolted to the locker room, unable to move his arm. Shockwaves reverberated through the nervous systems of Vikings fans — was Jefferson going to miss regular-season time?

No.

He’s fine, and his teammates affirmed it at U.S. Bank Stadium during the scrimmage:

If the Vikings have Super Bowl aspirations — hint: they do — Jefferson is close to mandatory for the offense. The rookie from 2020 deconstructed the NFL record for receiving yards (1,400), seizing it as his own. The baton was taken from Anquan Boldin, who tallied 1,377 receiving yards during his maiden voyage in 2003.

Minnesota will probably bubble-wrap Jefferson for several weeks, and that is ok. He sprained the AC joint in his shoulder, a malady that takes a couple of weeks for a full recovery.

Moral of the story: Jefferson will be ready for the regular season. Breathe.

2. DE D.J. Wonnum Scores a TD

Here’s the video:

Interestingly, the Vikings are experimenting with Wonnum in a 3-4 capacity. He’s a defensive end by trade now dropping into linebacker duty. If Wonnum is making plays like this, sign VikingsLand up for the arrangement.

Of course, this was just a practice touchdown, but head coach Mike Zimmer has assayed Wonnum in this hybrid role for about one week. There might be something to it, potentially foreshadowing the duty for Wonnum while the Vikings use a front three of Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, and Sheldon Richardson in spots. Otherwise, the schemes are an example of Zimmer showing off at training camp for no good reason. And that’s unlikely.

Consider a Wonnum a shoo-in for increased playing time in 2021 no matter his official roster title.

3. Alas, the Kicker Competition

Rookie kicker Riley Patterson finally arrived training camp to possibly boot his way to kicking duties in 2021.

He’s off to a good start:

Patterson challenges Greg Joseph, who manned the kicking duties in Eagan for the first 9 days of camp. Joseph was quite good at times but missed some kicks, too. He does not have a stranglehold on the job, so a strong showing from Patterson in the preseason could nominate the Vikings for the rookie kicker adventure once again.

The change of pace for this battle? Both men are unsung candidates for the gig. During the Vikings notorious kicker odyssey since Blair Walsh’s demise, the corrective plan of action entails “big names” like Daniel Carlson and Dan Bailey.

Now, it’s just Greg and Riley, seemingly ordinary dudes. Perhaps the low expectations will change the chronic kicking doldrums.

4. 6 or 7 WRs Could Make 53-Man Roster

Jot them down. These WR names have a reasonable shot to make the 2021 Vikings:

  • Adam Thielen
  • Justin Jefferson
  • Dede Westbrook
  • K.J. Osborn
  • Ihmir Smith-Marsette
  • Chad Beebe

The first three are locks. Osborn, Smith-Marsette, and Beebe are trending in the right direction. The mystery begins with Dan Chisena, Blake Proehl, and Whop Philyor. The Vikings carried seven wide receivers into September last year. It could happen again.

The takeaway now is that it seems foreign that Osborn, Smith-Marsette, and Beebe would miss the cut. Therefore, at least six WRs should occupy the WR section of the Vikings 2021 depth chart.