5 Vikings with Most on the Line at Training Camp
Welcome to July.
Minnesota Vikings training camp kicks off for rookies on July 23rd and everyone else on July 25th.
5 Vikings with Most on the Line at Training Camp
With the exodus of about a dozen veteran players, the Vikings 2023 iteration of training camp will be quite fascinating. And to prepare you for that, these are the five players with the most on the line at camp. They’re listed in alphabetical order.
1. Andrew Booth (CB)
Booth has a bittersweet setup afoot at training camp. The Vikings CB room is thin, so he should win a starter’s job.
But what if he doesn’t?
Well, that would be a terrible look for Booth, somehow not finding a way to oust Akayleb Evans, Joejuan Williams, or Mekhi Blackmon. Because he was chosen in the 2nd Round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Booth has higher stakes attached to his 2023 performance.
Booth’s short- and long-term trajectory could look silly if he doesn’t win a starting job in this CB room.
2. Lewis Cine (S)
Read the above — and copy-paste for Cine.
Cine missed most of his rookie season with an injury, however, and nobody knows if he’s ready to ascend the depth chart. Last year, Booth very vividly didn’t look prepared for the bright lights of the regular season. Folks aren’t sure about Cine.
Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus stand in Cine’s way, and to the outward onlookers of the Vikings summer, Cine should have no problem beating those two out for a starting gig.
Like Booth, though, what if he doesn’t?
3. Greg Joseph (K)
Joseph was a man’s man in 2022, delivering five game-winning kicks for Minnesota. He was cold-blooded, and it wasn’t debatable.
Yet, this offseason, the Vikings welcomed rookie kicker Jack Podlesny of Georgia from the undrafted free-agent wire. Jordan Berry lost a sure-thing job to punter Jordan Wright last summer. This front office and coaching staff has ‘done it before’ with special teamers.
Joseph will probably win the kicker’s job for the 2023 Vikings, but everybody said the same thing about Berry a year ago.
4. K.J. Osborn (WR)
Jordan Addison became a Viking in Round 1 of April’s draft, a spot that suggests he better grab the WR2 spot before too long.
But Osborn was all set to go as the WR2 for the 2023 Vikings, so don’t think for one second that’s he itching to hand his job to Addison. As always, Osborn will have a chip on his shoulder to keep the rookie at bay.
Nonetheless, if Addison is as good as draft scouts claim, Osborn will have a fierce fight on his hands for the right to run next to Justin Jefferson in 2023.
5. Jalen Reagor (WR)
This man could be flat-out vying for a job. The Vikings signed Brandon Powell this offseason and onboarded a handful of promising UDFA WRs.
Reagor didn’t create a splash on offense during his year in purple, and his punt returning was forgettable. In theory, he could still break out into stardom, but that probably would’ve happened by now.
Moreover, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah already finagled a trade during the 2023 NFL Draft that effectively hedged the bet against Reagor’s trade price, so it would feel like ‘no harm done’ if he cut his losses and excluded Reagor from the 2023 roster.
Reagor is not guaranteed a roster spot — at all — during the 53-man trimdown. Write that down.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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