Vikings Minicamp
Usually, one team participates in joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings in the summer.
But this year, it’s two.
The Vikings announced Tuesday afternoon, “The Vikings will host the Cardinals and Titans for joint practices later this summer.”
In 2022, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s first year with the club, Minnesota hosted the San Francisco 49ers for joint practices — and things got chippy with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s former employer. The year before, the Denver Broncos trekked to Eagan for the collaboration. But until now, it was always a single team. Two is new — and kind of fun.
Oddly, the Vikings will scrimmage against two teams forecasted near the bottom of the NFL in 2023. Two weeks ago, ESPN ranked the Cardinals dead last in post-draft power rankings, whereas the Titans were a few spots higher at No. 28.
The Cardinals will probably be without handsomely-paid quarterback Kyler Murray for half the season as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in December. Some conglomeration of Colt McCoy, David Blough, and Clayton Tune will guide the ship until Murray returns. And at that point, based on the Cardinals current roster talent level, Arizona could have an ugly 1-8 record or so, plopping it firmly in contention for the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Cardinals also own the Houston Texans first pick in next year’s draft, creating the remote possibility of selecting one and two during the event.
Tennessee’s outlook isn’t that grim, but most experts are low on its 2023 forecast. Some fringe theorists even predict Ryan Tannehill could be a surprise summer cut, enabling the Will Levis era to begin as early as September. Moreover, Derrick Henry turned 29 in January, and this is typically when workhouse running backs slow down. We shall see.
The Vikings don’t have regular season games against either team this season. Instead, Minnesota and Arizona met in 2021 and 2022, splitting the showdowns. The two clubs will meet again in 2024 at U.S. Bank Stadium. And in the same season — so, two seasons from now — the Vikings will travel to Tennessee for the every-eight-years trip to Nashville.
Former Vikings on the Cardinals roster? David Blough (CB), Kris Boyd (CB), Nate Hairston (CB). Newcomer Vikings CB Byron Murphy will also get an early look at his former employer.
On Tuesday, the Titans signed ex-Vikings DT Jaleel Johnson.
The joint practice with the Titans will occur the week before the teams meet in the second preseason game — that game is on August 19th. The scrimmage with the Cardinals is the following week, and a preseason matchup between Minnesota and Arizona follows on August 26th.
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.