5 Things We Learned in Week 2 of Vikings Training Camp
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings opened training camp to fans last weekend, and about 10 practices have transpired altogether.
The club will turn sights to the Seattle Seahawks this Thursday for a road preseason game.
5 Things We Learned in Week 2 of Vikings Training Camp
After an eventful first week of practice, an equally noteworthy second week followed. These are five items learned in Week 2 of camp, ranked in ascending order of importance (No. 1 = most important).
5. Ivan Pace Jr. Has Secured a Roster Spot
Remember when this man told the NFL world it ‘f-cked up’ for not drafting him in April? He meant it.
Not so slowly, Pace Jr. is clawing his way up the Vikings depth chart and leaving scar tissue along the way. It turns out the aforementioned declaration about messing up wasn’t smoke — he’s the real deal.
Folks were surprised when Pace Jr. received second-team reps during Week 1 of training camp. Well, their purple socks were blown off in Week 2 when Pace Jr. was interwoven with starters. This undrafted free agent will make the 53-man roster in 25 days, and your new question about his role on the team should be this — is he a 1st- or 2nd-stringer?
4. Joejuan Williams Crowned Too Early
When training camp initially heated up, veteran CB Joejuan Williams experienced reps with the first-team defense along with free-agent newcomer Byron Murphy. Williams has more on-the-field history than most Vikings corners not named Byron Murphy, so it seemed defensive coordinator Brian Flores was leaning into Williams for a CB2 job.
Well, pump the brakes on that theory because the ex-New England Patriot fell back in line with the second-teamers this week. Akayleb Evans transitioned to the first team.
The CB2 battle is still up for grabs, but like many camp storylines, this one is fluid. Williams is no longer the CB2 frontrunner, as last week seemed to hint.
3. Kicker Job Up in the Air — Like, For Real
Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels told reporters when training camp started about the kicker job, “It is a kicking competition.”
Plain as day.
“Last year, we had Jordan Berry, we had Mr. (Ryan) Wright. It was a punting competition. This year, we have Greg Joseph and Jack Podlesny, and it’s a kicking competition. The goal is — we’re looking to compete at every single aspect, every single level of every single position. It is a kicking competition between those two,” Daniels elaborated.
At Thursday’s night practice, Joseph and Podlesny missed a couple of kicks apiece. Aside from Joseph’s incumbency, this job is totally up in the air. Joseph can be considered the leader right now if only because of his experience with the team.
But that’s what everyone said about Jordan Berry at punter last year. He didn’t win the job.
2. Blitz City
Brian Flores promised to infuse aggression into the Vikings 2023 defense; he said precisely that at his introductory press conference in February.
But the amount of blitzing on display at training camp almost seems like an addiction. On nearly every play during 11-on-11 drills, an extra Vikings defender tries to pierce the offensive line — or at least signals the threat.
It’s a blitz bonanza in Eagan, and Flores emphatically wasn’t kidding about his philosophy in February.
1. Danielle Hunter Isn’t Leaving
The most important item of the week, Hunter is back in the saddle for 2023. You no longer have to fear or wonder if Minnesota is ‘mailing it in’ on defense this season. They are not.
Hunter re-upped for one year and $17 million, with the deal expandable up to $20 million. Had general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded Hunter, an apprehensive cloud would’ve hung over the Vikings 2023 playoff chances, especially with Za’Darius Smith traded to Cleveland in May. A team cannot hope to improve a defense by subtracting the two men who get all the sacks and pressures.
Hunter is back, though, and should feast in Flores’ scheme.
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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