3 Updates on Top Training Camp Battles for Vikings
Minnesota Vikings training camp commenced earlier this week, and roster battles are aplenty.
3 Updates on Top Training Camp Battles for Vikings
The team has one month to finalize a 53-man roster, so the rest of training camp and three preseason games will be crucial.
On the whole, consider these three updates on the team’s Top 3 positional camp battles.
3. Starting Cornerbacks
Frontrunners before Camp: Byron Murphy | Shaquill Griffin | Mekhi Blackmon
Contender(s): Andrew Booth | Akayleb Evans | Duke Shelley
This battle was flipped on his head when Mekhi Blackmon fell injured this week. He’ll miss all of 2024 with a torn ACL — rotten luck. In all likelihood, from early indicationd at training camp, Murphy will slide over to his natural slot responsibilities while Griffin and Evans patrol the outside.
Shelley, however, cannot be ruled out after his out-of-nowhere performance in 2022. Booth was mostly quiet right away at training camp, sans an interview that some folks didn’t like. Can’t please ’em all.
Current Frontrunners: Byron Murphy | Shaquill Griffin | Akayleb Evans
2. WR3
Frontrunner before Camp: Brandon Powell
Contender(s): Jalen Nailor | Trent Sherfield | Trishton Jackson
Nailor stole the headlines early at training camp, looking the part of a WR3 — and perhaps more. So far in his young career, injuries have derailed his development, especially in 2023, when he had a golden opportunity to blossom once Justin Jefferson got hurt. But Nailor, too, was injured.
Powell hasn’t struggled (or anything of the sort), but the early vibe from Eagan is that the Vikings believe in Nailor — so much so that the WR3 job may have his name on it.
Current Frontrunner: Jalen Nailor
1. Quarterback
Frontrunner before Camp: Sam Darnold
Contender(s): J.J. McCarthy | Nick Mullens
Darnold and McCarthy have turned heads in the first few days of training camp, trading off highlight-reel throws to various receivers.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell mentioned the quarterback battle on Monday. “I have no preconceived, pre-set chart depth chart in my mind. I said at the end of spring that Sam was the No. 1 quarterback,” O’Connell explained.
He also said about McCarthy’s impending development, “I don’t know if it’s the former quarterback in me, but I will not allow any factors outside what’s best for J.J. and what’s best to help the Vikings win in regards to that question.”
“We get a whole lot of time on the grass and three preseason opportunities to joint practices to really work through exactly where each individual is at this point in time,” O’Connell added.
So, Darnold will receive the bulk of QB1 snaps, as expected, but McCarthy will be right there in the competitive mix.
Current Frontrunner: Sam Darnold as QB1 | J.J. McCarthy as QB2 | Nick Mullens at QB3
A Weird Twist at Vikings Training Camp
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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