4 Items to Watch in Vikings Preseason Finale
The Minnesota Vikings are hours away from taking on the Tennessee Titans in their preseason finale on Friday night.
After that game concludes, we will be just a few days from the roster cutdown deadline in which the Vikings will have to dump 37 players from their team. This final preseason game is the last hurrah of training camp for players to make a case that they belong. Here are four items Vikings fans should keep an eye on during the final game.
Who Does the Punt Returning and How Well?
The Vikings are going to need a competent punt returner heading into the regular season, especially considering they are kicking the campaign off at Soldier Field in Chicago with the swirling winds. As of now, it remains entirely unclear who will be returning punts for the team.
As a result, fans should keep an eye on who gets the opportunities on Friday night, and how well the returners perform. Lucky Jackson is currently listed as the starter on the depth chart, but he has never returned a punt in a regular season game during his collegiate, XFL, or NFL careers. Otherwise, options live in UDFA wide receivers Silas Bolden and Myles Price.
If it ends up being a disaster, the Vikings may be forced to bring in a veteran to hold down the fort.
Oscar Chapman vs. Ryan Wright
The punter battle has been one of the more underrated of the summer in Minnesota, but here we are at the final preseason game of the year, and Oscar Chapman is still holding his own against the incumbent Vikings starter.
Ryan Wright has a booming leg, but he has had trouble pinning opponents deep in their own territory at times during his career. Those troubles have continued into this summer, and Chapman has at least matched Wright punt for punt in the first two preseason games.
We’ll see if Wright maintains the starting job, or if Chapman can pull off the upset.
The Cornerbacks
Minnesota seems to have a clear cut group at the top for now with Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and Jeff Okudah handling the majority of first-team reps for the Vikings throughout camp. Behind that trio, though, is where questions remain.
For instance, where does Mekhi Blackmon stand in this mix? Is the perceived dwindling faith in Dwight McGlothern real? Will UDFA Zemaiah Vaughn make the roster? This final preseason game could answer at least a few of these questions based on the performance and playing time that Minnesota’s cornerbacks get.
Who Doesn’t Play in the Game?
Obviously, many if not all of the Vikings starters will not suit up on Friday night for this preseason game in order to preserve their bodies for the grueling regular season ahead.
Additionally, though, Vikings fans should take note of any other players who do not suit up for this preseason game, particularly if they are believed to be near the roster bubble. It likely translates to the Vikings have seen enough of that player to warrant a roster spot, so there is no need to get into the game.
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