The Vikings’ Loser in the Huddle, Greg Joseph, Injured TE: Nopedy Nopes
A weekly tradition, now running over a year and a half strong, VikingsTerritory delivers the “nopedy nopes” of the week.
This week’s round of Vikings Nopedy Nopes includes an apparent “loser” on the depth chart, Greg Joseph’s employment situation, and Gavin Bartholomew. Have a look.
These are items from the Vikings’ orbit that are untrue, bombastic, or just didn’t work out for certain personalities.
With no further ado, here are this week’s nopedy nopes.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes | August 10th, 2025
A batch of Nopedy Nopes relating to the Vikings from August 3rd to August 9th.
The Nopedy Nope: J.J. McCarthy is a loser at training camp.
Bleacher Report thinks J.J. McCarthy was a loser at training camp. It’s just inexplicable.
BR’s Gary Davenport explained, “The Minnesota Vikings made J.J. McCarthy a top-10 pick in the 2024 draft and appeared willing to hand him the keys to the offense as a rookie. A knee injury ended McCarthy’s inaugural campaign before it began, but the Vikings have once again entrusted him to lead the offense, allowing 2024 starter Sam Darnold to depart in free agency.”
“So far in camp, that McCarthy-led offense has struggled —so much so that per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, head coach Kevin O’ Connell made a point of saying, ‘The sky has not fallen, so it’s all good.’ Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson preached patience.”
Nobody who personally went to training camp left with this opinion.
Davenport added, “It’s hardly time to press the panic button, and we have seen O’Connell coax solid play from a number of different quarterbacks. But after winning 14 games last year, the Vikings have lofty expectations in 2025. And those expectations ratchet up the pressure on McCarthy to be a quick study.”
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on McCarthy “losing” training camp. He played well.
The Nopedy Nope: Greg Joseph winning a starting kicker’s job in San Francisco.
Former Vikings kicker Greg Joseph was lined up for a kicker battle this summer against 49ers specialist Jake Moody.
But the battle is over. It didn’t take long.
NBC Sports’ Myles Simmons wrote Monday, “The 49ers have made a series of moves on Monday, including effectively ending their kicker competition — at least for now. San Francisco announced the club has signed defensive lineman Bradlee Anae, defensive lineman Bruce Hector, safety Jaylen Mahoney, cornerback Fabian Moreau, and offensive lineman Isaiah Prince.”
“As corresponding moves, the club waived cornerback Tre Avery, receiver Isaiah Neyor, quarterback Tanner Mordecai, and tight end Mason Pline. Additionally, San Francisco released kicker Greg Joseph.”
It also just so happened to be Joseph’s birthday. A raw deal.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Joseph as the 49ers’ kicker.
The Nopedy Nope: Gavin Bartholomew’s track to TE3 in 2025.
KSTP’s Darren Wolfson mentioned on SKOR North this week that Bartholomew is “not expected to be ready in September,” “will not be on the field any time soon,” and that his injury is long-term.
That sounds like a segue to an injured reserve stint.
Undrafted free agent Ben Yurosek could be the next man up.
SI.com‘s Jonathan Williams wrote this week, “Tight end Benjamin Yurosek was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings following the draft, and on their unofficial depth chart, Yurosek was listed as a potential third-string tight end on the roster. The depth chart isn’t the only thing providing a positive insight into the former Bulldogs’ future with the organization.”
“Georgia’s tight ends coach, Todd Hartley, met with the media on Wednesday, and he said that Yurosek is being talked about for making the 53-man roster. So by all accounts, it seems like the Vikings might have found some value in the undrafted free agency pool.”
Minnesota also added tight end Nick Vannett this week.
Williams continued, “Yurosek spent one season with the Bulldogs after transferring in from Stanford. Last season, he finished with 15 receptions for 185 yards. His best season came back in 2021 with the Cardinals as he finished the season with 43 receptions for 658 yards and three touchdowns.”
“The Bulldogs have made quite a name for themselves recently when it comes to developing tight ends. Brock Bowers is the headliner of the group along with other names in the NFL like Charlie Woerner with the Falcons, John Fitzpatrick with the Packers and Darnell Washington with the Steelers. Now it looks like Yurosek might join that list this season.”
Yurosek has TE3 momentum; Bartholomew does not.
The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Bartholomew as the TE3 this season.
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