The Pressure Is On for These Vikings Players at Camp
The Vikings are less than one week from Preseason Game No. 1, a home meeting with DeMeco Ryans’ Houston Texans.
A few Minnesota Vikings players are under the spotlight as training camp begins to wind down. These names must step up soon or risk getting lost in the shuffle.
But before that, a few training camp days remain, and a handful of players must finish strong. To date, the following players have struggled or stayed unusually quiet. They’re listed in alphabetical order.
These Vikings Must Finish Training Camp with a Bang
Not everyone has set the world on fire in Eagan over the last couple of weeks.
1. Mekhi Blackmon | CB
Quietly, the Vikings have established a cornerback starting lineup — that doesn’t appear to include third-year corner Mekhi Blackmon.
If the regular season began tonight, these three corners would likely siphon most defensive snaps:
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Jeff Okudah
That’s the first-team group at training camp anyway. Blackmon must reestablish himself after a season-ending ACL tear last summer and climb back to his rookie ways. In 2023, Blackmon logged a 71.8 Pro Football Focus grade, fantastic for a rookie.
He should be in the business of not allowing Okudah to take his job easily.
The Viking Age‘s Tyler Miller noted on Blackmon: “Blackmon has the potential. He is back for Minnesota’s 2025 training camp, ready to roll, and ready to prove that he belongs on the field helping the team win. Vikings fans have raved about Blackmon ever since he was drafted and got to watch him defend against some of the game’s best in his rookie year in 2023.”
“After Blackmon got hurt last year, Minnesota signed veteran Stephon Gilmore, and they also had Shaq Griffin waiting to take some snaps, as there was an opportunity there. For now, the Vikings are going to be cautious, as an ACL recovery is a huge deal. In Minnesota’s current cornerback room, the team has Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and Jeff Okudah.”
It’s worth noting that Blackmon is already 26, so he must succeed now. He’s not a 23- or 24-year-old.
Miller added, “That is not the best secondary room in the NFL, but it can improve if Blackmon can stay on the field. But missing the 2024 season has put him behind the eight-ball early in 2025. If he had stayed healthy in 2024, he probably would have been the Vikings’ second-best cornerback behind Byron Murphy Jr.”
“If Blackmon can stay healthy and play almost every game this season, the Vikings’ defense will become that much better, and the cornerback room will be seen as a major strength, and Flores will be all smiles on the sideline come Sundays.”
2. Tai Felton | WR
We have searched high and low for Tai Felton footage from training camp, and one highlight is the result. One.
And for all intents and purposes, that was a regular ‘ol reception.
Therefore, Felton has not exactly set the world on fire at training camp, while other lesser-known wideouts like Jeshaun Jones and Lucky Jackson have balled out.
If Felton wants to be interwoven into the Vikings’ offense as a WR3 or WR4 this season, the time is now to put a thumbprint on training camp.
3. Sam Howell | QB
Unbelievably, Minnesota appeared to “bench” Howell at training camp late this week — almost like getting fired on your day off in Friday, the movie — for Brett Rypien.
Howell has resembled an interception merchant in Eagan and will need a fruitful preseason to secure the QB2 job. The man nearly threw for 4,000 passing yards at the Washington Commanders’ QB1 in 2023; it doesn’t make much sense why he’d struggle to win a QB2 job in Minnesota.
Thankfully for his sake, Howell will have several preseason snaps to turn around his summer. Most believe J.J. McCarthy will play a few preseason drives next Saturday and then hit the shelf for the final two games. That should enable Howell to strut his stuff during the exhibition outings.
Newsweek‘s Evan Massey mentioned Howell this week: “A new update from Alec Lewis of The Athletic has given the Vikings reason for concern when it comes to Howell. In training camp, Howell has looked to be a beat slow in his decision-making. That has always been an issue throughout his NFL career thus far.”
“That is not an update that any fan wants to hear about their quarterback. It could lead to Minnesota considering an upgrade behind McCarthy. Should the second-year quarterback struggle or get hurt, the Vikings will need someone consistent to turn to.”
Howell is still just 25 years old.
Massey continued, “If Howell cannot be that guy, Minnesota should fix the issue before it comes up. Perhaps a trade for another quarterback could be in order. One potential option that has been talked about a lot this offseason is a reunion with Kirk Cousins. Not only would Cousins be arguably the best backup in the NFL, he would provide excellent veteran leadership for McCarthy. It would be a match made in heaven.”
Trading for Cousins is a little extreme, but Minnesota could explore the post-roster-cutdown quarterback market at the end of the month if Howell continues to flounder.
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