Who Will Be the 2025 Vikings’ Training Camp Addition?
Every year, NFL teams spend months during the spring and summer building and preparing the best roster possible to compete for a Lombardi Trophy.
And for many teams, that plan quickly goes awry.
Whether it be due to unexpected injuries or underwhelming performances on the practice field or in preseason games, every year there are teams scrambling to fill positions on the 53-man roster heading into September.
Over the past few years, the Vikings have had to make training camp additions for one reason or another. Last year, it was Stephon Gilmore. In 2023, it was Myles Gaskin. In 2022, it was Nick Mullens.
So, who could be the training camp addition for the 2025 Vikings? Here’s a look at a few options.
S Marcus Williams
The Vikings lost their starting free safety Camryn Bynum in free agency when he signed with the Indianapolis Colts. The plan now is to rely on Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Theo Jackson.
Jackson has shown promise in his limited playing time, but so far, he has played more than 100 defensive snaps in just one season (2023). Then, there is also the matter of how much a 36-year-old Harrison Smith can take. It seems unlikely, but what happens if Minnesota gets a couple weeks into training camp, and there is some disappointment in the safety room?
Marcus Williams makes sense as an acquisition because he plays a very similar style to Bynum. The free safety has strong speed, soft hands to not only deflect passes, but intercept them, and strong instincts.
However, Williams was released by the Baltimore Ravens this spring after losing his starting job in Week 12. The 28-year-old needs a change of scenery, and though his legacy in Minnesota involves being on the wrong end of the Minneapolis Miracle, perhaps he can turn that around and offer some veteran help in the secondary.
WR Keenan Allen
The Vikings have a pretty fierce wide receiver competition this summer, but Minnesota may be down a man for three weeks to start the season after Jordan Addison agreed to a lesser charge in his DUI case.
That likely means no WR2 for the Vikings in games against the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, Jalen Nailor played some fantastic football in 2024, holding down the WR3 role for the Vikings. They also added Tai Felton in the third-round of the draft this spring, giving them another speedy option. Then there are the free agent acquisitions of Rondale Moore and Tim Jones.
There are a decent amount of veteran players in Minnesota’s receiver room, but Moore spent the entire 2024 season on the shelf with a knee injury and very well could take some time to get going this season. Felton could be rough around the edges too, meaning the Vikings need some help.
Enter Keenan Allen. The 33-year-old receiver proved he can still contribute to an NFL offense last season with the Chicago Bears, catching 70 passes for 744 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games. Allen has also been able to stay relatively healthy during his career, playing at least 13 games in seven of the past eight seasons.
Allen remains a sharp route runner and can help Kevin O’Connell and J.J. McCarthy unlock the intermediate part of the field.
CB Asante Samuel Jr.
The biggest question mark on the Vikings roster right now remains the cornerback position. Isaiah Rodgers could grab a CB2 role behind Byron Murphy, but what happens beyond that?
We haven’t seen Mekhi Blackmon play an actual football game in a while after missing all of last season, who knows if Jeff Okudah will be able to turn things around in Minnesota, and Dwight McGlothern remains a shadow of mystery more than anything at this point.
Asante Samuel Jr. played just four games in 2024 due to injury, but when he is on the field, he is a very talented cornerback. Imagine if the Vikings got their typical production out of Murphy, Rodgers grew into a quality starter, and Samuel was able to play a full healthy season. That could make Minnesota’s secondary an elite group of players.
QB Tyler Huntley
Quarterback probably isn’t the highest on the list of concerns for Vikings fans, but J.J. McCarthy is still bouncing back from a torn meniscus in his first ever NFL preseason game. Then there is Sam Howell who was a gunslinger in Washington before being Geno Smith’s backup in Seattle during 2024.
There is a case to be made that the Vikings should try to get a veteran into the group at some point, and while Brett Rypien is around, Huntley might make a bit more sense for Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
Remember the fun that was had for a few weeks with Josh Dobbs in 2023? O’Connell probably would love to work with Huntley given he is another QB capable of driving the ball downfield and escaping out of the pocket when needed. It probably isn’t near the top of the list of priorities for the Vikings, but it could be fun to see in a preseason game.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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