Surprising Trend Emerges at Vikings Training Camp
The Minnesota Vikings’ defense is doing so much damage at training camp that it’s making the offense look silly or unprepared at times.
An unexpected occurrence is taking shape at Vikings training camp, and it could have major implications for how the team looks this season. This is the skinny in late July.
It’s bittersweet news with the regular season less than 40 days away.
Fans knew Brian Flores’ group would be efficient — it was great last year — but the unit could be even better in 2025, also known as bad news for other NFC North teams.
Vikings Training Camp Has a Plot Twist
It’s almost like Groundhog Day in Eagan, Minnesota.
Vikings Defense Dominates Daily
News of purple defensive supremacy is just all over the place.
For example, The Athletic‘s Alew Lewis Lewis tweeted Wednesday, “The Vikings’ defense is just on an entirely different level right now. You have Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner synced up in their celebrations, you have Andrew Van Ginkel obliterating folks. It’s very one-sided. I’ll say this: It’s going to be easy to overreact to the offense. Not doing it. There is no better simulation for J.J. McCarthy than what he’s getting right now.”
And Vikings.com’s Craig Peters wrote, “The best defenses are the ones that understand the importance of having pass rush and pass coverage positively impact each other. It’s early, but it appears the 2025 Vikings are there. In addition to the successes and celebrations enjoyed on the back end of the defense, the front 7 also had itself a day.”
“The group rushed well together at multiple times, pushing the pocket up the middle, or sending an outside linebacker screaming around the edge. Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner all flashed impressive displays. Greenard and Turner were so in rhythm that they looked like synchronized swimmers as they executed Greenard’s sack celebration at the end of a third-and-long.”
The unexpected, certifiable, and emerging trend at training camp is the mercilessness of Minnesota’s defense.
Just the Way It Is?
In some ways, this should be expected. Flores’ bunch doesn’t have many weaknesses, aside from the cornerbacks hosting a “prove it” attitude based on Isaiah Rodgers’ inexperience (as a starter) and Jeff Okudah’s mediocre resume.
But other than the corners, the defense is stuffed to the gills with talent, including players like Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Harrison Phillips, Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, Josh Metellus, and Harrison Smith.
With that lineup, of course the defense is brutalizing the opposition in Eagan.
It’s also worth noting that most NFL defenses start hot at training camps overall, while the offense needs time to crack the code. Minnesota is evidently no different in 2025.
J.J. McCarthy on His Growth
Recently promoted passer J.J. McCarthy said about his acclimation to playing against the defense: “Not having those reps last year, that’s something you miss out on when you take a substantial amount of time off from throwing the football. You got to find that touch again. There was a lot of throws in OTAs where I felt I could’ve had a better outcome if I had that touch.”
“Just learning from failures and trying to get better. Those periods where they really get you, I feel like that’s where we learn the most about ourselves and our offense.”
The working theory is that non-Flores defenses will seem like a cakewalk when McCarthy gets to the regular season because his training camp and practice opposition proved to be so formidable.
No. 2 Ranked Defense Last Year
Listen, Flores’ gang ranked second in the NFL last year per EPA/Play and DVOA.
This shouldn’t be breaking news that the same corps, plus some DT enhancements, is cooking at camp. It’s merely a continuation of 2024, boosted by Allen and Hargrave, among others.
Put plainly, Flores’ No. 2-ranked defense from a year ago is doing No. 2-ranked defense things this summer.
More Defensive Context
SI.com’s Will Ragatz also opined on the defense this week: “Through one week of training camp, the upside of the defense has been on full display. The first-team unit has caused all kinds of problems for both the first and second-team offenses, particularly with the pass rush up front.”
“Everyone seems to be on the same page, including the newcomers. There’s depth, too. Young players like Jalen Redmond, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Gabe Murphy, Mekhi Blackmon, and Dwight McGlothern will push for snaps.”
Generally speaking, a fierce defense is just what the doctor ordered for a team showcasing an inexperienced quarterback. It takes the pressure off.
Ragatz added, “Veteran backups like Eric Wilson and Tavierre Thomas have played a ton of football in their careers. One injury to a starter wouldn’t cause the whole thing to unravel. That’s probably the most exciting part. Flores is a mad scientist who has more talent at his disposal than ever.”
“There’s no limit to the ways he can deploy his players or the looks he can cook up to confuse and attack opposing offenses. If everything goes to plan, this is going to be fun to watch.”
Fans will see the defensive depth in nine days when the Vikings begin the preseason at home against the Houston Texans.
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