The Biggest Losers from Vikings Training Camp Week 1
Minnesota Vikings training camp is in full swing, as players reported to Eagan last week, and fans joined on Saturday.
Not every Vikings player thrived in Week 1 of training camp. These are the early “losers,” players who fell behind, missed reps, or struggled out of the gate.
Oddsmakers expect the franchise to win eight or nine games in 2025, although fans have much higher expectations due to the roster’s impressive depth.
Along the way at training camp, a few “losers” emerged, men who struggled, didn’t play, or succumbed to injury.
Counted down to the top “loser” at No. 1, here’s the list.
Vikings Training Camp “Losers” thru One Week
It’s a harsh term, but here are the candidates.
5. Ambry Thomas (CB)
Ambry Thomas played meaningful snaps, including in the postseason, for the San Francisco 49ers before landing in Minnesota via free agency this offseason. He’s a dark horse candidate to make the active roster — at least he was until the start of training camp.
Thomas hasn’t run with the 1st- or 2nd-team defense, suggesting a 3rd-team fate for the veteran, which would probably translate to a roster cut in four weeks.
Thomas must shine in the preseason to establish himself. He hasn’t been mentioned much at training camp.
4. Sam Howell (QB)
Howell’s purple career is off to a rocky start.
VikingsWire‘s Andrew Harbaugh wrote this week, “Even if they had stuck with Aaron Rodgers, the rest of the Vikings’ options at quarterback have all made the same mistake so far. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr intercepted Sam Howell on his first pass of the training camp.”
“That was followed up by a patented Gink 6 when Andrew Van Ginkel picked off a screen pass from Brett Rypien and returned it for a touchdown.”
SI.com‘s Will Ragatz added, “Backup quarterback Sam Howell has had a fairly shaky start to camp, but he did look a little better today. After his first attempt of the day was swatted by Van Ginkel on a rollout, Howell put together a handful of solid throws.”
“Jeshaun Jones was Howell’s favorite target on the day. He also had a quality completion to rookie Tai Felton later on against the starting defense, then got sacked by Allen and Van Ginkel on the ensuing play. The Vikings will want to see progress from Howell, but he doesn’t appear to be in jeopardy of losing his QB2 role to Brett Rypien or Max Brosmer.”
Thankfully for everyone’s sake, QB1 J.J. McCarthy has very much looked the part of a promising passer, negating Howell’s follies.
Howell must bounce back this week and in the preseason, where he’ll play substantially.
3. The Rest of the NFC North
This might sound like a homer’s take, so forgive us.
The Vikings have looked fantastic at training camp. The deep-as-hell depth chart is showing through, and for the crowd that believes the club will finish 2025 with an 8-9 or 9-8 record, it might be time to revise the win total.
Minnesota is not a little-engine-that-could operation. It’s just not. So long as the aforementioned McCarthy plays at least decently at age 22, the purple team can contend for the NFC.
2. Mekhi Blackmon (CB)
Entering camp, mystery surrounded the cornerback pecking order, mainly because Byron Murphy Jr. was the only trustworthy starter. Hell, the man is a Pro Bowler.
The rest of the CB group includes contenders like Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, Dwight McGlothern, Ambry Thomas — and Blackmon.
Murphy Jr., Rodgers, and Okudah have held down the fort at cornerback with the 1st-team defense, suggesting a backup role — for now — for Blackmon. The third-year corner missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL, and some hoped he’d storm back to reclaim a starter’s job this season.
Blackmon is not trending to start after the first week of training camp. That’s for Murphy Jr., Rodgers, and Okudah.
1. Justin Jefferson (WR)
Alright, let’s get this out there to avoid intense criticism: Justin Jefferson is not a loser.
However, anytime a player encounters an immediate injury at training camp, well, that’s a ginormous bummer. Jefferson mildly tweaked his hamstring this week, putting him on the shelf indefinitely. The phenom playmaker may not do much the rest of the summer.
Jefferson said about the ailment, “With the past recent injuries and the stuff that I had gone through before, just taking precautions and understanding that it’s the second day of camp — not the thirtieth. Just making sure that I’m fully healthy and I’m good to go, especially when the season starts.”
Head coach Kevin O’Connell on the hamstring: “The best thing is we avoided anything serious. I see no concerns in regards to Week 1 and have no worry at all that we’ll be able to get Justin ready to go for the regular season.”
O’Connell also said about Jefferson’s relationship with McCarthy, “I think those guys have already developed a rapport. I have no worries about this having an overall impact or effect on that dynamic or anything with our offense.”
Due to an injury right off the bat, Jefferson is a training camp loser. Sad to say.
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