Jobs on the Line as Vikings Enter Final Preseason Test
After 19 practices (including two joint practices) and three preseason games as of Friday night in Nashville against the Titans, training camp will have officially ended. Cut day is coming up on Tuesday, with several cuts also expected on Monday.
Jobs are on the line as the Vikings approach their final preseason test, with bubble players battling for roster spots ahead of looming cut day decisions.
The league should eliminate the final preseason game, as it’s a rip-off of ticket-buying fans, with the starters invariably sitting out. However, this game is certainly meaningful for players battling for roster spots as there’s still plenty of competition.
The Vikings’ Final Preseason Game Looms
In the preseason finale at Tennessee Friday as the Vikings starters sit, I’ll be watching the wide receivers, tight ends, Ty Chandler or Zavier Scott as the third running back, the loaded defensive line, backup corners and safeties and kick returners but the most attention will be on the quarterbacks behind J.J. McCarthy who is finishing camp looking good.
Deciding on the Backup QBs
Will Sam Howell hold on as the No. 2 QB, or can Brett Rypien make a last push to win the job? Howell played well in the preseason opener against the Texans, but his performance against the Patriots was disappointing, with only one completion and a terrible interception. However, in his defense, he was playing with backups against New England’s starting defense.
Rypien fared poorly in the first game and showed slight improvement in the second game. Howell rebounded with a better week in camp, but Friday’s game is critical for all the QBs not named McCarthy.
Another looming question is whether Max Brosmer will be the third QB on the roster (at the likely expense of Rypien) or will Kevin O’Connell risk putting Brosmer on waivers in the hope of getting the rookie to the practice squad? I think he’ll take that chance since a team claiming Brosmer would have to put him on their 53-man roster.
I believe O’Connell will only carry McCarthy and Howell on the active roster, with Brosmer on the practice squad, and Rypien will be released, but probably can be brought back if needed.
If the threesome of Howell, Rypien and McCarthy don’t perform decently in Tennessee and O’Connell lacks confidence in McCarthy’s backups, it would not be surprising to see the Vikings try to trade for a different veteran backup (it won’t be Kirk Cousins who has a no-trade clause and would only leave Atlanta for a starting job elsewhere).
Some Clues from Wednesday’s Final Camp Scrimmage on the WRs
After a good first couple of weeks of camp, Lucky Jackson dropped a few passes in the Patriots’ practices and the game against the Pats. I thought Lucky was in trouble, as Tim Jones, Jeshaun Jones, and Thayer Thomas had been more impressive recently, until Wednesday’s practice, when Jackson rebounded with several good catches.
Jackson also lined up with the first team, along with Jordan Addison, in team drills, as Justin Jefferson was held out despite returning to individual drills after recovering from his hamstring injury. And the team listed Jackson as the starting punt returner ahead of Myles Price and Silas Bolden.
When the offense went to three wide receivers, Thomas came on the field, not Tim or Jeshaun Jones. We have to figure Tai Felton will make it as a third-round WR, and he’s listed on this week’s depth chart as the starting kickoff returner.
Jalen Nailor’s hand injury remains a mystery as to the extent and whether he can start with Jefferson on opening night. I think Jackson will make the team, along with Thomas, Felton, and Price, thanks to his returning ability.
That will make six WRs on the 53 with Addison not counting during his suspension, or five WRs if Nailor winds up on short-term IR. And the rumblings are the Vikings are making calls on possible trades for a vet WR. Could Adam Thielen possibly be traded back to the Vikings by the Panthers?
Other Positions up for Grabs
Tight end: beyond T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, the team will carry a third TE. After seeing 10-year vet Nick Vannett’s impressive play in the Pats game, I think he’s the favorite to win the job Johnny Mundt held the past couple of years. One of the young tight ends will wind up on the practice squad.
Running back: I’ve gone back and forth on the Chandler vs. Scott battle for RB 3. Scott has played better in the games, but Chandler was the first one in behind Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason in Wednesday’s 11-on-11 team drills. Chandler is faster and is the backup kickoff returner behind Felton. Scott has impressed in the passing game and may be the better pass protector, which has been a concern with Chandler.
Cutting Chandler and keeping Scott could save $260,000 on the salary cap, which could be a factor. But releasing Chandler means only Nailor remains from the ill-fated 2022 draft class. Friday’s game could tilt the scales, as the outcome is too close to call right now.
Defensive line: Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Jalen Redmond are in, and so is fifth-round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who got some first-team reps this week. This is going to be an impactful group, and Levi Drake Rodriguez should make the team. Taki Taimani could be cut and wind up on the practice squad along with promising Elijah Williams. The situation has thickened, though, with the Harrison Phillips trade on Wednesday evening.
Cornerbacks: It’s likely the final group will be Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, Mekhi Blackmon, and Dwight McGlothern, with Zemaiah Vaughn and Ambry Thomas likely headed to the practice squad. I still say adding another quality vet to this group would be a good idea (such as bringing back Stephon Gilmore).
Safeties: Jay Ward has had a very good camp and will make the team, along with Theo Jackson, as they back up Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus. Jackson will also serve as a virtual starter, playing third safety on the field, while Metellus will play a combo safety/linebacker role. Special teams effectiveness will determine whether Tavierre Thomas or Kahlef Hailassie make the final roster, with one or both serving as practice squad candidates.
Punter: Ryan Wright should hold off Oscar Chapman, with Wright’s holding for Will Reichard last season a key factor. Chapman will be a practice squad addition with the extra spot for an international player, so Wright will need to punt well this season with Chapman in the wings (and he’s done some holding for Reichard in camp).
Friday’s game will help the coaches’ decisions — it’s crunch time for the bubble players.
Observations on Wednesday’s Final Camp Practice
The team wrapped up the practice week in full pads on Wednesday. JJ McCarthy threw a nice red zone TD to Jordan Addison and a long gainer to Aaron Jones in the two-minute drill as he scrambled away from pressure before throwing a perfect deep ball to Jones.
McCarthy threw a lot to Hockenson and Jones in team drills, and they are likely to be his major targets along with Jefferson until Addison and Nailor return. Mason also made a nice catch from McCarthy in a drill in which the offense was backed up at their own 1-yard line.
The first defense managed to stop the opponent in the red zone. D-linemen Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Jalen Redmond were tough to handle up front, and McCarthy was pressured by Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner on the edges as Andrew Van Ginkel sat out with an undisclosed injury that doesn’t appear to be serious for the Pro Bowl edge/OLB.
Harrison Smith was away from practice all week with an illness, and the hope is he’ll return next week.
Around the NFL Observations
Two of the starting QB battles were decided this week. Colts Coach Shane Steichen picked ex-Giant/ex-Viking Daniel Jones over 2023 fourth-rounder Anthony Richardson, who has been inconsistent and often injured in his early NFL career. Steichen reinforced his pick of Jones by saying, “He’s our starting quarterback for the season. I don’t want to have a quick leash on that.”
Jones is on a one-year, $14 million contract and hopes to have a Sam Darnold-like renaissance season, leading to a lucrative long-term deal, as Darnold did with the Seahawks after his 14-win season with the Vikings (before his disappointing last two games).
As expected, Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski chose 40-year-old Joe Flacco over Kenny Pickett (who has been out with a hamstring injury) and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Flacco, the 2012 Super Bowl MVP with the Ravens, went 4-1 as a late-season starter for the Browns in helping them to a wild card berth in 2023.
It will be interesting to see Stefanski’s decisions on Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders. Pickett will likely be the backup on opening day if he’s healthy by then. Browns fans want Sanders to make the team, but Gabriel was picked in the third round before Sanders came in the fifth round. The reality is the Browns are likely to finish poorly and pick a first-round QB in the top five next year unless Gabriel or Sanders is a surprise sensation as a rookie.
The last remaining starting QB spot up for grabs is in New Orleans, where new coach Kellen Moore said the competition is continuing between 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler and 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough. Their stats are very close in the first two preseason games, so Saturday’s preseason finale against Denver will likely decide this race.
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