Predicting Winners of Vikings Training Camp Battles
After an eventful free agency back in March, plus the 2025 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings are now about six weeks from training camp.
Vikings training camp will get cooking in late July, so from an early viewpoint, these are VikingsTerritory‘s predictions for summer roster battles.
The team has high hopes for 2025, constructing a Super Bowl-caliber roster so long as quarterback J.J. McCarthy plays decently or better.
And to kick the tires on training camp, VikingsTerritory is here with early predictions for summer camp battles around the bend. The positions and predictions are ranked from last to first (No. 1 = top roster battle + prediction).
7. Punter
Combatants: Ryan Wright | Oscar Chapman
Chapman is one of those sweet Aussie kickers (punters) who always seem to excel in the NFL. They have popped up all over the place as of late.
Wright set the world on fire as a rookie punter in 2022, but has encountered problems replicating the stardom since. Therefore, there may be an honest-to-goodness “punter battle” at training camp if one assumes that Chapman is worth his salt.
Wright, however, remained the favorite.
Prediction: Ryan Wright
6. TE3
Combatants: Gavin Bartholomew | Ben Yurosek | Giovanni Ricci | Bryson Nesbit
This battle will be fun for fans who are deep in the weeds of Vikings depth chart science. The club signed Ricci this week, and he’s known for special teams duty more than passing game targets.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah scooped Bartholomew from Round 6 of April’s draft, a Pittsburgh almunus. Some, though, believe Yurosek has the juice to score an undrafted free-agent upset. After all, he spent his college career at Georgia and Stanford. He’s familiar with bright lights.
Prediction: Gavin Bartholomew
5. RB3
Combatants: Ty Chandler | Tre Stewart | Zavier Scott
Ty Chandler enters the final year of his rookie contract, and the Vikings already demoted him this offseason from RB2 to RB3 by swinging a trade for Jordan Mason. Scott and Stewart are undrafted long shots.
Chandler must put up or shut up this season. Some fans think he could be a roster cut candidate.
VikingsTerritory still believes that the Vikings will sign a different running back after roster cutdowns in August. A player like Dameon Pierce, Jaleel McLaughlin, Zamir White, or Miles Sanders could be available.
Prediction: Unnamed Free-Agent Signing after Roster Trimdowns
4. WR4
Combatants: Tai Felton | Rondale Moore | Tim Jones | Silas Bolden | Thayer Thomas
The Vikings’ coaching staff enjoys Jalen Nailor to the utmost as the WR3, and to an extent, he fostered his version of a breakout season in 2024 — mainly because he remained healthy.
Yet, at WR4, the competition is more robust, as some believe Rondale Moore will script a career reclamation in Minnesota.
Don’t forget, though, that the Vikings drafted Felton in Round 3 a couple of months ago. That’s not late-round territory. Third-round wideouts are expected to be the real deal.
Prediction: Tai Felton
3. OLB4
Combatants: Bo Richter | Gabriel Murphy | Tyler Batty
Gone are Patrick Jones II and Jihad Ward. Ward is a free agent, and Jones II plays for the Carolina Panthers. Therefore, the Vikings will need a fourth pass rusher for situational purposes and if injuries rattle Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, or Dallas Turner.
Batty, a 26-year-old rookie, can be considered a dark horse to win the job. Otherwise, he feels like a practice squader.
This one will be tight between Richter and Murphy
Prediction: Bo Richter
2. QB2
Combatants: Sam Howell | Brett Rypien | Max Brosmer
Some have banged the drum here for a possible Rypien upset at QB2 or even Brosmer because head coach Kevin O’Connell adores the rookie so.
But let’s not complicate this one: Howell threw for nearly 4,000 yards and accounted for 26 touchdowns as a starter in 2023. He fits the O’Connell modus operandi — a fearless passer, ready and willing to fling the rock when called upon.
Howell is basically a Nick Mullens replica.
Prediction: Sam Howell (by a mile)
1. CB2 & CB3
Combatants: Isaiah Rodgers | Mekhi Blackmon | Jeff Okudah | Dwight McGlothern | Ambry Thomas
These spots have earned the most attention from fans regarding summer roster battles, and rightfully so. The Vikings have so far refused to sign free-agent CBs like Jack Jones, Mike Hilton, or Jaire Alexander.
It increasingly appears that defensive coordinator Brian Flores enjoys his CB corps as is. Okudah, McGlothern, and Thomas should be classified as long shots to take the main jobs.
Prediction: Isaiah Rodgers (CB2) | Mekhi Blackmon (CB3)
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