Vikings Training Camp Battles

The Minnesota Vikings' 2015 training camp will be held on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato for the 50th consecutive year. They are one of the few teams that still pack their bags and travel away from the comfort of their own facilities for training camp. The players will report Saturday July 25 and hold their first team practice July 26.

There will be competition at every position on the team. In theory that's true. In reality there are some players that are very much set at their position. Teddy Bridgewater will be the Vikings starting quarterback. Anthony Barr will be the Vikings starting strong-side linebacker. Harrison Smith will be one of the Vikings starting safeties. Xavier Rhodes will be one of the Vikings starting cornerbacks. Adrian Peterson will be the Vikings starting running back. That last one sure is fun to type, say, and hear. There were so many media hacks honking another tune over the past several months. There was only one way that media-fueled Peterson soap opera was ever going to end. Funny thing is that it's the very same ending that Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer repeated every time that they were asked. It's very strange how the media refused to listen to the people that actually had a say in the situation. Anyway, back to reality. There are several other positions on the Vikings that are fairly set but competition makes everyone better. Here are a few of the training camp battles that will take place when the Vikings take the practice fields in Mankato in about three weeks.

Right Guard
This has been Brandon Fusco's spot for the last couple of seasons. The Vikings moved him over to the left-side in offseason workouts and the switch appears permanent. It strengthens the left-side but opens a spot on the right. Rookie T.J. Clemmings had the first shot during offseason workouts. 2nd-year David Yankey, and fellow rookie Tyrus Thompson also had their shot. It's an open competition that also includes dependable veteran Joe Berger. The competition and rotation will continue in Mankato. One of the many things that I like about Mike Zimmer and his coaching staff is their practice of giving everyone a shot. They put players in different positions and situations always with an eye for the best combination of players. They aren't focused on what has been, or what is expected but on what works best for the team. It's a concept that seems logical but it's a concept that seemed to elude previous Vikings coaches. Clemmings is the most talented of the offensive linemen competing for the right guard spot. It wouldn't have been much of a surprise if some team had taken him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. The Vikings were lucky to find him still available in the fourth. My guess is that the right guard position is his to lose but that guess doesn't mean much. What means a lot is that the Vikings offensive line was a mess last year and has to improve. The first step in that direction was moving the talented Fusco to left guard. Teddy Bridgewater's blindside is already improved. A return to health of right tackle Phil Loadholt and the winner of the right guard battle will improve the right-side. Competition makes everyone better.

Weak-Side Linebacker
This position likely comes down to a battle between the veteran Chad Greenway and the youngster Gerald Hodges. Greenway has been terrific for most of his nine years. He had a rough year last year mostly due to a run of injuries. Outside of his rookie year, which he missed with a torn ACL, Greenway has been remarkably injury-free throughout his career. He couldn't avoid injuries last year. There was some question, at least in the media, whether he'd return to Minnesota for his 10th season. He did come back at a reduced salary so perhaps there were some questions internally as well. Hodges is fast and athletic. When he's in the lineup the Vikings might have one of the quickest linebacker units in the league. He's also a bit unpredictable. He's quick to react and he doesn't always guess right. This battle might be a win-win. The smarts and experience of Greenway or the quickness and athleticism of Hodges. And it's not like Greenway is a stiff. He can still move but he is on the other side of 30. The wildcard at the weak-side linebacker position is the possibility that rookie Eric Kendricks might be moved there. He's penciled in as the middle linebacker right now. After his selection in the 2nd-round of the draft, Zimmer mentioned the possibility that he might eventually be their weak-side linebacker. I don't buy it. I think that Kendricks is the Vikings middle linebacker for a very long time. But that might be because I want him to be the Vikings middle linebacker for a very long time. I also think that Greenway takes the weak-side spot for another year. Perhaps the last year of his excellent Vikings career. Whoever takes the weak-side spot is really a part time player as he'll probably come off the field in passing situations which is damn near every situation in today's NFL.

Cornerback 
This battle is for the spot opposite the rapidly rising Xavier Rhodes. He's on the edge of elite status in the league. The Vikings talent and depth is much improved from last year. Experience and especially experience in Zimmer's system is part of the improvement. So is the influx of improved talent. Terrence Newman was added in free agency. He's much closer to ancient than young but he can still play. He believes it. Zimmer believes it. And that's good enough for me. Newman has played in Zimmer's defense with the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. His experience in the league and with Zimmer makes him something like a coach on the field. The Vikings also added Trae Waynes in the first round of the NFL Draft. If he's ready for the league he's the week one starter and the Vikings have a supremely talented, young corner duo for, hopefully, a very long time. If Waynes isn't ready week one, Newman likely starts. There is nice depth with Captain Munnerlyn, and Jabari Price. It was revealed this weekend that Josh Robinson suffered a torn pectoral muscle during offseason workouts. He showed a lot of improvement in his first year with Zimmer but he still had a rough time with some of the big receivers that fill the rosters of the rivals in the NFC North. He's got some nice skills that can't be taught, like speed. If he's out for most or all of training camp it's a blow to the Vikings depth at the position. It's also an opportunity for a youngster like Price. Munnerlyn has starting experience and is the likely nickel corner. Which is pretty much a starter in today's NFL. He had a up-and-down first year with the Vikings last year. He should be better in his second year. Price could also challenge Munnerlyn for that spot. The future of this position is Rhodes and Waynes and the sooner that starts the better. The good thing is that the Vikings have some talent if that future doesn't start immediately.

Safety
This battle is as wide open as that at right guard. Like corner, the safety battle is for the spot opposite a rising star. Harrison Smith is among the best in the game at his position. The other spot is up for grabs. The fact that the spot opposite Smith is up for grabs seems a little odd as Robert Blanton was solid as the starter last year. Analytics sites such as Pro Football Focus have Blanton rated as a solid player. He played corner at Notre Dame so he has some nice cover skills and he gets ballcarriers to the ground. So, why the competition at safety? I think that the Vikings want to see more "splash" plays than they think that Blanton can provide. They would like more than solid. Andrew Sendejo also has some starting experience. Like Blanton, he's a solid player. 2nd-year Antone Exum Jr. might be able to provide more than "solid." He played corner and safety at Virginia Tech. He's bigger and faster than Blanton and Sendejo. If Exum's understanding of Zimmer's defense can meet his natural talent the Vikings might have found their safety. The wildcard in the mix is undrafted free agent Anthony Harris. He looks like a rangy, roving centerfield-type safety. Tall and thin. But he showed some nice physicality near the line of scrimmage. He can hit. Like corner, the Vikings have improved talent at the safety position. That improved talent creates competition. That competition makes everyone better and the defense better.

Receiver
The Vikings top four receivers are pretty much step. Newcomer Mike Wallace and Charles Johnson enter camp as the likely starters. Jarius Wright is the first on the field in three receiver sets. Cordarrelle Patterson is an incredibly skilled football player that needs to rebound from a down season. He has the talent to simply break defenses. He just has to play within the system without limiting his natural game-breaking ability. Those are four impact players. The battle comes down to the next two players. The Vikings might end up keeping six receivers because they can't let either of the two players go. Adam Thielen is one of those high-effort, do-everything, underdog players that every successful football team seems to need. In two seasons he's turned a local tryout into a roster spot. Not only that, he became a significant contributor on special teams. Not only that he made an impact on offense late last season. Solid hands and routes makes him more than simply a special teams player. The Vikings drafted Stefon Diggs in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. His talent possibly warranted a higher selection but durability questions dropped his actual selection. He's in the hunt for punt return duties so, like Thielen, Diggs could be a significant special teams contributor. Quick and elusive, he can turn short passes into long gains. He's a slight player so he has to work on getting away from jams at the line. His receiving talents are such that he could be a unique offensive contributor perhaps immediately but he could be a significant contributor in a couple of years. His ceiling is high. If the Vikings have to pick between Diggs and Thielen, the pick is probably Diggs. I think that Thielen forces the Vikings to keep six. If special teams coordinator Mike Priefer has his say, the Vikings keep six.

The Minnesota Vikings will have training competition at far more positions than these five. How many tight ends? What about fullback? Defensive line rotation? There will be competition throughout the roster. As there should be. Competition will make the entire team better.