1. Backup Quarterback
The contenders:
Sean Mannion
Kyle Sloter
Jake Browning
Kirk Cousins is the Vikings starting quarterback. I was disappointed when Sean Mannion was signed in the offseason to provide a "veteran" presence. He's appeared in 10 games in four seasons. He's attempted seven or fewer passes in three of those seasons. Considering him a veteran seems like a stretch but four NFL seasons is four NFL seasons. He's appeared in 10 more games than Kyle Sloter and Jake Browning have combined. It should be noted that I was similarly disappointed when the Vikings signed Case Keenum as a backup in 2017. I was disappointed with the addition of a veteran quarterback this offseason because I really want to see what Sloter can do if given the chance. He might be the most physically gifted thrower on the roster. This will be his third season with the Vikings and second training camp. If he doesn't emerge as the team's #2, it could be his last training camp with the team. I really liked the undrafted free agent signing of Jake Browning. He had an outstanding college career at Washington. If he had Sloter's size and arm strength he might've been in the first round quarterback mix with Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones, and Dwayne Haskins. All Browning did in college was win. That's a pretty significant quality. Based more on feeling than fact, I see the Vikings backup quarterback situation like this:
Post-Kirk Cousins, I have more optimism in a Kyle Sloter/Jake Browning-led Vikings team than a Sean Mannion-led Vikings team.
This training camp, however, isn't about post-Kirk Cousins. If the Vikings decision-makers have more confidence in Mannion as the backup this season, that should be the decision. And, it's not like Mannion's an old-timer. He's 27. I can see the Vikings deciding on this quarterback group:
Kirk Cousins
Sean Mannion
Jake Browning
I'd like to see this quarterback group:
Kirk Cousins
Kyle Sloter
Jake Browning
It would be best for the entire roster if the Vikings can get Browning on the practice squad. Even though he did slip through seven rounds of the draft I'm not sure how realistic getting him on the practice squad will be in September. No matter how the backup quarterback competition shakes out I really think that the Vikings need three quarterbacks on the roster in some fashion. In recent years, there has been very little of the durability that Cousins showed last year in Minnesota. Hopefully, he can continue that durability but the Vikings have to be ready if he misses games.
2. #3 Receiver
The contenders:
Laquon Treadwell
Chad Beebe
Jordan Taylor
Brandon Zylstra
The Vikings are set at the top of the receiver depth chart with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. That's about the only thing that's set with this position group. For a team that will probably be much better than fine at the position it's quite stunning that Laquon Treadwell is the only receiver that was a Day 1 or Day 2 draft pick on the roster. And his place on the roster is far from certain. He was the team's first round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He's been the third receiving option for most of his three years with the team but has very little production. I'm one of the few Vikings fans that has a shred of faith left in Treadwell. Most fans want him gone yesterday. It's frustrating. He has the size and work ethic to be great but none of that has translated to production on the field. He has to produce this season. If he doesn't show the potential that got him selected in the first round early in camp he'll likely tumble down the depth chart. As a member of last year's practice, Chad Beebe impressed the Vikings defenders all seasons. They couldn't guard him. He was activated late in the season and had some nice moments. With his 5'10" 183 size, he's a slot receiver. At 6'5" and 195 lbs, Jordan Taylor gives the Vikings some size. He was signed as a free agent this offseason. From his time with the Denver Broncos, Taylor should be familiar with a Vikings offense that will be heavily influenced by Gary Kubiak. Beebe's and Taylor's place on the roster are fairly secure. Both have impressed in offseason workouts and both should get better as they become more comfortable with Cousins and the offense. The #3 receiver job will probably be on of the two or a rotation of the two. Brandon Zylstra made the 53-man roster last season. Entering training camp, he and Treadwell are probably at the front of the receiver competition for the final one or two receiver spots. I'm guessing two as I believe that they will keep six receivers. Seventh-round rookies Dillon Mitchell and Olabisi Johnson as well as undrafted Davion Davis will also challenge for those spots. I especially like the chances of Mitchell. As a Cal fan, he was a pain-in-the-ass during his college career at Oregon.
3. Backup Running back
The contenders:
Mike Boone
Alexander Mattison
Ameer Abdullah
Roc Thomas
Dalvin Cook is the unquestioned starter. If he can stay healthy he has the talent to be one of the league's top backs. Through two seasons, he's missed more games than he's played. The backup running back role in Minnesota is an important one. Alexander Mattison was a third round pick in April's draft. As such, he's on the roster and probably the leading contender for RB2 entering training camp. Mike Boone and Roc Thomas were on the roster and saw playing time as undrafted rookies last season. Both had impressive moments in preseason games. Boone was the more productive player during the season. Thomas' roster chances took a hit when the league handed him a three-game suspension and the law gave him probation for a recent drug transgression. Ameer Abdullah was once supposed to be the top ball carrier for the Detroit Lions. That didn't work out and the Vikings picked him up towards the end of the 2018 season. His path to the roster likely depends on whether he can secure the kick returner job. The Vikings kept four backs on the roster last season. If they do the same this season, Cook, Mattison, Boone, and Abdullah probably make up the running back room. If they only keep three, it's probably Cook, Mattison, and Boone. Abdullah replaces Boone if he's the kick returner.
4. Three-technique
The contenders:
Jalyn Holmes
Shamar Stephen
Jaleel Johnson
Hercules Mata'afa
Armon Watts
This might be the most interesting competition this summer for a couple reasons. For one, it's the only training camp competition that involves a base starting position. Coaches routinely say that there's competition at all starting positions but it's rarely true. For two, at least five defensive tackles have a legitimate shot at making the roster. Each has a real shot at being the one to line up next to nose tackle Linval Joseph in the starting lineup. Sheldon Richardson was very good, and often much better, as the three-technique last season. The Vikings' salary cap situation made it impossible to keep him. He's in Cleveland now. It's likely that a rotation of players rather than a single player will replace him. A lot of good players rather than a singular talent can be a good thing. Each player offers a different challenge for an opposing offensive line. A rotation keeps everyone fresh. Shamar Stephen probably enters camp penciled in as the starter. He was the Vikings seventh-round draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was a productive player for four seasons, spent last season in Seattle, now he's back. He's more of a 3-technique/nose tackle combo. He doesn't really provide the pass rush pressure that this defense needs from the three-technique position but he's so fundamentally sound. The coaches know what they'll get from him and it's dependability. Jaleel Johnson is also something of a 3-technique/nose tackle combo. He's a more explosive player so he provides a bit more of a pass rushing threat than Stephen. Jalyn Holmes, sixth-round rookie Armon Watts, and second-year Hercules Mata'afa better fit the mold of the disruptive, penetrating three-techniques that make head coach Mike Zimmer so very happy. Holmes was selected in the fourth round last year and might be ready for a prominent role this year. He and Mata'afa are a little on the smaller side for the position. Zimmer has an appreciation for that sort of three-technique after working with La'Roi Glover and Geno Atkins during his years as a defensive coordinator. Mata'afa is one of the most intriguing players on the team. He simply wrecked offenses at Washington State. He did so as a 6'2" 255 lb ball of fury on the interior of the defensive line. He looked so small among the rest of the players that competed in the trenches that it looked like he was lost and had just happened to wander out on the field. That unusual size kept Mata'afa from being drafted last year. During 2018 OTAs the Vikings moved him from linebacker to defensive end and back to defensive tackle. As he settled back into his natural position, despite lacking the size to play it, he tore his ACL. He's back and his weight is up to the 280s. He's a unique football player that simply doesn't quit. With his size and relentless energy, it's impossible not to think of John Randle while watching Mata'afa. At 6'5" and 300 lbs, Armon Watts might be the closest to the physical ideal of the three-technique contenders. If he had played the entirety of his Arkansas college career like he did as a senior he would've been drafted much earlier than the sixth round. He might even have been drafted in the first round in a draft loaded with first round defensive tackles. There's something about Watts that hooks me more each day. And I've yet to see him in action live. It's his talent, potential and natural size combined with the coaching, teaching, mentoring of defensive line coaches Andre Patterson and Robert Rodriguez and Zimmer's scheme. Mata'afa and Watts might be the two players that I most look forward to watching in training camp and preseason games.
I'm glad that trimming the Vikings roster isn't up to me. That's true for all sorts of reason. It's especially true for competitions like this three-technique competition. I can't cut any of these players. I typically expect four defensive tackles on the Vikings' 53-man roster. Joseph is a lock. I can't trim two from the above. I can't even trim one. It's to the point where I think that Vikings will be forced to keep five defensive tackles and only four defensive ends. Unless they go skimpy at another position. Even if the team keeps five defensive tackles, the potential of the four younger players might force presumptive starter Stephen to the wrong side of the roster.
***
There are certainly more roster spots up for grabs this training camp than those listed above. The offensive line starters look set but will fourth-round rookie Dru Samia challenge free agent addition Josh Kline at right guard? The competition for offensive line depth is wide open. There are several players challenging for perhaps a single defensive end roster spot. Other than Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, linebacker is up for grabs. If he's recovered from a torn ACL, the Vikings have to find a way to get second-year corner Mike Hughes on the field. Does he challenge Mackensie Alexander for the nickel role? Then there's the possibility of a scintillating long snapper competition. Kevin McDermott is the incumbent. Austin Cutting was drafted in the seventh round. Long snappers are typically found rather than drafted. It would seem that the job is Cutting's to lose. But he has to earn it. All of these questions and many more will start being answered over the next several weeks. Minnesota Vikings football is nearly back.
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