Vikings Training Camp Battles

The Minnesota Vikings takes the field today for their first full team training camp practice. This is their first camp that's not in Mankato since 1965. Spectacular, new TCO Performance Center in Eagan is now their year-round home. The rookies reported for training camp on Tuesday. The veterans reported yesterday/ Today they take the field.

Expectations for the Vikings are as high as they've ever been. There was an NFC Championship game appearance last year. It was a very disappointing appearance but they were right there. A step from the Super Bowl. The Vikings are a young, talented team right in the middle of a Championship window. They just needed consistency at the all-important quarterback position. That's why Kirk Cousins was signed to a fully guaranteed, three-year, 84 million dollar contract. A young, talented team in the middle of a Championship window should be fairly set at most, if not all, positions and the Vikings are. That doesn't mean that the roster is set. Far from it. There will still be a lot of competition for roster spots. There are even a few starting jobs up for grabs. Here are some of the most interesting training camp battles that begins today.

Right side of the offensive line

The left side of the line appears set with Riley Reiff at tackle, Nick Easton at guard, and Pat Elflein at center. Nearly every fan and talking head has a favorite combination on the right side. Head coach Mike Zimmer has said on at least two occasions that Mike Remmers will move from tackle to guard. Unless second-year Danny Isidora, rookie Colby Gossett, or perhaps veteran free agent addition Tom Compton shines at guard during training camp and preseason, it appears that Remmers will be the Vikings right guard this season. That leaves Rashod Hill at the top of the right tackle depth chart at the start of camp. Second-round pick Brian O'Neill will be in contention but could be a year away from starting. He's new to the offensive line and he needs gain NFL size and strength. If he isn't there physically he's well on his way mentally. O'Neill was interviewed this week following the sad passing of offensive line coach Tony Sparano. In a very difficult situation he came across as an eventual team leader.

While all five offensive line positions might appear fairly set it's probably safe to say that Reiff and Elflein are the only two that are assured of starting jobs. There could be a shakeup at the other three positions. For all anyone really knows, left guard, right guard, and right tackle could be manned by recent draft picks Isidora, Gossett, and O'Neill.

Offensive line has been an issue for the Vikings for a few years. There was improvement last year to hit the league "average" level. Maybe a little above. They need further improvement. Competition should help the starters improve their play. It should also help the depth.

Third Running back

Dlavin Cook is the starter. Latavius Murray gives the Vikings a potent duo. The third option at running back is up for grabs and the contenders are veteran Mack Brown and rookie undrafted free agents Roc Thomas and Mike Boone. Thomas and Boone weren't drafted but they are draftable talents. Off-the-field issues (Thomas-character, Boone-injuries) kept them from being drafted. If the issues are behind them, the Vikings might have lucked into players that can play in the NFL. This competition could make the second half of preseason games 1-3 and all of preseason game 4 very interesting. I think that the third running back competition will be one of the most interesting and will ultimately come down to Thomas and Boone.

Receivers 4-6

The Vikings receivers 1-3 are set with Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Laquon Treadwell. Most assume that free agent addition Kendall Wright is safe as the fourth receiver. It's up for grabs after that. Second-year Stacy Coley is the front-runner for #5 simply by being a second-year draft pick. He has the talent but he really needs a break from injuries. He has to stay on the field. The question then becomes whether the Vikings keep five or six receivers. If it's five, Coley will have to fend off Cayleb Jones, CFL-import Brandon Zylstra, free agent addition Tavarres King, and undrafted rookies Korey Robertson, Jake Wieneke, Chad Beebe, and Jeff Badet. For what it's worth, Zimmer singled out Beebe at the conclusion of offseason workouts and coaches have spoken highly of Zylstra. If I had to guess I'm guessing that the Vikings go with five receivers and Coley has a slight edge over Zylstra for that final spot. If it does come down to those two it'll come down to Coley's athletic ability vs. Zylstra's 6'3" 220 lb size. Some of the young competitors are talented. That talent, rather than actual need, could force the Vikings to keep six receivers.

Defensive line

The starters are set. Everson Griffen, Sheldon Richardson, Linval Joseph, and Danielle Hunter form one of the best defensive fronts in the league. As important as the starters is the depth. The line rotation will be critical for season-long success. The pass rush wasn't much of a factor in the playoffs as the starters appeared to wear down. Second-year defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson and rookie Jalyn Holmes are expected to provide depth on the interior. There are a bunch of players fighting for playing time and roster spots at defensive end. Veteran Brian Robison is a team leader and first off the bench. He's still an impact player. It'd be a surprise if he isn't on the 53-man roster. I'm guessing that the Vikings keep nine defensive linemen. The starters, Johnson, Holmes, and Robison are seven of the nine. Ends Stephen Weatherly and Tashawn Bower were on the roster last year and are likely the leaders for the final two spots to start training camp. Second-year Ifeadi Odenigbo and rookie Ade Aruna will compete with Weatherly and Bower. Aruna is my wildcard for the roster. He's a freakish athlete but he's very raw as a player. If his play can come close that freakish athletic ability it'll be tough to keep him off the roster. The practice squad might be the best place for him this year but I have doubts that the Vikings can get him to the practice squad. The defensive end competition could be the most entertaining of training camp.

Linebacker

The only certainty with the Vikings linebackers is Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. Other than those two standouts, it's all competition. Kentrell Brothers has been Kendricks' backup and would be a lock for the roster if not for his four-game suspension to start the season. As a rookie, Ben Gedeon was the third linebacker in the Vikings base defense last year. That amounted to about a third of the defensive snaps. He'll compete with second-year Eric Wilson to keep the job. So Barr and Kendricks are roster locks. It's likely that Brothers (despite the suspension), Gedeon, and Wilson will be part of the linebacker group. There's a better than decent chance that the Vikings keep six linebackers. Seventh-round pick Devante Downs, undrafted rookies Garrett Dooley, Brett Taylor, and Mike Needham, and second-year Antwione Williams are in the mix for that final roster spot. Downs is my pick for that spot. As a Cal alum I'm probably biased but I saw all of his college games. The only reason he wasn't drafted in the third or fourth round was a knee injury that ended his final season in Berkeley after seven games. He was probably playing better than any other Pac-12 defensive player at the time of the injury. Rushing the quarterback, chasing down runners, coverage, he can do it all. He looked like a bigger version of former Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks. If Downs' knee is fully recovered this summer he'll surprise all the people that aren't expecting much from a seventh-round linebacker.

Kicker

Technically, there's a kicking competition. Rookie Daniel Carlson vs. veteran Kai Forbath. The Vikings selected Carlson in the fifth round. I don't think that they select a kicker in the fifth round thinking that he might not make the team.

All these competitions, and more, start today. Football's back.