The Minnesota Vikings had the most physical practice of training camp today, in full pads, and this one seemed to take on more importance than others as kind of the final test of the first week of training camp. Tomorrow is an off-day- no practice- but I wouldn’t be surprised if the coaching staff was hard at work with evaluations and updated plans for the next part of training camp.
So, let’s get into it.
Quarterback Competition
If you look at the readout of attempts and completions (below, compiled by Judd Zulgad) for Kyler
Murray and J.J. McCarthy, you’d probably come to the conclusion that it was a pretty even day in the quarterback competition. It wasn’t.
- Murray: 14/21, including 11/15 in 11 on 11 and 3/6 in 7 on 7.
- McCarthy: 13/20, including 10/14 in 11 on 11 and 3/6 in 7 on 7.
In fact, after today’s practice, I would not be surprised if Kevin O’Connell declares Kyler Murray the starting quarterback sometime in the next few days, perhaps even tomorrow. We’ll see.
Kyler Murray
The reason the quarterback competition wasn’t close today, despite the completion percentage stats indicating so, is first of all Kyler Murray threw for about a hundred more yards than J.J. McCarthy in 11-on-11 team drills, which are what really counts. Murray had two bombs- one to Tai Felton who was wide open on a post route that went for a long (50 yard-ish) touchdown, and another one later to Justin Jefferson that was really kind of a jump ball that Jefferson came down with over Isaiah Rodgers and Theo Jackson. Jefferson ran it in for a touchdown.
Looking at this video, it looked like Rodgers might have been a bit more cautious to avoid a collision/injury than he might have been in a real game, but still a nice play by Jefferson to come down with it.
This last throw by Murray- hitting a receiver deep and in-stride- we haven’t seen since 2024 Sam Darnold. It looked like Isaiah Rodgers again in coverage but whether he was supposed to have help over the top is a question. If so, it looked like Josh Metellus, who came running late, missed the assignment.
Murray’s other passes were mostly short, but a couple intermediate ones too including a TD pass to Jauan Jennings. His incompletions were on a middle screen that got blown up, an intermediate pass to Hockenson that was a bit low but Hockenson dropped it, a PBU by Charles Demmings on an intermediate pass targeting Jefferson, and a throw-away after a scramble in the red zone with nobody open.
Murray again looked calm in the pocket- he actually held the ball a bit longer today than in other practices looking for the deep ball- and was able to move the offense well. No miscommunications or bad snaps or other mishaps today. He also scrambled and ran a few times after not finding an open receiver in team drills- once left, once right, and once up the middle. I didn’t see a would-be sack of Murray today either.
J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy’s completions in 11-on-11 team drills were mostly of the short variety, with a few intermediate passes mixed in. He also had two or three would-be sacks where the rusher broke it off because hitting quarterbacks is not allowed. But going back to my training camp notes on Monday, this was another McCarthy performance that looked very similar to his training camp performances last year. On most pass attempts, it simply looks like a struggle for him processing. There are some quick hitters when he does fine, but on most longer route concepts he holds the ball too long, waiting for a receiver to come open until he’s under pressure and opts for a checkdown. I don’t think he’s even attempted an over-the-top bomb since the start of training camp in 11-on-11 team drills. Last year in training camp there were usually one or two attempts each practice. Toward the end of 11-on-11 drills Kevin O’Connell talked to him a few times in-between plays. Judging by what happened on the previous play, it looked like O’Connell was trying to get him to speed up his processing. At one point he raised his hand to his head with his finger pointed toward his head moving in a circular motion indicating speed it up. There was even a completion over the middle to Jennings late in the down where O’Connell talked to him after the play seemingly to get him to speed things up.
So, for the most part, 2026 training camp McCarthy is the same as 2025 training camp McCarthy, except no deep balls. His completion percentage may look fine, but it’s mostly screens and checkdowns. And the reason it’s mostly screens and checkdowns is because he’s too slow processing and isn’t able to throw with anticipation. Accuracy can be an issue on occasion- mostly on the longer throws he attempts, but that hasn’t been as big an issue in team drills this year primarily because he’s not throwing down the field much. There were no layered throws again today.
What we are seeing is McCarthy having reached a plateau that isn’t high enough to be a quality starter. And until the light comes on and he’s able to process faster, he’s likely to remain at this level.
So, Murray continues to separate himself and the first-team reps have been following that separation over the last 3-4 practices. I don’t know how much more Kevin O’Connell needs to see before he names Murray the starter, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does so soon. That would allow Murray to get all the first-team reps going forward and help him continue to learn the offense and build rapport with the receivers he’ll be throwing to in the regular season.
For McCarthy, the question becomes whether he or Carson Wentz would be the best backup.
Battle in the Trenches
Offensive and defensive linemen faced off today in full contact drills that were fun to watch- almost as fun as the special teams gunner drills- which I’ll get into later. The trench battles began with one-on-one pass rush/block drills. The Vikings website broke it down like this:
Christian Darrisaw and Dallas Turner set the tone and traded blows out of the gate. On their initial rep, Darrisaw locked up a bull rush by the third-year OLB; Turner got him right back, winning with speed.
Defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez, who turned 26 Tuesday, took home the make-believe Best Move Award with a silky spin move past center Blake Brandel that landed him smack dab in the lap of an assistant coach acting as QB.
Second-year DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and guard Will Fries went back and forth, just like CD and DT, with the former executing a nice push-pull rush, and then the latter resetting his feet to win take No. 2.
The strongest two-rep sequence belonged to 2025 UDFA Joe Huber, who shut down back-to-back rushes by 2026 first-round pick Caleb Banks. Huber sat down in his seat and cranked his feet on both occasions.
Toward the end of the drill, Jalen Redmond and Turner stunted left down the line to squeeze past guard Donovan Jackson and Darrisaw and reach the QB in a timely manner. Earlier, Jackson outlasted Redmond twice.
I would also add:
- Brandel won a rep against LDR as well
- Andrew Van Ginkel got by Brian O’Neill
- Caleb Tiernan held off Bo Richter
- Elijah Williams got the better of Henry Byrd
- Tomas Rimac (at tackle) held off Arden Walker twice
- Big Citrus Domonique Orange gave Henry Byrd all he could handle
- Eric Johnson and Vershon Lee battled to a draw, more or less
- Rimac and Richter each won a rep against each other
Caleb Banks and Big Citrus
Joe Huber holding off Caleb Banks twice in a row is notable here and kind of summarizes where things are at right now overall with both Banks and Big Citrus when also including 11-on-11 reps.
With both Banks and Big Citrus, they don’t get a lot of reps in team drills- they’re usually in for just a couple reps and then are rotated out. That has led to more reps for guys like Elijah Williams, Taki Taimani, Eric Johnson II, Isaiahh Loudermilk, and Jahvaree Ritzie. One beat reporter noted that Banks disrupted a run with a quick first step, but overall I haven’t noticed much from either Banks or Big Citrus so far- again in part because they haven’t had a lot of reps.
I expect both Banks and Big Citrus will continue to have their reps ramp up over training camp and beyond, but Banks has really played football in a year and I expect Big Citrus still needs to ramp up his conditioning otherwise he’d be out there more. All that leads me to have lower expectations for them at least the first part of the season as they ramp up to league intensity and competition.
Overall, I’m not really concerned at this point about either of them, I just think it’s realistic that they may have a longer ramp up period- which is generally true for rookie defensive tackles anyway.
Other Linemen
Elijah Williams has been mildly impressive so far and I would not be surprised if he gained a roster spot. He would also be likely to be called upon to take reps while Big Citrus and Banks ramp up.
I still haven’t seen enough of the other defensive tackles to really say much one way or the other, but they seem like longer shots to make the roster at this point, given most of the interior defensive line spots are already locked up.
Levi Drake-Rodriguez looks improved and stronger. I think the Vikings need him to be improved and stronger this year compared to last year with Big Citrus probably not able to take on a ton of reps this season- especially early on.
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins has been a regular on first-team defense along with LDR and Jalen Redmond along the defensive interior. He’s been disruptive on several reps that I’ve noticed, mostly against the run but a couple as a pass rusher too. I’m still a bit worried about how he’ll hold up against some bigger and stronger linemen- he’s around 290 pounds and 6’5” – something to monitor. He does look stronger this year compared to last.
On the offensive line side, I’d say at least nine of ten roster spots are probably set. Starters Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Blake Brandel, Will Fries, and Brian O’Neill. Backups Ryan Van Demark, Joe Huber, Michael Jurgens, Henry Byrd, and Caleb Tiernan.
Tomas Rimac is intriguing though and I’m curious to see how he fares going forward. He is a high RAS guy with tackle/guard versatility and could compete with Henry Byrd for the last OL roster spot.
Gavin Bartholomew
Tight end Gavin Bartholomew is winning a roster spot over Ben Yurosek as training camp progresses. Bartholomew is more of a receiving tight end and has shown up quite a bit in that role. And with Max Bredeson as a blocking fullback/H-back/tight end, it makes more sense to have another receiving tight end on the roster, rather than another blocker in Yurosek, who hasn’t shown up in training camp so far.
Batholomew was a sixth-round pick last year but missed his rookie season due to injury and was seemingly written off. But he’s come back and is making plays.
Special Teams Drills
Early on in practice today there were special teams gunner drills, where opposing special teamers battle with each other on the run with one trying to get to a dummy returner and the other trying to prevent that. These are important drills for guys at the end of depth charts trying to make the roster- and it showed. These were really physical drills I haven’t seen since the joint practices with the Patriots last year- which the Patriots won for the most part. It was good to see that physicality which kind of set the tone for this second practice in full pads.
Charles Demmings stood out in these drills- as he has as a cornerback as well. Dwight McGlothern- who needs to make the team as a special teamer- didn’t. A lot of guys battled in these drills among backup defensive backs and linebackers and tight ends mostly and it was difficult to conclude too much about most of them- they were going two or three at a time- but I’m sure the tape on them will be reviewed by Matt Daniels and could help shape the fortunes of the back end of the roster.
Other Rookies
You probably know by now that cornerback Charles Demmings has emerged as the star of the draft class so far. He had a high-profile pass breakup working against Justin Jefferson in 11-on-11 team drills that drew a lot of attention today. And he also did well in the special teams drills. He wasn’t perfect- he gave up a couple receptions in coverage too- but overall he has been very impressive and is the clear front runner for Mr. Eagan this year.
Jakobe Thomas I’d say has been a bit underwhelming so far. Not dramatically so, but I don’t see him challenging for a starting job at this point. He seems like he’s still learning the scheme and looks a bit slow so far. He didn’t really impress in special teams drill either. A bit of a slower start for him overall. We’ll see how it goes with him going forward. Not a concern at this point, but probably not gunning for a starting job yet either.
I haven’t seen enough of Caleb Tiernan so far to really draw any conclusions. He’s done fine in drills so far, but I haven’t noticed him much yet either way in team drills.
Jake Golday has made some splashes so far, but I didn’t notice him much today. I get the impression overall that he is making strides and should be a contributor but still need to see more before saying much beyond that.
Demond Claiborne got a lot of work today after missing some time with some sort of minor injury. It was interesting that Claiborne and Max Bredeson seemed to be paired a lot with the second-team offense and even had a rep or two with the first team today. He showed the speed and slipperiness that was abundantly clear on his college tape, but without full tackling to the ground, it’s difficult to gauge how good a run really was. He also looked dynamic as a kick returner in the couple reps I saw. But still need to see more- particularly in preseason games. But I could see him getting some reps in the regular season- I think that is the hope that he’ll prove worthy of them.
Max Bredeson is definitely getting reps at fullback with the first and second team. He’s also had a couple receptions. I think the hope with him is that he’ll be worthy of more reps at fullback than C.J. Ham got last year. I haven’t seen any of the spectacular blocks yet in training camp that litter his highlight reels at Michigan, but he’ll be one to watch in preseason games too. I would not be surprised if he’s an upgrade at fullback.
Seventh-round pick Gavin Gerhardt looked surprisingly small to me when I saw him for the first time in person. He doesn’t get many reps either and is clearly third-string at center- maybe lower if you consider some cross-training at center like Vershon Lee and Henry Byrd. I thought maybe he’d be able to challenge Michael Jurgens for the backup center role, but not much evidence at this point to support that.
Defensive Backs
Charles Demmings has been a standout among defensive backs, but James Pierre has looked good in the reps I’ve seen so far. Isaiah Rodgers didn’t impress today- he was involved in both of Murray’s bombs- but not really concerned given his performance last season. His approach to training camp may be more avoiding injury than being full-go- which works if you have a starting job locked up. I didn’t notice Byron Murphy Jr. much today- which was probably a good thing. Overall, I think the cornerback group is a low-key strength for the Vikings. It’s not that they have shut-down corners, but the weakest link is relatively strong, which given coverage is a weakest-link proposition, that is a good thing and better than having a shut-down corner and a terrible one. And Demmings making a strong showing so far strengthens depth and provides a brighter outlook for the future.
The safety group has been more difficult to judge so far. They haven’t really been targeted much in the passing game- except today and that wasn’t a good look. But the fact that they haven’t been targeted much at all during training camp could be because coverage was good. If Josh Metellus did in fact blow an assignment, that doesn’t help his cause, even as a captain, given he looked like the worst of the starting safeties last season. We need to see more, but Jay Ward and Theo Jackson are getting reps with the first team, along with Metellus. The Thomas’ – Jakobe and Jacob- haven’t stood out much yet and Tavierre is more a core special teamer than safety. Harrison Smith is unlikely to come back for training camp and he might not come back at all. More questions than answers right now with that group, but a starting tandem of Theo Jackson and Jay Ward may work just fine.
Linebackers
I didn’t notice anything particular one way or the other in the inside linebacker group in today’s practice, but I have noticed Ivan Pace Jr. has made a couple plays in coverage, which helps his cause. I don’t know if that’s enough as that group is suddenly a bit crowded with the arrival of Jamal Adams, but we’ll see. Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson are roster locks along with Jake Golday, and normally they keep four inside linebackers. Adams is known for his blitzing but his coverage skills might be the most needed.
Among outside linebackers, Dallas Turner impressed today. He had probably two would-be sacks today and also did well against Christian Darrisaw in linemen drills. He still looks like could be among the top edge rushers this year. Andrew Van Ginkel hasn’t had a lot of reps but that’s fine. But beyond Turner and Van Ginkel, there has been concern about depth. However, Golday has had some good reps off the edge, Bo Richter has had a good camp so far, Eric Wilson can play off the edge too, as can Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. And there is Chaz Chambliss and Tyler Batty too. So, there are options and it may well be that the Vikings are looking to solidify any depth issue here with in-house options.
Run Game
I get the sense that the Vikings changing run game is a secret they are more diligent in keeping this year. But I would also say that, as is often the case, the defense has had the upper hand in the run game so far in training camp. Regardless of who is rotating in defensively and whether first-team or second-team defense, it’s been tough going in general for the offense to get the run game going. There have been a few nice runs- and nice holes to run through- but they’ve been fairly few and far between.
For now that’s encouraging for the defense, but hopefully the offense will begin to see more success too. I doubt the Vikings will show much new in preseason games- again to keep it under wraps before the regular season- but it’s something to monitor as training camp progresses.
That’s all for now but I’ll be back on Friday. No practice on Thursday.
Follow me on X/Bluesky @wludford
