Start of Training Camp Rundown

· Yahoo Sports

The Minnesota Vikings start training camp this week and there are a bunch of news items that have coincided with that this week worth addressing. As a reminder, rookies and quarterbacks reported on Sunday, while veterans reported on Tuesday. Wednesday’s practice included the first press conferences of training camp.

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Jamal Adams Acquisition

The Vikings acquired linebacker/safety Jamal Adams this week. Adams is a former 6th overall pick and Pro Bowler who has since had injury issues and bounced around a couple teams in recent years, including Seattle from 2020-2023 where he got to know Vikings’ GM Nolan Teasley. That relationship seemed to be a factor in his signing with the Vikings from his comments about the signing on Wednesday, but he’s also a good fit for Brian Flores’ scheme as a versatile defender.

He played around 450 snaps last season with the Raiders at linebacker (Adams was a safety previously) and was an above-average performer according to PFF. He’s listed on the Vikings’ website at 6’1”, 213 pounds- which is light for a linebacker. He looks a bit heavier than that though.

He signed a league minimum deal last year with the Raiders and I wouldn’t be surprised if he signed a similar deal with the Vikings, although the terms of his contract have not yet been released. But I expect him to make the roster as a linebacker. I could see him replacing Josh Metellus’ reps in that role last season and also reducing some reps for Eric Wilson. After watching Adams’ tape last year at linebacker with the Raiders, my first impression is that he’s a decent linebacker. He may be the best option in coverage among linebackers on the roster. He is also very good at reading plays and always has his eyes in the backfield. He was either a hook zone or flat defender in coverage last season and he showed good awareness in that role. Occasionally he’d run with receivers, whether backs or tight ends or wide receivers and did alright in that role too, but he’s not a good matchup against top wide receivers to be sure. As a run defender, he’s not afraid of contact but sometimes he will be the sacrificial defender to absorb blocks or clog up one hole for others to make the tackle instead of trying to make the tackle himself. He doesn’t show the ability to shed blocks like a traditional linebacker, but he can work his way through the trash, as they say, to make a tackle. As a pass rusher he did okay but could improve by taking more direct routes to the quarterback and improving his ability to get by chip blockers. He’s not a blow-em-up blitzer when it comes to taking on running back blockers like Blake Cashman or Ivan Pace or Eric Wilson have been. He blitzes like a safety.

Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores talked about Adams in his Wednesday press conference saying that Adams is a real football guy and that his role will be determined by what he can do well and be productive at. I’d be surprised if he played anything but linebacker, however, although you could say he’s a bit of a hybrid linebacker/strong safety. But I expect him to make the roster and play around half the defensive snaps, maybe more if there are injuries. His acquisition is good insurance against injury in the linebacker group, which is a significant risk with Blake Cashman having missed a few games every season that last few years and Eric Wilson at age 32. His role could decrease potentially if Jake Golday is able to ramp up over the course of the season. He could also end up playing more snaps than Eric Wilson if they lean on him more in coverage. He graded higher than Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson last season overall according to PFF- particularly in coverage- and could have similar quarterback pressures as Wilson last year if he earns enough playing time.

Brian O’Neill Extension

No surprise that the Vikings got a deal done extending Brian O’Neill prior to the start of training camp. That seemed like it was in the cards all summer. It was a well-deserved extension for O’Neill, who has been a captain and core player for many years now and one of the better right tackles in the league. It’s a four-year, $96 million deal ($24 million AAV) but further details have not yet become available. The length of the extension goes through O’Neill’s age 35, which makes it likely that O’Neill begins and ends his career in Minnesota. I wouldn’t be surprised if the deal was structured in such a way that the Vikings could pull out a year early without a big dead cap hit, but at this point O’Neill has not shown any signs of reduced performance. It varies by player, but some tackles can continue playing at a high level well into their 30s. But extending O’Neill means the Vikings will have their bookend tackles for four more seasons- Christian Darrisaw is signed through 2029 and O’Neill now through 2030.

Gerald Alexander Suspension

Vikings defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander was suspended for three weeks without pay for a DUI incident back in April. Terrible timing for a coach to serve a suspension for the first three weeks of training camp. Apparently defensive coordinator Brian Flores stepped in to coach the defensive backs at the beginning of Wednesday’s practice. Not sure what the plan is for the whole three weeks, but not a good time for a coach to miss.

Harrison Smith Update

Harrison Smith’s name was brought up on a couple occasions during Tuesday’s press conferences and judging by the comments from Kevin O’Connell it doesn’t appear that Smith signing on for another season is imminent nor do those discussions appear to be ramping up. I’d be surprised at this point if Smith came back before the start of the regular season, if he does at all.

July 29th Training Camp Notes
  • Kyler Murray took the first reps with the first team in team drills and alternated with J.J. McCarthy every four reps with Murray ultimately getting 16 reps to McCarthy’s 12, although I’ve seen slightly different rep counts. Kevin O’Connell said that reps between the two would not always be perfectly even every day for a variety of reasons, but the initial intension is to split reps roughly evenly between the two quarterbacks.
  • There doesn’t appear to be a clear winner of the day between the two quarterbacks according to reporters attending the practice. Some nice throws and misses by both quarterbacks.
  • StarTribune reported an even split in reps: “Murray and quarterback J.J. McCarthy split first-team reps. Murray took the lead in two 11-on-11 periods and one 7-on-7 period within a roughly 90-minute practice. Both quarterbacks worked with the first- and second-team offenses, ending with an even split of total snaps: 16 each in full-team drills and another six snaps each in a 7-on-7 passing drill. It’s a work in progress. Neither quarterback connected consistently with receiver Justin Jefferson, who watched Murray miss him on a deep ball down the sideline and McCarthy throw a late pass over the middle deflected by safety Jay Ward. Jefferson finally caught a pass in team drills when Murray found him over safety Josh Metellus during Murray’s penultimate 11-on-11 rep. They each had a couple highlight throws: McCarthy had an arcing pass find receiver Jeshaun Jones along the sideline, while Murray threaded the needle to receiver Jordan Addison in a roughly 15 to 20-yard strike over the middle in heavy traffic.
  • Kyler Murray reportedly went 10/17 with two drops and 1 interception while McCarthy went 13/15 with a lot of shorter throws and no real deep balls according to Will Ragatz.
  • Caleb Banks was a full participant with no restrictions, as was Christian Darrisaw. Banks worked with the second-team in 11-on-11 drills according to ESPN, while the StarTribune said “he mixed in with the first team defense behind defensive tackles Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake-Rodriquez.” I don’t know if that was meant to say alongside instead of behind but there appears to be some differences in the reporting on Banks. He did say he was happy to be out on the field and get all the foot stuff behind him.
  • StarTribune reported Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson as the first-team safeties, with Jay Ward and Jakobe Thomas mixing in.
  • Blake Cashman also healthy and practicing. He had missed some practices in the offseason program with a finger injury.
  • Jauan Jennings and Zavier Scott both had drops in the team drills.
  • Jamal Adams worked with the second-team defense in team drills
  • Jordan Mason had the play of the day on a long TD run, juking Josh Metellus along the way.
  • Jalen Redmond appeared to have affected a throw of Murray’s that resulted in an interception by new cornerback James Pierre.
  • Rookie fullback Max Bredeson had a short reception from J.J. McCarthy and also was a lead blocker for Demond Claiborne on the following play with the second-team offense.

Press Conferences

Here are the full press conferences from July 28th and 29th.

Lastly, I will be attending some of the training camp practices beginning August 3rd (the first padded practice) so let me know in the comments if there is any content you are looking for in training camp coverage and I’ll do my best to include it in my training camp updates.

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