OTAs and minicamp are in the rearview mirror, and training camp will be here in late July after the players and coaches take a month of vacation, except for Kyler Murray, who wisely says he is sticking around and continuing his efforts to master the Vikings offense during this downtime.
With that in mind, here’s my list of the top 15 things I will pay closest attention to when the Vikings open training camp and hit the field for the first padded practice on August 3.
Jeff Diamond Has His Eyes on Vikings’ Biggest Summer Questions
1. Kyler Murray: He had an uneven performance in OTAs and minicamp (including two interceptions on the first day of minicamp) as he dealt with the learning curve of mastering a new, complex Kevin O’Connell-directed offense. This is not cause for alarm unless he struggles in training camp, in limited snaps during the preseason games, and especially during the two days of joint practices with the Ravens in Week 3 of training camp.
I applaud his doing extra work in this dead period as an indication that Murray realizes he has a great opportunity to revitalize his career with a very good supporting cast led by elite WRs in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and his offensive line should be a top unit if center Blake Brandel is a quality center and the other starters stay healthy.
Murray seems to be at a career crossroads, and a big season will likely lead to another $50 million-plus-per-year contract with the Vikings or elsewhere. So he’ll clearly be the focal point #1 in training camp for his coaches and fellow players, along with media and fans. Now he needs to perform at the level expected for a first overall pick and not complain about how many reps he gets in training camp, which smacked of excuse-making when he made the rep comments in minicamp.
2. J.J. McCarthy: O’Connell and players such as Jefferson talked this offseason about McCarthy making positive strides in the offense and with his mechanics. I believe Murray and McCarthy will both start games this season, as injuries have been a problem for both. If Murray gets hurt or struggles as the expected starter, McCarthy will be ready to pounce on the opportunity, and then it might be tough for Murray to dislodge him, with McCarthy seemingly more of the long-term answer at the position.
J.J. also has to be careful with his public comments and talk team-first. People—especially in the national media —tend to downplay that McCarthy played well, winning his last four starts with a passer rating over 100 and a completion percentage around 64%. I certainly haven’t given up on his future at 23 years old, and I don’t think anyone at Vikings HQ has either.
3. Caleb Banks: O’Connell said he thinks the No. 1 pick will be ready to go on Day 1 of training camp. After seeing him standing around in minicamp, I’ll be mildly surprised if his broken foot is healed to the point that he’s full go when the pads come on that first week of camp. If he’s working with the first unit in the Ravens’ joint practices, that will be a big win for the team. And if he starts every game at defensive tackle this season, count me as very surprised given his injury history.
Banks is being counted on to start in his rookie year, and perhaps he’ll have a chip on his shoulder after many draft analysts said he was a reach in the mid-first round. The Vikings need Banks and third-rounder Domonique Orange to be impact players on the D-line right out of the gate against Green Bay on September 13.
4. Jake Golday: The second-round pick worked almost exclusively at inside linebacker in OTAs and minicamp despite O’Connell saying on draft day that he envisioned Golday as a combo edge and inside backer with his size, strength, and athletic ability. He should get a ton of reps at edge/outside backer in camp as the Vikings need him to be the relief/rotational edge rusher behind Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner to soften the loss of Jonathan Greenard. Comparisons have been made between Golday and Van Ginkel, so let’s see him in that spot.
Golday played both edge and inside in college, so he has the versatility and the athleticism to do either job. But with Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and Ivan Pace at inside backer, it’s obvious Golday’s greatest impact this season will be if he’s that third edge rusher/OLB and does it well. I’ll be closely watching where he lines up in camp and how he looks.
If Golday can’t be a contributor on the edge as a rookie, I think there’s a good chance the team will try to sign a proven veteran pass rusher such as Jadeveon Clowney or Haason Reddick if they’re still available as a playoff caliber team has to have more than two capable edge rushers and I don’t see that kind of production coming from the likes of Bo Richter, Chaz Chambliss or Tyler Batty who are other edge/OLBs in camp.
5. Blake Brandel: I think the Vikings missed the boat on several quality centers in free agency and in the early rounds of the draft. I don’t begrudge them if the players they took in the early draft rounds had higher grades. But the center is so important to the O-line and the quarterback in terms of his responsibilities as a run blocker, pass protector, and in making the line calls.
Brandel has made 31 starts over his five-year career, mostly at guard, but he did start a couple of games at center in relief of the injured Ryan Kelly last season and seemed to do ok. If Brandel proves to be a quality center and the rest of the O-line stays healthy, the team should have one of the league’s best units.
6. Jakobe Thomas: The Vikings passed on top safeties Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the first two rounds and waited until pick No. 98 in the third round to select Thomas, whom the Vikings coaches and player personnel staff highly praised. Whether Harrison Smith returns or not, I think Thomas still needs to play regularly as a rookie and quickly beat out Theo Jackson and Jay Ward for the third safety spot if Smith is back, or the second starting safety spot with Josh Metellus if Smith retires.
Thomas needs to be the safety who can run with receivers deep and play underneath routes against tight ends, while also being a run stopper. I think he’s a somewhat under-the-radar critical player in the secondary this season.
7. James Pierre: The ex-Steeler corner was signed in free agency to be the Vikings’ third corner, who is expected to get a lot of snaps along with Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers, unless fifth-round pick Charles Demmings supplants him. Pierre was targeted by DC Brian Flores and DB coach Gerald Alexander, who both worked with Pierre in Pittsburgh.
With so many teams having three quality wide receivers on the field on over half the snaps, the third corner is a critical position that quarterbacks will often target. Pierre needs to play well, or Demmings has to come on quickly.
8. Dallas Turner: He made big strides in his second season as a 2024 first-rounder when he led the team with eight sacks and added 15 QB hits, 66 tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss, and four forced fumbles. With Greenard gone, the pressure is on Turner to become a double-digit sack artist who strips the QB and also plays the run well.
He’s still only 23 years old and looks to have a great future as a Pro Bowl-quality edge rusher. He needs to keep hitting the weight room to get bigger and stronger to go along with his 4.46 speed. A big year for Turner will be a huge boon to the defense.
9. Andrew Van Ginkel: Speaking of critical pieces on defense, a healthy Van Ginkel is a must after he missed five games last season with a neck injury. His stats dropped from 11.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 79 tackles, and two Pick-6s in his Pro Bowl season of 2024 to seven sacks, 11 TFLs, 54 tackles, and no picks last season, but he was still impactful when he was healthy and playing.
Van Ginkel is one of the most instinctual defenders I’ve ever seen when he’s at his best. He’s a game-changer that NFL offensive coordinators have to account for, and he has to play well for the Vikings’ defense to be a top unit.
10. Justin Jefferson: He’s the most popular Viking among fans at training camp, and we’re always watching Jets in camp, so he has to make my list of players I’ll be paying attention to. We know he won’t get any snaps in preseason games, which is the smart approach by the coaches, but he always competes hard in practices and joint practices. It will be fun to see how well he and Murray (and McCarthy) connect in camp.
Jefferson is looking for a big bounce-back season after his production dropped from 103 catches for 1,553 yards and 10 TDs in 2024 with Sam Darnold to 84 catches for 1,048 yards and only two TDs with McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer last season. And he’s also a team captain, so he’ll be a highly motivated player in camp and on into the season.
11. Demond Claiborne: The sixth-round pick brings the element of elite speed (4.37 in the 40) to the running back corps. He was a dual-threat player as a fine runner (5.1-yard average in 2025) and good receiving back (28 catches last season) at Wake Forest. He was also a good kick returner in college.
We should see a lot of snaps for Claiborne in the preseason games, and I expect him to be a crowd favorite with his speed and agility. I’m excited to see how he performs and if he can be a viable option as a third back behind Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason this season, with a potential bigger role in the future.
12. Charles Demmings: See No. 7 (James Pierre) above regarding Demmings potential battle for the third corner or at least becoming the fourth corner who gets play time in certain defensive schemes and in the event of injury to the other corners.
He’s a 4.4 guy with good size at 6-1, 193 pounds who can run with wide receivers and should be able to play the run, but it’s a big leap from a smaller college, Stephen F. Austin, to the NFL. I want to see Demmings trying to cover the Vikings’ top three WRs in camp—Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings, and he should get a lot of playing time in the preseason games.
13. T.J. Hockenson: The two-time Pro Bowl tight end is now a couple of years removed from his ACL injury late in the 2023 season that limited him in 2024, and then his production was lessened by the QB carousel last season (51 receptions for 438 yards and three TDs).
The Vikings need the 28-year-old Hockenson to be back in his 2023 form before the injury, when he had a career-best 95 catches for 960 yards and five TDs. I’ll be watching how he connects with the Vikings QBs and whether he appears to be a big part of the offense as an intermediate receiver, along with how he does with his run blocking.
14. Aaron Jones: After a stellar 2024 season with 1,138 rushing yards, 408 receiving yards, and seven combined TDs when he played in every game, Jones missed five games last season with various injuries (most notably a hamstring that landed him on IR), and his stats dropped to 548 rushing yards, 199 receiving yards, and three combined TDs.
He’s 31 years old and took a pay cut to return to the Vikings, but he can still be a dynamic player when healthy. How much does he have left in the tank? We’ll be watching for early clues at camp.
15. Brian O’Neill & Christian Darrisaw: It’s nice for a team to enter training camp without a lot of contract drama. O’Neill is a top right tackle when healthy. He turns 31 in September and is seeking an extension, as he is in the final year of his contract. He’s a team captain, so I don’t expect him to be a hold-in as he was during part of the offseason program (though he did practice at minicamp).
Let’s see how the new GM, Nolan Teasley, handles O’Neill’s contract. He can reduce his 2026 cap hit significantly from the current $23 million with a three or four-year extension, and that could be money needed to add a vet edge rusher.
And while I’m talking about OTs, the Vikings need Darrisaw to return to top form as a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle who stays on the field after dealing with the aftermath of his 2024 ACL injury that had him in and out of the lineup last season.
Around the NFL: Thoughts on the continuing Brendan Sorsby saga
The NFL has refused to allow Sorsby to participate in a supplemental draft and has told him to enter the 2027 draft. Sorsby’s attorney has said that’s a violation of the player’s legal rights and the CBA. Will Sorsby sue the league or ask the NFL Players’ Association to file a grievance in an attempt to force his entry?
It probably would be best for all parties if Sorsby would take this year off while he collects his NIL money from Texas Tech and continues his treatment for his gambling issues. But this case will probably head to the courts or an NFL grievance hearing, so it will likely be an ongoing saga over the next few months.
