3 Up and 3 Down with Ravens in Town

Some do a stock report. Allow me to pivot in a minor way toward a baseball metaphor.

Vikings training camp involved a well-attended day of work under blue skies and warm sun. At times, the practices got chippy as both sides jostled to win reps. Consider some of the players to have played well versus those who weren’t so impressive. Do so with the understanding that the Vikings had a ton going on, meaning I missed much.

Moreover, I’m not a trained scout or coach, so my take on things isn’t nearly as significant as what the Vikings’ decision makers think. Oh, and another thing: even if I’m bang on with a correct take, what took place earlier was just a single day of work. The Vikings will be assessing the totality of the work.

Vikings Training Camp Update After Debut Ravens Day

Up No. 1 — LB Blake Cashman

He was a menace out there. Has he been lost in the shuffle somewhat?

Recently, so much of the discussion has focused on the draft haul, the perceived lack at edge rusher, and then Chuck Demmings proving capable of playing corner and rapping (don’t forget those quarterbacks, either). Blake Cashman has remained. Better yet, he played well, proving to be quite frisky in a day full of feisty moments. Seeing today’s trend continue means that the veteran has a great contract year.

Down No. 1 — DT Caleb Banks

To begin, consider a caveat: there’s a lot going on when a pair of teams are battling. Oftentimes, my focus was on watching whichever side was rolling with the starters and Banks was mostly with the backups.

What I did see, though, wasn’t super encouraging.

He looks long out there, which is a good thing. He can long-arm the offensive tackle with a stab move but is too often slowed down before driving his man back or shaking free of the blocker’s hands. Indeed, he looks a hair slow getting off his blocks. Maybe that’s to be expected but there’s room for growth here. Being just okay isn’t good enough for a No. 18 selection.

Up No. 2 — Levi Drake Rodriguez

He’s a jack-in-the-box just waiting to explode out of his 3-point stance. Mr. Rodriguez is going to earn a nice workload.

He got through for a sack at one point when I was watching (or, at least, what counts for a sack in a training camp setting). Seeing him work off Jalen Redmond means boasting two DTs entering their prime NFL years who have the capacity to create plays behind the line of scrimmage. I like him and you should, too.

Down No. 2 — WR Dontae Fleming

In some ways, Fleming is working against the clock. I didn’t see him do anything egregiously bad but the huge plays weren’t there.

What was sometimes apparent was that Minnesota was leaning on Jeshaun Jones, Tai Felton, and Myles Price a lot when rolling out 11 personnel with the backups. That’s not a good outcome for a player who is looking to snatch away a WR5 or WR6 job. He’s down to less than two weeks before there’s a roster cut, so plays are precious.

Up No. 3 — CB James Pierre

At one point, James Pierre had a chance for a kill shot on Zay Flowers. Wisely, the veteran corner pulled up rather than wallop Baltimore’s WR1 in a hospital ball over the middle.

Later on, Pierre had a great rep in one-v-one special teams. He’s long and speedy. So, too, does he offer some snarl. Good pickup who looks like he’ll make the corner crew more well rounded.

Down No. 3 — QB J.J. McCarthy

To be sure, the kid QB wasn’t all bad. Nor, for that matter, was every tough rep solely on him. He may have nevertheless desired a better day of work.

The QB1 job isn’t coming back before Week 1. The Vikings are going to go with Kyler Murray when hosting Green Bay. Maybe something opens up down the road but that’s where the Vikings find themselves.

Some are now questioning whether the third-year 1st-Round passer slides down to QB3. Count me among those who doesn’t think it makes sense but he hasn’t been great.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.