6 Things We Can’t Wait to See at Vikings Training Camp

Rookies will report to Minnesota Vikings training camp in 19 days, with veterans arriving a couple of days later, and fans formally invited on August 1st. The time is coming.

And while the club, like every summer, has several fascinating storylines, here’s what we can’t wait to see in Eagan three weeks from now. The items are listed in no particular order.

The Watchlist Has Real Stakes

1. The Pecking Order at Safety

This could be moot or less important if Harrison Smith returns to the Vikings, but as of early July, nobody knows if that will happen. Smith is acting mysteriously.

If Smith is gone-gone, the Vikings will unveil a safety unit without him for the first time since 2011. Josh Metellus will start, but after Metellus, it’s a crapshoot to determine the other main starter, among contenders Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and rookie Jakobe Thomas.

Ward is probably the frontrunner to obtain most safety snaps because he took over as the starter in December. That must be confirmed, though, and training camp will be the first major clue. Generally speaking, the Vikings’ safety room is no longer as straightforward as “Smith and Metellus.”

2. The Seriousness of the QB Battle

We fully understand and embrace the fact that Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy will battle at training camp; that’s healthy for a football team. We, however, believe that Murray will prevail rather handily — because he is the better, more experienced quarterback.

So, we ask: How interesting will McCarthy make the competition? Will it go down to the wire? Will preseason games be needed to weigh pros and cons of each combatant? Will Kevin O’Connell see a practice or two and say, “Murray’s our guy, folks.”

It’s not a sham competition, but McCarthy’s legitimacy as a contender is “to be determined.”

3. Brett Thorson’s Leg

In March, Minnesota signed punter Johnny Hekker, who was the best punter on the planet in 2015. In April, Minnesota signed punter Brett Thorson, who was the best college punter in 2025. We wonder why Hekker is even needed.

There shouldn’t be much mystery about Thorson’s transition to the NFL; he’s the real deal. The Vikings may not have known that Thorson would fall into their lap after the draft in undrafted free agency. Perhaps signing him was a perk that rendered the Hekker signing useless.

Thorson should be the punter in 2026 and for the long haul, but he evidently has to prove it against Hekker at training camp.

The Vikings always have some form of a kicking battle in the summer. Clockwork.

4. The Dillon Bell Glow-Up

The hype train began for Bell in late April, when, like Thorson, the Vikings signed him as an undrafted free agent. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and former NFLer Steve Smith have pounded the table for Bell, who brings WR versatility and a chip on his shoulder to the Vikings.

Boots on the ground also suggest that Bell looked the part at OTAs and minicamp. That’s great — but now Bell must earn a roster spot, dueling Tai Felton, Myles Price, and several other anonymous UDFA wide receivers at training camp.

Can Bell take the momentum through the summer and snag a September roster spot? Felton or Price might have to be cut to make room. You’ve been warned.

5. Caleb Banks and His Foot

Teams shied away from Banks in Round 1 of the draft because he injured his foot in the summer of 2025 and then broke the same foot at the NFL Combine. As a rule of thumb, it’s dangerous to draft big men with bad feet in the 1st Round.

It’s just that the Vikings didn’t care.

Before the second foot injury, Banks held 1st-Round draft stock; it was just a matter of which DT-needy club would pick him. After the NFL Combine, Banks’s draft hopes fell into Round 2, and he lived there until the Vikings went against the grain, selecting him in Round 1.

Now, listen carefully: Minnesota absolutely cannot afford a draft miss, especially one from the 1st Round. The franchise is trying to emerge from the rubble of failed draft picks like Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, Brian Asamoah, and others.

Watching Banks this summer will be a major clue whether the Vikings got this one right. He really can’t afford to “sit out” his rookie season with a bad foot. If so, a 1st-Round pick was not worth it.

6. Demond Claiborne’s NFL Translation

The Vikings are starved for young legs at running back. It’s been nine years since they drafted Dalvin Cook. After Cook left — and fell off an NFL production cliff — Minnesota has preferred RB1 options like Alexander Mattison, Aaron Jones, and Jordan Mason. Those veterans are okay, but soon the Vikings must restart the clock with a promising, explosive tailback.

In theory, that could be Claiborne, a 6th-Rounder from Wake Forest with 4.37 speed.

Onlookers will be able to tell if Claiborne has the vision and tackle-breaking acumen to succeed as an eventual RB1 at training camp. He’ll provide hints. The early returns, too, are promising.

But he has to make a dent this summer to project well for the future. The question is this: Can Claiborne become a rare late-round RB success story? Or is he just another Ty Chandler or DeWayne McBride?

Do not forget: the Vikings are fundamentally starved for a young playmaking running back.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker