Sports
Vikings Rookie Report: Week 3 Arrives with Young Lads Gaining Momentum
Recent years have seen the Vikings rookies making too small of a contribution. As a result, Minnesota has become a good team but far from great.
Part of the remedy in 2026 means seeing the young lads contribute more.
Last week, the Vikings got solid production out of several rookies. Most notable has been fullback Max Bredeson, somebody who is already a key piece of the puzzle on offense. An encouraging game from Caleb Banks inspired further optimism for where he can take his game so long as he continues developing. And then there has been some help from Domonique Orange, Chuck Demmings, Jake Golday, and Demond Claiborne, as well. Some others have been totally M.I.A.
Shout out to Pro Football Reference for the insight on player specifics.
Vikings Rookie Report | Week 3
Offense
| Player | Games/Starts | Catches | Carries | Yards | TDs |
| OT Caleb Tiernen (3rd) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| FB Max Bredeson (5th) | 2/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RB Demond Claiborne (6th) | 1/0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Context and Commentary: Last week, Claiborne got into the mix for a tiny portion of playing time. Does he see his work increase with the veteran Aaron Jones needing a lesser workload? Look for Bredeson to touch the ball at some point but enjoy his blocking while you wait. Caleb Tiernan has been an afterthought along the offensive line.
UDFA Help: Dillon Bell remains the name to know, but he’s on practice squad. It appears unlikely he’ll get worked into the mix for beefy snaps in Week 3 but he offers potential as a gadget guy. In theory, he could run the ball a time or two.
Defense
| Player | Games/Starts | Tackles | TFLs | Sacks | INTs |
| DT Caleb Banks (1st) | 2/0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LB Jake Golday (2nd) | 2/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DT Domonique Orange (3rd) | 2/0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| S Jakobe Thomas (3rd) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| CB Chuck Demmings (5th) | 2/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Context and Commentary: So far, the main disappointment has been found in Mr. Golday, the 2nd-Round linebacker who boasts a pile of potential. If healthy, Golday should start getting worked into the mix more. Both of the DTs are being burdened with nice workloads while Demmings has been a special teams player. Thomas, the safety, has yet to be seen.
UDFA Help: The other rookie safety — Jacob, not Jakobe — has been playing. Better yet, he has been helping. Go back to Byron Murphy Jr.’s interception in Week 2 and watch for who was putting the heat onto Caleb Williams. Before too long, the UDFA could leapfrog Theo Jackson to become the S3 behind Josh Metellus and Harrison Smith.
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