What to Watch with Vikings OTAs in Motion

When I first began my NFL front office career back in the days of Bud Grant, Fran Tarkenton, and the Purple People Eaters, the only players I saw in the offseason were the new draft picks for a two-day rookie camp. I didn’t meet vets such as Tarkenton until the first day of training camp at Mankato State University in late July.

There were no OTAs or mandatory minicamps. Not even an organized team offseason strength-and-conditioning program for the veterans.

Times certainly have changed as the salaries for NFL players and coaches have skyrocketed compared to several decades ago. Only star players earned six-figure salaries back then, and many players had other jobs in the offseason to supplement their income.

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Today, with the minimum salary at $885,000 and the average salary over $3 million, players know they must be present and work hard to improve their craft and understanding of the playbook via the team’s offseason program, or they risk falling behind other players they may be competing with and other teams around the league.

Thus, OTAs and minicamps have taken on an important role in player/team development leading into training camp, which is expected to open the last week in July.

Here are the things I’ll be paying the most attention to during the 10 scheduled OTA sessions that wrap up the week of June 15, as well as the June 9-11 minicamp.

Quarterbacks

We can expect to hear Kevin O’Connell praising all four QBs in his media sessions—Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. O’Connell will say Murray is working hard and doing a great job picking up the system. He’ll say McCarthy looks stronger and has a great grasp of the offense, and Wentz has recovered from his shoulder surgery and brings vet savvy to the QB room. And that Brosmer is a talented work in progress.

What O’Connell won’t say in May or June—and probably not until mid-August–is who his starting QB will be on September 13 when the Packers come to town for the regular season opener. He’ll continue to say it’s an “open competition,” which is what he should be saying at this early juncture.

We can speculate who the coaches are looking to start (almost certainly Murray if he stays healthy) based on who is taking the first reps with the other offensive starters at minicamp practices.

The opening couple of series in the first preseason game at the Giants on August 15 may tell us more. And certainly the August 19-20 joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens at the Vikings’ TCO facility should clinch it if O’Connell hasn’t officially announced his choice by then.

As for OTAs this week and next week before minicamp, both Murray and McCarthy should get an equal number of reps with the starting offensive line, top wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings, No. 1 tight end T.J. Hockenson, and the RB combo of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason.

Wentz and Brosmer most likely will be throwing to the non-starters (and I want to see sixth-round running back Demond Claiborne flash his 4.37 speed out of the backfield this offseason or certainly in training camp and preseason games, and see if last year’s third-rounder Tai Felton can take a big step forward at wide receiver after a non-productive rookie season).

Defensive Line and Edge Rushers

Will first-rounder Caleb Banks participate at all in team drills before training camp as he continues his recovery from foot surgery? Almost certainly not, according to the intel we’ve heard. He is participating in classroom work and mental reps—perhaps in some walkthroughs—but he is not expected to hit the field until the start of training camp, which gives him two more months of rehab.

We know Jalen Redmond will start on the D-line, and Banks is a likely starter if he’s healthy and quickly gets up to speed in training camp. It will be interesting to see if there are any clues in OTAs and minicamp about who has a leg up for the other starting spot among returnees Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Levi Drake Rodriguez, and third-round DT Domonique Orange.

The reality is that the best defensive lines have an effective rotation, and that’s surely what DC Brian Flores is hoping for from this young group, which could become a team strength.

I’m intrigued by what the coaches do with second-round LB Jake Golday, who played defensive end and inside linebacker in college. I was opposed to trading a proven edge rusher in Jonathan Greenard unless the team did not believe he could stay healthy after his shoulder issues last season. Andrew Van Ginkel is a terrific player, but he’s had injury issues, and I like how Dallas Turner came on last season with a team-leading eight sacks. But who is going to be the third edge player in a rotation, or in the case of injury to a starter?

I want to see if the coaches give Golday some minicamp reps at OLB/Edge, after that was the indication when he was drafted. O’Connell says Golday is first learning the inside linebacker spot, where he would back up an excellent starting duo in Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson. But with Ivan Pace also here as a backup ILB, the best first-year impact for Golday would be as a rotating edge rusher who can drop into coverage (thus the athletic comparison between Golday and Van Ginkel). But we may not see that develop fully until later in training camp or on into the regular season.

Safeties and Third Corner  

Lots to dissect here. Will Harrison Smith return for his 15th season, which should be the hope for the coaching staff and team? If he’s indeed coming back, I’m sure the coaches would love to see him on the field at minicamp as the leader of the secondary.

How quickly can third-round safety Jakobe Thomas learn the defense and the demands of the safety positions? He’s supposed to be a smart and instinctive player. He then should be able to beat out Theo Jackson and Jay Ward for the third safety spot (which the Vikings utilize in their defense fairly often) and push Josh Metellus as the season goes on for the No. 2 spot unless Smith retires. Then the team has to hope Metellus and Thomas can be a solid starting duo.

At the third corner, I’ll be watching free agent signee  James Pierre and speedy fifth-rounder Charles Demmings to see how they do in coverage against the Vikings’ elite wide receivers. And what’s up with now third-year corner Dwight McGlothern, who looked like a future star in 2024 training camp but has not yet pushed his way into a bigger role?

Reichard/Hekker/DePaola

This will be more of a storyline in training camp and preseason games, but the departure of punter/holder Ryan Wright to the Saints in free agency forced the Vikings to sign 36-year-old Johnny Hekker to work as the punter and holder for all-pro kicker Will Reichard.

There will be thousands of reps on field goals and extra points during OTAs, minicamp, and training camp, and the chemistry has to be great among Reichard, Hekker, and snapper Andrew DePaola, leading into the regular season, when there will be plenty of close games as usual. So we’ll see how this trio progresses in the next month.

Lots of reps for Brandel

The center spot will be a focal point when checking out the offensive line. Blake Brandel needs all the reps he can get as he takes over as the starting center, and we’ll see if seventh-rounder Gavin Gerhardt looks like a player who can push Brandel at some point and initially beat out Michael Jurgens (as backup center) in training camp.

The OTAs and minicamp are important for all the centers at a position that could be a problem this season.

Jeff Diamond is a former Vikings GM, former Tennessee Titans President and was selected NFL Executive of the Year … More about Jeff Diamond