DAILY CLIPS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2020

LOCAL NEWS: Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Star Tribune

Rookie 's training-camp plays with Vikings going viral By Mark Craig https://www.startribune.com/rookie-dantzler-s-training-camp-plays-with-vikings-going-viral/572211912/

Eight Vikings back at practice after COVID testing errors By Ben Goessling https://www.startribune.com/eight-vikings-back-at-practice-after-covid-testing-error-resolved/572207822/

Major mixups at testing labs can't carry over into NFL regular season By Chip Scoggins https://www.startribune.com/scoggins-major-mixups-at-testing-labs-can-t-extend-to-nfl-regular-season/572211512/

Pioneer Press

Vikings seeking ways to get fans into games, could provide update Tuesday By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/24/vikings-seeking-ways-to-get-fans-into-games-could-provide-update-tuesday- on-how-matters-stand/

Ex-coach Mike Tice: Vikings’ offensive line has much to prove in pass protection By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/24/ex-coach-mike-tice-vikings-offensive-line-has-much-to-prove-in-pass- protection/

Vikings players back at practice after false positive tests for COVID-19 By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/24/vikings-players-back-at-practice-after-false-positive-tests-for-covid-19/

The Athletic

Observations from Vikings camp: O-line musical chairs; a key path to the roster By Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/2020822/2020/08/24/observations-from-vikings-camp-o-line-musical-chairs-a-key-path-to-the- roster/ Purple Insider

Eric Wilson can do it all By Matthew Coller https://purpleinsider.substack.com/p/eric-wilson-can-do-it-all

Skor North

Zulgad: The five players the Vikings can least afford to lose this season By Judd Zulgad https://www.skornorth.com/2020/08/zulgad-the-five-players-the-vikings-can-least-afford-to-lose-this-season/

NATIONAL NEWS: Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Maven Media

Vikings Training Camp Notes, Day 9: is Making the Leap By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/vikings-training-camp-notes-day-9-bisi-johnson How Much Concern Should There Be About The Vikings' Plan at Guard? By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/vikings-offensive-line-guards-concern-dozier-elflein

MULTIMEDIA NEWS: Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Training Camp Highlights | Monday, August 24 By VEN https://www.vikings.com/video/training-camp-highlights-monday-august-24

Andre Patterson on Defensive Leadership By KMSP http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=0c517784-aaa9-4148-bc3f-d050ca0ab950

Players Back from COVID-19 Positive Tests By KSTP http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=6e167d0e-c32b-424b-893f-d70c5510c23b

COVID-19 Results Inaccurate By WCCO http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=e07ffc1e-3a7c-4936-9675-1ddbb8339c58

NFL ‘False Positive’ Tests By KARE http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=1d4dca72-1d45-4c67-b4ec-6b964cc1e5c1

VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK NEWS: Tuesday, August 25, 2020

3 Observations: Vikings Hold Most Physical Practice So Far in 2020 By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/3-observations-vikings-hold-most-physical-practice-so-far-in-2020

Early Splashes Encouraging for Cameron Dantzler's Progression By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/cameron-datnzler-training-campp-progression

Lunchbreak: 5 Vikings Make CBS Sports' All-NFC North Preseason Team By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/5-vikings-make-cbs-sports-all-nfc-north-preseason-team

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 8/25/20

Rookie Cameron Dantzler's training-camp plays with Vikings going viral

By Mark Craig

Kirk Cousins faked to his right, rolled left, spotted an open Bisi Johnson and launched the deep ball that would confirm rookie Cam Dantzler as the social media sensation of Week 1 of Vikings training camp.

Congratulations, Cam. It’s not every day an NFL team tweets out a video of its starting quarterback being intercepted by a rookie third-round draft pick. Especially when that quarterback is of the franchise-caliber ilk and getting $40 million guaranteed this season.

“No, I didn’t see [the tweet],” Cousins said. “But he made an outstanding play. Really, the entire defensive backfield has played well. … They’ve just had good discipline and been really sticky in [coverage].”

Called “The Needle” because, well, he looks like one at 6-2 and 188 pounds, Dantzler undercut Johnson’s route and then showed off his vertical prowess to go “Up! Up! Up!” as the team’s tweet touted.

The Purple-paid tweeters put an exclamation on things by adding Dantzler’s Twitter handle, @camdantzler3, followed by two domineering emoji faces that had steam coming out of their noses.

Cousins might have had steam coming from his ears by then.

The Needle had just popped him — sorry — for a second time in the first two days in full pads. The came last Tuesday. A day earlier, Dantzler made an even more impressive play that caused receiver to tell coach , “27 is gonna be really good!”

A week later, Dantzler took the majority of Monday’s first-team nickel reps ahead of first-round pick . He was lined up at left corner, where he was a week earlier when he made the play of camp against Thielen.

Thielen had gotten his release on a go route. But Dantzler blanketed him the whole way.

Cousins launched a nice ball that was heading for Thielen’s fingertips. Until Dantzler’s right arm kept going up, up, up and swatted the ball away with unusual ease.

“[Thielen] always jokes around about me and my long arms,” Dantzler said.

He finished that play by tumbling to the ground, rolling onto his backside and signaling incomplete.

“I like my young corners,” Zimmer said of a batch of players led in experience by Mike Hughes, who’s 23 with five starts.

The Vikings, according to Zimmer, loved Dantzler’s coverage skills at Mississippi State. And why not? According to Pro Football Focus, Dantzler gave up just 21 yards passing in the games against Alabama and LSU.

“The only thing we didn’t like about him was his 40 time at the combine,” Zimmer said of the 4.64-second showing. “Then when he ran a good time at his pro day [4.38], we got more intrigued.”

Besides what Zimmer calls “great length and size and long arms,” Dantzler also has been “a pleasant surprise as far as the discipline with which he plays and understanding what we’re trying to do concept-wise,” the coach said.

In other words, Dantzler has been immediately receptive to Zimmer’s coaching. Other new corners, including 2016 second-round pick , have struggled under the head coach whose signature strength is working with defensive backs.

“[Dantzler] is really trying to do everything right,” Zimmer said. “If we tell him to step with his left foot, typically he does that. … He just seems to be able to take it from the meeting room to the walk-through to the practice.”

And he’s humble.

Asked what he thought when he was retweeting the Vikings’ video of his interception, Dantzler said: “I got to give the credit to the coaches. They put me in a great position to make a play. … Just me doing my read, doing my 1-11,” a Vikings coaching mantra that harps one guy doing his job as part of an 11-man unit.

Asked about negating the team’s star receiver on a deep ball the day before, Dantzler ended up giving a big chunk of the credit to Thielen.

“Me and him talk almost every day about coverages,” Dantzler said. “What to do and what not to do. He’s one of the top five receivers in the league so I thank him each and every day for getting me better.”

Among those reacting to the clips last week were Eagles veteran corner Darius Slay, tweeting “Yes Sir!!” to his fellow Mississippi State Bulldog; and former NFL receiver Chad Johnson, who tweeted:

“I hear you making noise all the way from Miami. Stay locked in!” PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 8/25/20

Eight Vikings back at practice after COVID testing errors

By Ben Goessling

All eight Vikings players who missed Sunday’s practice because of presumptive positive COVID-19 tests were back on Monday, as the NFL said it had gotten to the root of the problem that produced 77 false positive tests among players, coaches and team staffers over the weekend.

BioReference Laboratories, the company handling the NFL’s coronavirus testing program, said in a Monday statement that an investigation indicated the positive results were “most likely” erroneous and blamed them on contamination in a New Jersey laboratory.

“I do believe the problem has been corrected,” Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said in a conference call Monday.

The mixup took eight Vikings players and one coach off the field for Sunday’s practice. Linebacker , defensive ends and , fullback C.J. Ham, wide receivers and Alexander Hollins, tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart and tackle were absent, as was assistant special teams coach Ryan Ficken.

“The guys didn’t blink an eye, Coach Zim didn’t blink an eye, [infection control officer Eric Sugarman] did a great job of coming in and expressing to us what was going on,” co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson said in a videoconference Monday. “We followed the protocol. There was no anxiety. There was nobody worried or walking around, trying to see who was here, who wasn’t here. The guys did an outstanding job, and I think the coaching staff handled it good, too. That was probably a good experience for all of us.”

If the same thing happens on a game day, Patterson said, “hopefully we deal with it like we did yesterday.

“They’re not going to cancel the game. Whoever you play is not going to feel sorry for you. You’ve just got to go deal with it, and you go play. You have confidence in the guys that have got to go out there and play. I look at it no different as somebody getting hurt the day before the game, or somebody woke up Sunday morning sick — which we’ve had happen before. You go play.”

Coach Mike Zimmer did not speak to reporters on Monday.

Eleven NFL teams, including the Jets, Browns Bears and Lions, were affected by the erroneous test results. Former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, now the Browns’ head coach, told reporters in Cleveland he was one of the team’s false positive tests over the weekend.

“It wasn’t fun to have that phone call very early in the morning and not get the news it was a potential error until later,’’ he said.

The league released test results for Aug. 12-20, during which players were tested daily. The NFL said it administered 23,260 tests to players and there were zero positives.

Vikings back to normal practice

The Vikings were back on their outdoor fields for Monday’s practice, after Sunday’s false positive tests left them feeling shorthanded enough for Zimmer to move practice inside because of the heat. Here are some observations from Monday’s practice:

• Defensive end , who hasn’t practiced since Aug. 16 because of what Zimmer has described as a “tweak,” remained out on Monday. Punter , who hasn’t been seen punting in practice recently, also did not participate.

• got some work with the Vikings’ first-team offense, posting a nice catch-and-run on a screen from . Jefferson also spent the last period of practice getting advice from Adam Thielen while the Vikings’ special teams units were on the field.

• There were some rough moments for cornerback Holton Hill in 11-on-11 work. He dropped an interception and got beat by Thielen in the red zone before Cousins hit Thielen on a fade route at the end of practice.

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 8/25/20

Major mixups at testing labs can't carry over into NFL regular season

By Chip Scoggins

NFL teams didn’t need a COVID-19 outbreak scare to grab their attention. They are reminded of the seriousness of what they are attempting every day when they show up for work and encounter a litany of tests and safety measures.

Plus, 177,000 deaths (and climbing) hammers home the point pretty clearly.

The jarring error that happened inside the NFL’s quasi-bubble Sunday raises concerns about testing outcomes and, sadly, provides ammunition for conspiracy theorists who believe this virus is either a hoax or not as widely spread as scientific data show. Look around; it’s not hard to find folks of that opinion.

A New Jersey lab contracted by the NFL acknowledged Monday that 77 false positives reported among 11 teams a day earlier were the result of “isolated contamination.” The Vikings had 12 of the 77 cases, including eight players, all of whom returned to practice Monday.

BioReference Laboratories released a statement that offered little insight into what caused the false positives. It was basically an “our bad, carry on” acknowledgment.

The lab is one of five used by the NFL for COVID-19 testing. That list should be trimmed to four after this episode. At the very least, the Vikings should insist on using a different lab going forward.

This wasn’t a harmless clerical error. Whatever happened, the lab sent the NFL into scramble mode Sunday and likely caused concern inside organizations that are trying their darndest to make this work. The false positives forced teams to either cancel or alter practice plans and retest those individuals.

False positives are inevitable. The Vikings already have had a few. But 77 in one day, including a dozen from one team? Players and coaches need to have confidence in testing and safety protocols.

The league has done a commendable job in keeping the virus at bay with infinitesimal positivity rates since training camps opened. The NFL’s chief medical officer labeled this situation a “rare event” and told reporters the problem has been identified and corrected.

Great, but who’s to say something similar can’t happen again, only with worse timing? The false alarm reinforced the need for diligence in following safety guidelines — inside and outside team facilities — while also shining a light on the precarious path that awaits teams once the season starts.

Consider this weekend a trial run. What happens if something like this happens a month from now? How will teams respond if they experience a rash of positive tests — even if they turn out to be false positives — the day before a game? Will the league and BioReference have enough time to sort everything out before kickoff?

Mike Zimmer isn’t a man of great patience. One can imagine the head coach’s reaction if another testing mistake sidelined multiple starters for a regular-season game.

Nimbleness will be required of all teams. That, and quality depth on the roster. Teams will encounter the usual injury caseload. Now they also must manage potential roster unpredictability during a pandemic.

The NFL should rename the practice squad to the “get-ready-because-you-likely-will-see-the-field-at-some-point” squad. Teams with the most complete rosters, top to bottom, will be best positioned to handle roster fluidity and abrupt changes.

The NFL has long considered competitive fairness in making important decisions and rules. It will be interesting to see how this unprecedented circumstance guides its deliberations. The NFL hasn’t announced yet how it will deal with different circumstances that arise. It is unclear if it will follow MLB’s model of postponing games in response to positive tests.

Imagine a team loses five starters one week to positive tests (or false positives), including its quarterback and best defensive player. Will the league require that team to push forward and play under the time-honored “next man up” mantra? The league announced that it will consult an advisory committee on these issues, but what’s deemed fair could become a moving target on a case-by-case basis.

Hopefully, no team faces a scenario such as that, but the events this weekend highlighted that testing procedures aren’t foolproof. Things can go sideways in a blink. Then what? PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 8/25/20

Vikings seeking ways to get fans into games, could provide update Tuesday

By Chris Tomasson

The Vikings could make an announcement as soon as Tuesday on how matters stand on possibly having some fans at home games this season.

Minnesota opens the season Sept. 13 against Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium. Although a state executive order has limited gatherings to 250 people during the coronavirus pandemic, Vikings executive vice president of public affairs Lester Bagley said Monday the team is continuing to work with officials in an attempt to get some fans at games this season.

“We’re working to get fans in the stadium for the season for when it’s feasible, and that’s what we’re trying to come to terms with,’’ Bagley said. “We had hoped to announce something (Monday) but I think it’s going to be (Tuesday). … We’re just finalizing the decision and announcement on what to do about it for the upcoming couple of games.’’

U.S. Bank Stadium has a listed capacity of 66,467. The Vikings are looking at ways to have a drastically reduced number of fans allowed into the stadium.

Bagley noted that flexibility has been granted on a state executive order prohibiting gatherings of more than 250. The St. Paul Saints have been given permission to have as many as 1,500 fans per game at CHS Field. They have had fans at nine games since Aug. 4.

“That’s part of what we’re trying to sort through is, how can we build in flexibility?’’ Bagley said. “They gave the Saints some flexibility where they could have 250 maximum where they have pods. They have six groups of 250 essentially kind of with their own restrooms, concessions.

“The executive order is 250 but there are ways you can build flexibility, and that’s kind of what we’re looking at, is how we can get fans in in a safe manner. I think we have a pretty good plan but we’re just trying to get alignment with folks, and it may or may not come anytime soon.’’

Bagley said there are a lot of people to deal with in an attempt to get some fans into games this season at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“We have a lot of stakeholders like … stadium authority, ticket owners, state of Minnesota, city of Minneapolis, NFL, so there’s just a lot of things that we are trying to get an alignment on,’’ he said.

HUNTER REMAINS OUT Star defensive end Danielle Hunter missed his eighth straight practice Monday with what Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has called a “little tweak.”

Despite the departures of defensive end Everson Griffen and nose tackle Linval Joseph, who both were captains, co- defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Andre Patterson shrugged off the notion that Hunter needs to become a more vocal leader.

“I know people are all into the leadership thing and all that other kind of stuff, but that’s my job,” Patterson said. “All I want him to do is just keep working on the things that he’s got to do to get better. And if he wants to share things with (teammates), that’s great that he wants to share things with (them). But I’m not so enamored that, ‘OK, who’s going to be the vocal leader?’ ”

The Vikings on Monday did get back linebacker Anthony Barr after he looked on but did not participate in Sunday’s practice. PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 8/25/20

Ex-coach Mike Tice: Vikings’ offensive line has much to prove in pass protection

By Chris Tomasson

When it comes to evaluating the Vikings’ offensive line, Mike Tice uses the word “but” a lot.

Tice was the Vikings’ offensive line coach from 1997-2001, a period in which they had five different linemen make a total of 10 Pro Bowls. He was the team’s head coach from 2002-05.

Tice still pays close attention to Minnesota’s line. He has some likes and some dislikes.

“This line is built for the run game,” he said Monday. “The key to the Vikings’ success in their offensive line is: Are they going to be able to run the ball but still be able to throw the ball when they have to drop back?

“(Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak) is going to want to run it, he’s going to move the pocket and he’s going to go to play action. But I keep coming back to the word ‘but.’ But if they get behind and have to throw the ball and have to drop back 30-plus times, can they hold up?”

Tice said one reason Minnesota’s line is better in the run game than in pass protection is Riley Reiff, whom he doesn’t consider a top left tackle. Reiff is entering his fourth straight season at that spot with the Vikings, but Tice has said he would be better suited as a right tackle or a guard.

“Is he able to hold up against an elite pass rusher, say, six to eight games a year, if the Vikings are not playing with the lead and they have to throw to stay in the football game?” wondered Tice, who retired from coaching after the 2017 season and now hosts the podcast “Odds & Ends with Mike Tice” from his home outside Seattle. “I’m not sure that can happen.”

In each of the past two offseasons, the Vikings considered moving to Reiff to guard before keeping him at left tackle.

Minnesota’s other for-sure starters on the line are center , right guard and right tackle Brian O’Neill. and Aviante Collins are competing to start at left guard, with Dozier appearing to have the inside track.

“Being versatile has definitely helped me out throughout my career, but being able to focus on one spot is something that any player wants the opportunity to do,” said Dozier, who has played every offensive line position except right tackle in his six seasons in the NFL. “So, I’m super excited to have this opportunity.”

Dozier’s experience could help him win the job considering the coronavirus pandemic has led to the cancellation of on-field spring drills and all preseason games. He has appeared in 54 regular-season games, starting 11, while the often-injured Collins has played in just five games, with one start, in three seasons with the Vikings.

If this were a normal NFL season, Tice believes rookie Ezra Cleveland would be pushing to start at left guard in the Sept. 13 opener against Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium. But Tice believes the 6-foot-6, 311-pound Cleveland still could win the job in 2020.

“I think when all is said and done before the end of the season, he could end up being the left guard,” said Tice, who was a Vikings tight end from 1992-95 before beginning his coaching career as Minnesota’s tight ends coach in 1996. “He’s very smart, he’s very athletic, and he’s got good size.”

With less time to prepare, Tice believes many NFL offensive lines could be “behind the 8-ball” to start the season. But the Vikings are in better shape there with four starters back, although Elflein has switched positions, from left guard to right guard.

“You don’t have preseason games, but you still have a good amount of practices,” Bradbury said. “Thankfully, we have a lot of returning guys.”

The only key player on the line not back is right guard Josh Kline, who was released in March in a salary-related move. But the Vikings did not add any veteran linemen for this season, and the line isn’t rated as highly as in 2019.

Pro Football Focus ranked Minnesota’s line last season No. 11 in run blocking, No. 25 in pass protection and No. 19 overall. The analytics site rated it No. 23 overall entering 2020, but Tice considers it a bit better than that.

“I think they’re right in the middle of the pack, and maybe aiming toward the 20s,” Tice said.

PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 8/25/20

Vikings players back at practice after false positive tests for COVID- 19

By Chris Tomasson

The 12 members of the Vikings organization who had presumptive positive tests for COVID-19 over the weekend all were victims of false positives, and they were back at practice Monday.

The NFL had 11 teams report 77 positive COVID-19 tests, and each team, including the Vikings, had used the New Jersey lab Bio Reference for those tests. However, the lab said in a statement Monday that the tests were false positives “caused by an isolated contamination during test preparation.”

The Vikings had eight players, one coach and three staff members presumably test positive on Saturday, and none participated in practice on Sunday. However, they were cleared Monday morning to return.

Eight Vikings players miss practice after presumably testing positive for COVID-19 but NFL investigating results The Vikings did not name the 12 individuals involved. However, eight players not at practice Sunday were linebacker Eric Kendricks, running back C.J. Ham, guard Ezra Cleveland, tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart, defensive ends Jalyn Holmes and Kenny Willekes, and wide receivers Alexander Hollins and Dillon Mitchell. Assistant special teams coach Ryan Ficken also was absent.

Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said Monday the league believes “the problem has been corrected.” The NFL announced that 23,260 tests were administered to players between Aug. 12-20 and there were no positive tests.

Head coach Mike Zimmer wasn’t available for comment Monday but said Sunday it was a good experience for the Vikings to have something like this happen three weeks before the Sept. 13 opener against Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“Well, honestly, for us it’s probably good that it happened now so we’re able to adjust and adapt and figure out the kind of things that would happen if it did happen during the season,” he said.

Co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson said Sunday’s practice went fine despite the missing players.

“The guys didn’t blink an eye, coach Zim didn’t blink an eye,” Patterson said. “(Athletic trainer Eric Sugarman) did a great job of coming in and expressing to us what was going on. We followed the protocol, we had a great practice (Sunday). There was no anxiety, and there was nobody worried and walking around trying to see who was here and who wasn’t here.”

Guard Dakota Dozier said players must learn to adjust to possible distractions this season.

“We’re in unprecedented times, whether it’s this test result or some other test result,” he said. “Sometimes you’re going to have false positives, and you’ve just got to go out there and go to practice and go to work and do the best you can. Obviously, things are going to happen, but we can’t let it change our focus.”

PUBLICATION: The Athletic 8/25/20

Observations from Vikings camp: O-line musical chairs; a key path to the roster

By Arif Hasan

With more practice comes more data, but the Vikings may have done more to muddy the waters than provide clarity recently. Because they’re compressing a much longer offseason into the training camp practices immediately prior to the season, there’s bound to be some confusion as a result of the Vikings’ experimenting.

But now, they are inside of two weeks to go before cutdown day. They’ll hope to have learned enough about this roster by the time the season starts — with this kind of time pressure, experiments can be costly.

Here are our latest thoughts from Monday at Vikings camp.

Notable absences After seeing a number of players miss practice due to an apparent lab error with COVID-19 testing, the Vikings were nearly in full participation in their most recent practice. Only Danielle Hunter, who was present without a helmet but did not practice, was missing among the scrimmage players. Britton Colquitt did not make an appearance either, and the Vikings used this as an opportunity to practice using punt formation to run out the clock while taking a safety.

Offensive line shuffle The Vikings have indicated that they’re getting closer to deciding who will start at left guard, but their practice rotations raise more questions than answers. Initially, the Vikings would have Dakota Dozier start there and rotate on the first team on alternate reps (or alternate simulated drives) with Aviante Collins. Collins would then take reps on third team at left guard while Ezra Cleveland worked the second team at that position.

After it seemed like the Vikings dialed down Collins’ first-team snaps, it looked like the answer was coming soon in the form of Dozier, a veteran familiar with from his time with the Jets. But things became a little strange when Collins played on the second team and bumped Cleveland down to the third team and even stranger when the offensive line one-on-ones against the defensive line ended with Cleveland taking snaps at left tackle, while Riley Reiff took snaps at left guard.

It’s a little late in the offseason to be experimenting with positions — and in a normal offseason, that these reps might be taking place at OTAs. If the Vikings were ever considering it, it’s good to get it out of the way in camp practices and not during the season, but it could be an indication that this was actually the original plan for the Vikings before the lack of offseason stifled them. Reiff’s two reps at guard didn’t look spectacular.

This may be unlikely to continue — though it’s worth keeping track of — but it could signal that the Vikings have much more depth on the offensive line than we’re used to seeing. In addition to the bevy of guards, has been looking excellent in camp and continues to look like a quality backup that many teams would kill to have. At center, it’s difficult to find a backup as high-quality as Brett Jones.

Hopefully the Vikings will not have to test that premise, but it’s not a terrible insurance policy to have. Of course, it might be better to find the right starters, but it’s something.

Special teams will define the roster Every year, we hear coaches talk about how important it is for bubble players to make an impact on special teams for them to be able to make the roster. We’ve seen players rise up depth charts because of their capability on the kickoff or punt units, and Adam Thielen stands as the shining example of this line of thought.

We’ve discussed how the returner battle has the ability to impact several positions in the final 53, but just as important for those depth roles will be the ability to consistently win as a punt protector or kickoff coverage player. To that end, the Vikings are seemingly pretty happy with Jordan Fehr and have given him some of the first reps available along the “offensive line” of punt protection.

With Fehr competing against for a spot backing up the starting three linebackers alongside , this could be the edge he needs. Myles Dorn also saw some time with this first unit — and with no clear pecking order among the rookie safeties, could mean a significant role for him going forward.

In gunner drills, the first four players to get a crack at taking down a punter were Mark Fields, , Alexander Hollins and Tony Brooks-James, with Hollins separating most easily against the double-team of jammers he was facing. There’s something comforting about seeing No. 35 (Brooks-James, in this case) covering punts on special teams.

Other players that have taken “first-team” reps in special teams are players we expect to make the team anyway, including C.J. Ham, , Irv Smith, Eric Wilson and Mike Boone.

Tony Brooks-James Tony Brooks-James (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images) Expect a number of vets to return The fact that the rookie safeties aren’t taking second-team reps and that the linebackers are pulling double duty on the second- and third-team defensive units likely means we’ll see some old faces return to the Vikings at those positions sometime during the regular season. None of these names will capture the imagination of Vikings fans, but it would be tough to make the case that re-signing Andrew Sendejo last year wasn’t an important move to get around the Saints in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Don’t be surprised to see him or any other safeties familiar with how the Vikings play. If Marcus Epps — who has been missing practice with a lower-body injury — fails to make the Eagles roster, don’t be surprised to see the Vikings snap him up. This also explains why the Vikings worked out George Iloka, who may also see a return.

At linebacker, the Vikings have opted to work out a few more players, though haven’t brought back former XFLers Greer Martini or DeMarquis Gates. Instead, it might be worth keeping an eye on Reshard Cliett, a free agent, or Devante Downs — a riser in Giants camp. Kentrell Brothers would be a candidate, but his nine-game suspension likely makes that unworkable.

The good news is, after the depth concerns last year, the Vikings will likely not need to do anything similar at receiver. The crop of players battling for the fourth, fifth and possibly sixth spots are all relatively equivalent in capability thus far and someone will probably be cut that could easily contribute in that final role on the depth chart. They could instead choose to promote from the practice squad in case of emergency.

Odds and ends Hollins has had some bad reps at wide receiver, but he hasn’t had a bad day yet. It’ll be tough to keep him off the roster, though Chad Graff did his best. If the Vikings do cut him in hopes to land him on the practice squad, he might end up in another jersey. …

We’ve mentioned a few times that Thielen looks to be in a different class of receiver while simultaneously not looking like his old self in camp, but these past few days have featured a Thielen who has knocked the rust off, only finding trouble with Holton Hill — who he still managed to beat a few times. …

Head coach Mike Zimmer had mentioned that he would like to see a more confident Mike Hughes, and that could be a reason why Hughes has looked so good in drills but hasn’t stood out in team drills. The past few practices have showcased a more explosive Hughes who has done a better job creating pass deflections. …

It’s taken a while, but Jeff Gladney is starting to produce in the slot, which is nice to see. Cameron Dantzler hasn’t looked particularly poor in the last few practices, but he hasn’t continued the steam he had earlier. That sustained level of effort would have made it remarkably difficult for the Vikings to do anything but start Dantzler as the third corner once the season started, but the competition has become more even as of late. …

The rookie safety crop hasn’t taken over the second string by any means, but it’s worth noting that continues to look like a surprisingly good man-to-man player in drills. …

Kirk Cousins has dialed in his accuracy more and more over the course of camp and has made a number of tight- window throws, especially to Thielen, over the past few days. Sean Mannion does not have the same kind of accuracy, and it’s beginning to stifle the opportunities for some of the backup receivers. hasn’t done enough to really challenge Mannion’s spot, however. …

We haven’t brought it up much, but Brian O’Neill looks even better than before. It would just be nice to see reps against Hunter to confirm that impression. …

It’s still difficult to see what the Vikings love about Shamar Stephen, who hasn’t really played at the level of the other starting candidates at defensive tackle. Nevertheless, the praise for his play has been universal across the coaching staff, so fans should be ready for him to start once more. …

Eddie Yarbrough has worked his way up to having first-team reps in most practices, a product of Hunter’s non- participation and the occasional move to put Jalyn Holmes at tackle in nickel situations. He’s definitely a dark horse to make the roster, with one of the drafted ends potentially losing out as a result. PUBLICATION: Purple Insider 8/25/20

Eric Wilson can do it all

By Matthew Coller

Eric Wilson is listed on the ’ roster as a linebacker but there’s about a dozen different jobs that could be attributed to him.

Last year he played 767 total snaps for the Vikings and lined up on defense as a D-lineman 70 times, played Sam, Mike or Will linebacker on 331 plays, slot corner 38 times, outside corner on three plays, free safety twice and played on kick coverage, kick return, punt coverage, punt return and field goal block (per Pro Football Focus).

The results: He ranked 25th of 100 linebackers who played at least 250 snaps by PFF and graded as a top 25 special teams player in the NFL.

Now the Vikings have a chance to use Wilson as a more than a fill-in player.

He can be a modern weapon in a league that is turning toward more passes to running backs and tight ends. Offenses — including the Vikings — are also using bigger personnel packages to create mismatches and more play- action to put linebackers in a bind.

Last year the NFL saw 18 quarterbacks use play-action on 25% or more of their drop backs. When PFF began tracking play-action in 2012, there were only seven QBs above 25%. It’s rare for any team to have three linebackers with the smarts to read route combinations in play-action and athleticism to drop back into the right coverage position. Now that Wilson has emerged, the Vikings have just that.

“There’s no two-down Mike linebacker anymore where you’re just running down to the A-gap and you’re taking on a fullback all the time,” co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer said.

Wilson’s ability to shift to any spot at any time might also open up the Vikings to use Barr in more unique pass rushing ways.

Over the last two years Wilson has transformed from an undrafted linebacker at the bottom of the depth chart to a solid special teamer to an important piece of the Vikings’ entire operation.

“E-Will is a beast, man, the guy is a mental beast,” said Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks. “He’s mentally capable of handling this game in all of its capacity. He’s a physical beast. As far as the weight room, he’s fast and he can hit anybody. And he has the football IQ. He does things with his instincts sometimes where he makes those reactions. He can do it all. And as far as special teams is concerned, he’s proven himself every year. He’s become a leader on this team, not by being vocal necessarily, but by doing the right things day in and day out.”

This year Wilson is beginning camp for the first time as a starting linebacker in the base package. When he made the team out of camp in 2017, he was assigned solely to a special teams job and saw a grand total of zero defensive snaps as a rookie.

Special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf said Wilson’s playing time is well earned.

“The way he practices is so detailed, he makes great notes, I don’t have to worry about him as far as his assignments go,” Maalouf said. “He’s one of the guys who helps get everybody else aligned. When it comes to rushing punts, when it comes to punt protection, we can put him in a lot of different places…And yeah, he’s probably going to play 30, 40 snaps of defense so he’s gotta juggle all that. But the guy takes it in stride. He’s a student of the game and I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Wilson didn’t get his first start until Week 9 of 2018 when Anthony Barr, who has rarely been hurt during his career, suffered an injury and was forced to sit. Wilson played in back-to-back weeks, racking up 13 tackles, a sack and just 60 yards allowed into his coverage on 10 passes in his direction.

Seven weeks later, Kendricks went down and Wilson played in his place for the final two games of the year. He finished that stint with a sack, two QB hits and allowed only 51 yards on 11 targets.

In 2019 run-stuffing linebacker was lost to injury midway through the season and Wilson took over his third different linebacker job in two years without slowing down at all on special teams. He gave up just 6.3 yards per attempt on targets against in coverage and gave up just one yard in coverage 65 playoff snaps.

“He’s a very versatile, smart player,” Barr said. “He understands all three linebacker positions very well, he has the physical tools to perform at any of those three jobs. So he’s very invaluable for us with what he does. He’s extremely important and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I think he’s going to have an even larger role this year now that he has not only the confidence and ability but the trust and belief from the coaching staff as well.”

“He’s really become a student of the game,” Adam Zimmer said. “He asks great questions in the meeting room and he’s played almost every position for us. He’s that smart. His instincts have improved a lot. He can anticipate plays before they happen now because he’s gotten a lot more reps.”

Any time an undrafted free agent becomes a legitimate starting-caliber player — much less a quality, versatile one — it’s always surprising. The odds of even a highly sought-after UDFA making the team are incredibly low. One player per year lands on the 53 as an undrafted rookie at most. We tell the stories of Adam Thielen and Anthony Harris but forget about the dozens and dozens of guys who never saw a first or second-team rep.

Eric Wilson sacks Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Photo Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings Watching from afar at Wilson’s old stomping grounds of Thurston High School in Redford, Michigan, coach Bob Snell was the least shocked person to see Wilson defy the percentages and come out as the one UDFA player to make it.

“When he became a free agent there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he would make it,” said Snell. “In my mind, it wasn’t, ‘if this happens’ or ‘it’s borderline,’ there was no question in my mind that he was going to make it with the first team he went to.”

Snell is even less stunned to see that Wilson has become a versatile piece for the Vikings because that’s exactly what he’s been since high school.

“There were games on defense where he dominated not only the secondary — because we played him both at linebacker and as a strong safety so we would play him up in the box and play him back — he took away a lot of teams’ threats and really good athletes that he defended,” Snell said. “He was able to defend one-on-one and take them out of the game. There was so many different things that he did. He ran jet sweeps for us. There was a state playoff game where he got several big runs against a highly ranked playoff team that we upset and caught a touchdown pass.”

Snell recalled a game in which the opponent attempted short kickoffs in order to prevent returns and Wilson instead nearly ran three of them back for touchdown. Anything Thurston needed, Wilson did. By the end of his senior year, he was All-State, All-Conference, All-Metro and Team MVP.

“I think playing both sides of the ball in high school definitely helped me in terms of loving the game,” Wilson said. “I just love the game so much so I was willing to play both sides of the ball and basically not come off the field. I think that built some type of endurance in me, and playing how I play, always chasing the ball and always being there, it helped me make those plays.”

Of course, every NFL player was good in high school and lots of them played both sides of the ball because they were better athletes than everyone — and make no mistake, Wilson was the best athlete on the field at Thurston.

But Wilson’s story is about more than just a player who could do it all. It’s about the needle that has to be threaded in order to make it and how much intelligence and commitment to learning the game can set someone apart in the NFL.

“The intangibles were the things that set him apart as far as moving to that next level of the NFL,” Snell said. “He’s very, very intelligent. He was able to figure things out very quickly. He got very good grades in school and even on the field if we put something new in he picked it up right away.

“Add all those things up in addition to the fact that he was a great athlete and could do so many things on the field. You add in the work ethic, competitive nature, being a great teammate and having great composure and those are the things that really make up a lot of NFL players.”

Wilson is also aware of the things he needs to borrow from his successful teammates in order to continue expanding his game. He’s been studying the NFL’s most versatile superstar defensive player Harrison Smith’s approach to training camp for three years now.

“I’m still learning a lot of football,” Wilson said. “Harry has been so great for so long because he takes that beginners mentality and always really focuses in on his techniques and executes them in practice and in games. That’s inspiring. I take that upon myself to do the same thing.”

And if the Vikings need an emergency receiver, Wilson said he’ll be ready for that too.

“I think I could if they needed it,” Wilson said laughing. PUBLICATION: Skor North 8/25/20

Zulgad: The five players the Vikings can least afford to lose this season

By Judd Zulgad

The most unwelcome sight during the Vikings’ training camp practice on Friday at TCO Performance Center wasn’t a drop by a receiver, a missed assignment by a cornerback or an errant throw by a quarterback.

Rather, it was seeing Danielle Hunter playing the role of spectator for the sixth consecutive practice. That number reached eight by Monday. Because teams are under no obligation to reveal injury information this time of year, coach Mike Zimmer has only told reporters that Hunter is dealing with a “little tweak.”

Where that tweak is exactly isn’t known and Hunter wasn’t wearing a brace or wrap that could be seen. The Vikings don’t play their first regular-season game for almost three weeks, so odds seem good Hunter will be ready to go on Sept. 13 when the come to U.S. Bank Stadium. But Hunter’s absence from practices got me to thinking about the players the Vikings can least afford to lose in 2020.

This doesn’t always mean the best players. , for instance, is a fantastic running back but if he goes down could carry the load. If left tackle Riley Reiff got hurt, second-round pick Ezra Cleveland or veteran backup Rashod Hill would be expected to serve as a capable replacement.

This isn’t true at every position. Thus, here are the five Vikings who would be most difficult to replace.

KIRK COUSINS, QUARTERBACK

I know this one is boring and obvious but we have to start here.

Say what you want about Cousins’ contract, his record in Monday night games or anything else, but if the Vikings lose Cousins for any amount of time they are sunk. Backup Sean Mannion has made two career starts in five seasons with the Rams and Vikings — his latest start came in Minnesota’s meaningless regular-season finale last year — and has yet to throw a touchdown pass, he does have three , in 13 games.

I know what you’re saying. Hey, Case Keenum turned into a one-season wonder and led the Vikings to the NFC title game after Sam Bradford got hurt in 2017. That is true. But Keenum started nine game the season before he arrived in Minnesota and had made 24 career stats when he signed with the Vikings.

Mannion is the definition of a career backup. He’s the type of guy who can provide guidance to his fellow quarterbacks and might get into coaching one day. Behind Mannion on the depth chart are 2020 seventh-round pick and Jake Browning, who was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2019. The Vikings might keep one as their third quarterback, but if Stanley or Browning had to play, something would have gone very, very wrong.

DANIELLE HUNTER, DEFENSIVE END

The man whose absence from practice was responsible for this idea.

Hunter has become one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, recording 14.5 sacks in each of the past two years. He has reached double-digit sack totals in three of five seasons since being taken in the third round of the 2015 draft.

Hunter and Everson Griffen formed one of the best one-two duos at left and right end, respectively, but Griffen is now gone to Dallas and that makes Hunter even more important. With Hunter out, Jalyn Holmes has been getting reps at left end after being moved to defensive tackle by the Vikings in 2018.

Holmes had been an edge rusher for much of his time at Ohio State and the Vikings might have done him a favor by moving him back to that spot. But with set to take over for Griffen, Hunter is now the clear-cut superstar of this defensive line. His absence for any amount of time on a line that already will be missing nose tackle Michael Pierce would be a huge blow to the Vikings.

HARRISON SMITH, SAFETY

As I went through this list on the Mackey & Judd show on Monday, this one got some immediate push back from Phil and producer Declan Goff. I understood why that would be the case — it’s why paying both Smith and Anthony Harris big salaries to play safety is probably a mistake — but that means you aren’t taking into account what Smith means to Mike Zimmer’s defense.

Entering his ninth season with the Vikings, Smith is essentially a coach on the field and can be used in multiple ways to confuse opposing offenses. Harris has turned himself into a very good safety, but Smith is the straw that stirs the drink for this entire defense.

The Vikings have yet to release a depth chart during training camp, but ESPN’s updated depth chart has seventh- round pick Brian Cole II as Smith’s backup. The Vikings have spent recent weeks searching for veteran depth at safety in part because of the inexperience behind Smith and Harris.

Throw in the fact the Vikings are all young and imagine Minnesota’s defensive backfield with no Smith to lend his guidance. Opposing quarterbacks would stand to put up some significant passing stats, if that were the case.

ERIC KENDRICKS, MIDDLE LINEBACKER

Coming off an outstanding season in which he established himself as a Pro Bowl player, Kendricks’ presence might be even more important in 2020. His job also is going to be tougher. That’s because with Pierce sitting out due to concerns about the coronavirus, the interior of the Vikings’ defensive line is going to start the season with some big question marks.

Shamar Stephen is taking over at nose tackle and at the 3-technique. Pierce was signed as a free agent to replace Linval Joseph at nose tackle because Joseph’s performance was starting to dip and that position is one of the most important in Zimmer’s defense.

Kendricks, an every down linebacker, is able to make more plays if the big guys in front of him are doing their job. How will Stephen and Johnson handle this pressure? That’s a fair question and, if they struggle, it’s going to be on Kendricks to help cover for some of those struggles.

So let’s say Kendricks is removed from the lineup at middle linebacker. Can Zimmer come up with a scheme that enables Anthony Barr or Eric Wilson to replace Kendricks? Much like with the safety spot, the depth chart at middle linebacker doesn’t have many familiar faces. Troy Dye, a fourth-round pick last April out of Oregon, is listed as Kendricks’ primary backup and Jordan Fehr, signed as an undrafted free agent from Appalachian State last April, was used in Kendricks’ place on Sunday when he missed practice.

ADAM THIELEN, WIDE RECEIVER

The Vikings missed their outstanding wide receiver when he was limited to 10 games last season because of a hamstring injury, but his absence in 2020 would be an even bigger deal with Stefon Diggs now in Buffalo.

Justin Jefferson and Bisi Johnson could turn into very good wide receivers and the hope is that free agent pickup Tajae Sharpe will contribute. But Jefferson, the Vikings’ first round pick, will be beginning his rookie season with very limited reps and no preseason games. Johnson is a great route runner and has impressed in training camp but he’s still developing and was a seventh-round pick in 2019.

Theilen will get the chance to be the Vikings’ clear-cut top receiver this season, and Cousins will be looking his way often in a variety of situations. This doesn’t mean Thielen will be Cousins’ only target, but he will be one of the most important ones and a guy that opposing defenses will have to frequently focus on when he’s on the field.

Thielen’s absence would push Jefferson and Johnson up the depth chart and into spots where they would need to carry more of the load than offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak would probably like. PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 8/25/20

Vikings Training Camp Notes, Day 9: Bisi Johnson is Making the Leap

By Will Ragatz

The media returned to Eagan for Vikings training camp on Monday after a day off on Saturday and an indoor practice (with access restricted to one pool reporter) on Sunday. With the temperature in the high 80s, the Vikings got in a good two-hour practice.

All eight of the players who were held out of Sunday's session due to presumptive positive COVID-19 tests returned to action on Monday. The NFL confirmed that all of the tests from the New Jersey laboratory that caused the scare this weekend were false positives.

Danielle Hunter missed his eighth straight practice, and it's starting to become unclear when he'll be back. When he was first held out of camp with what Mike Zimmer described as a "little tweak," we had no idea his absence would last this long. "He's getting a little better every day, so it's really up to [Eric Sugarman]," Zimmer said on Sunday.

Here are three major takeaways and plenty of additional notes from Monday's practice.

Bisi Johnson isn't giving up the WR2 job (for now) When the Vikings drafted Justin Jefferson in the first round in April, most writers and analysts – myself included – basically penciled the rookie from LSU into the No. 2 receiver role alongside Adam Thielen. The thought was that he would show up to camp and earn that job without too much resistance.

Things haven't played out that way, although that's not because of any issues with Jefferson. He has been impressive since he reported to camp and has had plenty of good moments since practice officially began. No, the reason he hasn't ascended to that role as a starter in two-receiver sets is because of the brilliance of Bisi Johnson.

The 2019 seventh-round pick out of Colorado State stepped up as a rookie and earned the No. 3 job, filling in for Thielen when he missed several games due to injury. This year, Johnson has taken his game to another level. He began practices above Jefferson on the depth chart because of his year of experience, and has done nothing that suggests he'll be giving up that role soon.

"Oh my gosh, it’s way different," Johnson said of his comfort level in year two. "I would say the game has definitely slowed down for me a lot, as far as understanding the playbook, being confident in my route running and things like that. It’s just easier to go out there and just play football, really.”

Throughout the last week-plus of camp, Johnson has looked like a starting-caliber NFL receiver. His route-running, which he calls "the best part of my game," has been consistently crisp and impressive. He knows Gary Kubiak's offense, has a rapport with Kirk Cousins, and never appears to make any mental errors. Johnson also puts his incredibly large hands to good use by rarely ever dropping passes and making the occasional eye-popping catch, like this one-handed grab on Sunday.

Johnson continued to shine during Monday's practice, standing out with quick breaks in and out of his routes both in 1-on-1 drills and 11-on-11 team periods. He beat Cameron Dantzler, Mike Hughes, and Myles Dorn for catches throughout the day, and punctuated a great practice with some nice footwork on this touchdown catch.

Johnson said that last year, Stefon Diggs told him he "had what it takes to be an NFL receiver." His performance as a rookie – 31 catches, 294 yards, 3 touchdowns – made that clear. But Johnson isn't stopping there. He put in a ton of work this offseason, including workouts with the Broncos' Drew Lock and Courtland Sutton in his native Colorado. Now, it's starting to look like Johnson has what it takes to not only be an NFL receiver, but put up big numbers in a starting role.

Oli Udoh stands out in OL/DL 1-on-1s The wide receivers and defensive backs tend to get a lot of attention during training camp because of the visible nature of their competitions, but I always enjoy watching the offensive and defensive linemen go at it. It's hard to evaluate the trench play during 11-on-11 periods, so the individual pass-rushing drills provide a good window for watching the big guys battle each other.

During Monday's 1-on-1 sessions, the lineman who stood out the most was second-year right tackle Oli Udoh. Working against players like Eddie Yarbrough, Kenny Willekes, and Stacy Keely, Udoh arguably won every single one of his reps. He demonstrated great footwork, hand placement, and strength in keeping his opponent from getting to the little orange cone that represents the quarterback.

It's been a strong camp for Udoh overall, and this was one of his best days. He's firmly entrenched as the backup right tackle behind Brian O'Neill at the moment, but if Udoh continues to play at such a high level, the Vikings may want to figure out a way to get him onto the field going forward.

Ezra Cleveland bumped down to third team The most interesting position to monitor from a usage standpoint is still left guard. Dakota Dozier and Aviante Collins have alternated reps with the first team throughout camp, with rookie Ezra Cleveland on the second team. Whichever of Dozier and Collins didn't take the first-team rep would then slide down to the third team during that round.

On Monday, though, Dozier appeared to once again separate himself further from Collins in the competition for the starting job. He took most of the reps with the starters and had a solid day against Jaleel Johnson and others in 1-on- 1s. Notably, Collins took most of the second-team reps, with Cleveland being bumped down to work with the threes.

This would seem to signal two things: that Dozier is all but cemented as the starting left guard for Week 1 against the Packers, and that Cleveland may not be in line to see the field much as a rookie.

Additional notes and observations No one other than Hunter missed practice, which is good to see. Anthony Barr returned after sitting out on Sunday, and Dillon Mitchell was back after missing the past few practices. K.J. Osborn still looks like the favorite at punt returner. He consistently gets some of the first reps there and looks very comfortable catching the ball from the JUGS machine. Alexander Hollins' strong camp didn't stop on Monday. He beat Kris Boyd on a deep ball and is continuing to make the argument that he should make this roster. got some work out of the slot with the first-team offense. Adam Thielen, unsurprisingly, is on a different level from any other receiver on the roster. He made several plays on Monday, including a touchdown on a fade route against Holton Hill to cap off a situational red zone drill. Eric Kendricks has been on the wrong side of some highlights during camp, but there's nothing to worry about with his play. He had a diving pass breakup against Kyle Rudolph on Monday that stood out. Jake Browning didn't seem to have a great day in his pursuit of the backup quarterback job. He misfired at least once and also fumbled the ball on a handoff. PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 8/25/20

How Much Concern Should There Be About The Vikings' Plan at Guard?

By Will Ragatz

With six training camp practices under their belt, the Vikings appear to be coming close to settling on their starting five on the offensive line. Mike Zimmer previously said they'd look to make that call after around three days in pads. They've had three padded practices now, but Zimmer backtracked a bit on Wednesday by saying they'll try to "settle in fairly quick" with that group.

Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, meanwhile, mentioned this weekend as an important time for sitting down with various coaches and having discussions about what they've seen from the offensive line so far.

"This will be five days straight for us, six tomorrow with a big padded practice, so I'm sure there will be a lot of meetings this weekend," Kubiak said Thursday morning. "I think we have a pretty good feel for our people. We need to sit down as a group, listen, see what our defensive guys think about our guys up front, listen to Rick [Dennison], listen to Phil [Rauscher]. So there's a lot of conversations to be had, but everybody's working really hard, doing their job, and those are tough decisions that eventually we'll have to make."

Based on what we've seen at camp thus far, the top five is becoming pretty clear. We've known for a while that Riley Reiff and Brian O'Neill are the two tackles and Garrett Bradbury is the center, which left just the guard spots as unknowns. It became apparent very quickly from watching practice and talking to Kubiak that Pat Elflein is cemented as the starter at right guard. , the 2019 fourth-round pick who was mentioned all offseason as a potential breakout player, has been with the second team all camp long and doesn't appear to be a threat to push Elflein for his starting job.

At left guard, it's been Dakota Dozier and Aviante Collins alternating reps with the first team, with rookie Ezra Cleveland only taking second-team reps. Thus far, it seems like Dozier has out-performed Collins and has started to separate himself in that competition, earning a larger and larger share of the first-team reps each day. Kubiak took some time Thursday to praise the veteran Dozier, who started four games last season and is entering his third straight year with Dennison (the two were with the Jets in 2018).

"I really just think Dakota's at a very good place in his life and his career," Kubiak said. "He's always been a good player, trying to battle to become a starter. He's a guy who's battled and battled and battled, and he knows he can do it, and he's out there every day really doing a hell of a job."

Things could still change over the next couple weeks, but as things stand right now, it's Dozier and Elflein at guard. That reality raises a number of questions, most importantly this one: Is this really the best the Vikings can do?

On the surface, Dozier and Elflein aren't even a remotely inspiring starting duo. Dozier is a six-year veteran who has made 11 career starts and graded as PFF's 69th best guard (out of 83 qualified players) last year. Elflein is on his third different position in the NFL and hasn't had a strong season since his rookie year in 2017. He was routinely overwhelmed by powerful defensive tackles last season, surrendering a team-high 32 pressures, six sacks, and six holding penalties.

Also, it's interesting that for a team prioritizing athleticism so heavily on the offensive line (as evidenced by the selections of O'Neill, Bradbury, and Cleveland in three straight drafts), neither of these two projected starting guards are anything resembling above-average athletes.

Again – is this really the best they can do?

The optimistic view of things is that Elflein will be more comfortable at right guard – where he spent two seasons at Ohio State – and will thus improve in year four, and that Dozier's experience will be an asset to the line on the left side. To be fair, both players have had fairly solid camps up to this point. Still, it takes some seriously purple-tinted glasses to look at those two players at expect great things, given their track records in nine combined NFL seasons.

The problem with complaining about Dozier and Elflein being on track to start is that the Vikings are doing their due diligence in evaluating all of the options. The fact that none of Collins, Cleveland, or Samia can surpass either player on the depth chart means that they simply haven't been good enough to warrant the coaches giving them that opportunity. While that doesn't say much about Cleveland, who has been a tackle his entire career and is still learning how to play on the interior, it's not a great sign for the long-term outlooks of either Collins (who is now 27 years old) or Samia.

As things stand, Dozier and Elflein starting the season as the team's guard pairing is extremely concerning. It raises the question of why the Vikings chose not to retain Josh Kline or bring in another capable veteran this offseason. Other than Cleveland, who will likely convert back to tackle in 2021, the only guard they added was seventh-round rookie . It also raises questions about what kind of effect that pairing could have on the growth and development of Bradbury, who is looking for a big second-year leap after some rookie struggles.

Of the two, Dozier is more worrying than Elflein, who has at least shown he can be an average guard in the NFL (and legitimately could benefit from moving to the right side). Even though Cleveland is still very green at guard, it seems difficult to believe that he would be a worse option than Dozier at that spot. Perhaps the hope for Vikings fans is that if Cleveland doesn't start the season at left guard, he takes over that job at the first sign of struggles from Dozier.

The Vikings can heap as much praise as they like on Dozier and Elflein, but until proven otherwise, this is a dire situation and a major weakness for a team with a lot of talent at virtually every other position on offense. PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/25/20

3 Observations: Vikings Hold Most Physical Practice So Far in 2020

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings put in good, quality work Monday afternoon as they went through their most physical practice to date in camp.

Minnesota went through a two-hour practice amid humid and sticky conditions at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.

Defensive end Danielle Hunter did not practice. Neither did linebacker Ben Gedeon, who is currently on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List.

Here are three observations from Monday's session presented by Minnesota Eye Consultants, the Proud Ophthalmology Partner of the Minnesota Vikings:

1. Dialed in on special teams

The Vikings started, and ended, practice with special teams work, giving dozens of young players valuable reps to try and earn a spot on the roster or practice squad.

Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Marwan Maalouf opened practice by having players work on downing punts inside the 5-yard line, but the intensity soon went up a notch.

Maalouf later had players go full-speed on punt coverage drills, with a pair of defenders tasked with preventing the gunner from getting to the returner.

Tony Brooks-James and Alexander Hollins stood out as gunners, while the duos of Jeff Gladney and Josh Metellus, and Cameron Dantzler and Steven Parker, fared well in limiting their man down the field.

Wonnum Explains The Process of Learning New Things From Coach Patterson and Changing Technique From His College Days 2. Physicality ramps up

You can bet Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer was a fan of 1-on-1 drills in the early portion of practice, especially as defensive backs used press coverage on wide receivers.

Holton Hill opened the session with a pass breakup, and Mike Hughes later nearly had an interception. Nate Meadors later had a pass breakup on a deep shot for Adam Thielen.

The defensive backs made the pass catchers fight for every ball, as Bisi Johnson made a pair of great contested catches.

There were also some good battles in 1-on-1 drills in the trenches, especially between Riley Reiff and Ifeadi Odenigbo, and Garrett Bradbury and Shamar Stephen.

On the hottest day of practice so far, the intensity was also at its peak.

Dozier Talks About Competing For A Starting Position, Cohesiveness On The O-Line, More 3. Defensive vets lead the way

There were plenty of questions surrounding Zimmer's defense entering camp, but his veteran players have stood out so far.

That was the case again Monday. Safety Anthony Harris and linebacker Eric Kendricks broke up passes on back-to- back plays during team drills.

Anthony Barr was noticeable on a few run plays, while Harrison Smith was his usual self all over the field.

As the dog days of camp drag on, the Vikings veteran defenders have consistently shown the unit how to keep improving. PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/25/20

Early Splashes Encouraging for Cameron Dantzler's Progression

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — When the Vikings selected Cameron Dantzler in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, they had done plenty of homework on the cornerback.

Yes, the Vikings knew about his subpar time of 4.64 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine. But they also knew he had bounced back to run at 4.38 in early April at Mississippi State's pro day.

Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer recently recalled what the organization liked about Dantzler when they made him the 89th overall selection.

"He just covered well. The only thing we didn't like about him was his 40 time at the combine," Zimmer said. "We thought he was a good player; he went out there and played well. Then when he ran a good time at his pro day, we got more intrigued by him.

"But, you know, he's got great length and size, long arms," Zimmer added. "He's been a pleasant surprise as far as the discipline that he plays with and understanding what we're trying to do concept-wise, whether it be technique or zone coverage or man-to-man."

There's no doubt that those attributes have shown up in the early part of Verizon Vikings Training Camp, and that Dantzler has turned heads as a rookie.

He made a pair of plays last week — on back-to-back days — that drew the praise of teammates and coaches.

First, Dantzler hung with Pro-Bowl wide receiver Adam Thielen on a deep route and batted away a pass from Kirk Cousins.

Cameron Dantzler: "My Confidence is My Best Trait" | Minnesota Vikings Podcast Dantzler explained the play on a recent videoconference with the Twin Cities media.

"[I] did the technique that my coach told me to do and made a great play on the ball," Dantzler said. "Adam is a great veteran receiver, me and him talk almost every day about coverages, what to do and what not to do.

"That's a guy that helps me," Dantzler added. "Since he's on the offensive side of the ball, he helps me a lot with my progression as a young corner."

The next day, on Aug. 18, Dantzler picked off Cousins with great zone coverage. The quarterback saw Bisi Johnson running wide open across the field, but Dantzler dropped back and appeared out of nowhere to snag the interception.

"I have to give the credit to my coaches. They put me in a great position to make a play," Dantzler said. "I just did my job and made a play on the ball. Kirk saw a guy open and me just doing my read, doing my job, doing my one- eleventh and just made a play on the ball."

After the play on Thielen, the wide receiver approached Zimmer and said, "No. 27's going to be really good."

Dantzler is among a handful of Vikings cornerbacks in the mix for ample playing time, a group that includes Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, Kris Boyd and Jeff Gladney.

And while that group has showed off their talent by making plenty of plays so far in camp, those five players also have nine combined starts in the NFL, all of them by Hughes and Hill.

Dantzler said he has felt comfortable in practice so far, but knows his progression must continue as the Vikings are now less than three weeks from the season opener against Green Bay.

"The speed of the game is very fast, way different from college. They have better quarterbacks that can read keys, veteran receivers that run great routes, offensive linemen who are in great shape and they can come out and block the corner," Dantzler said. "Me just getting adjusted to the new game speed has been very exciting for me being out there and being able to run around.

Since we [won't have] preseason [games], we just treat every practice like it's a preseason game," Dantzler added. "We go out there and work out technique and try out best to make it look like a game situation. We just go out there and just do what we have to do."

Dantzler, who is 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds, had plenty of success in college.

He started 22 of 35 games for the Bulldogs, allowing just 36 catches for 459 yards on 568 pass coverage snaps. He tallied five interceptions, along with 108 career tackles, six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

They key now for Dantzler, said Vikings Co-Defensive Coordinator Andre Patterson, is to keep stacking those good days on top of one another.

If that happens, Dantzler could be one of many impact rookies for the Vikings in 2020.

"That's exciting," Patterson said of Dantzler's early showings in camp. "Now the key is, 'Can you keep doing it? Can you be consistent?' All of those young corners are working hard and they've all got talent.

"The key now is, 'Can they do it play after play after play?' That's the key in the NFL, to have consistency," Patterson added. "That's what we're working on now, to make sure they're consistent and can do that kind of thing rep after rep." PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/25/20

Lunchbreak: 5 Vikings Make CBS Sports' All-NFC North Preseason Team

By LindseyYoung

The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused the cancelation of preseason games, but it didn't stop evaluation of teams as they stand less than three weeks from the season opener.

CBS Sports is rolling out its annual all-division teams, and Jared Dubin recently posted his All-NFC North squad, which included five Vikings. He started with offensive skill positions, where Dalvin Cook claimed one of two running back spots (Green Bay's Aaron Jones) and Kyle Rudolph one of two tight ends (Detroit's T.J. Hockenson).

Dubin also said the division has "three really good candidates for the quarterback spot" in Minnesota's Kirk Cousins, Detroit's Matthew Stafford and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, but he ultimately gave the honor to Rodgers.

Three Vikings showed up on the defensive side of the ball. Danielle Hunter joined Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack, Eric Kendricks joined fellow linebackers Roquan Smith (Bears) and Jamie Collins (Lions), and Harrison Smith was tabbed for the safety spot along with Chicago's Eddie Jackson. Dubin wrote:

Hunter transitioned over the past few years from sub-package star to all-around superstar, and he remains one of the best edge players in the league. Count me among those skeptical that he is going to suddenly fall off without Everson Griffen rushing across from him. Mack was not as dominant last season as he was during his first year with the Bears, but he is still an electric pass rusher and very strong run defender. It physically pained me to leave Za'Darius Smith off this roster, but I'm not sure how to justify taking him over either Hunter or Mack.

Dubin said that Kendricks is "just fantastic in coverage."

He's one of the most athletic linebackers in the league, and he makes life monumentally tough on opposing tight ends and running backs.

And as for Smith, Dubin had nothing but praise for the five-time Pro Bowler entering his ninth season with the Vikings.

If it [wasn't] for guys like Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams, both safeties on our list would get discussed more often in "best safety in the league" conversations. Both Jackson and Smith are aces in coverage, with Jackson playing more of a deep role and Smith coming down into the short and intermediate ranges more often. They are also both tremendous run support players, Smith in particular. They're flat-out stars.

Top 100 Players of 2020: Danielle Hunter | No. 40 Hunter in top 10 of PFF's 25 best edge defenders entering 2020

There's no denying that Hunter is a special player, and it seems he's finally starting to get the credit he deserves from those outside Minnesota, as evidenced by his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2019.

In 2019, Hunter became the youngest player in NFL history (25 years, 40 days) to accrue 50 career sacks. (Stats became an official stat in 1982).

Analytics site Pro Football Focus on Monday tabbed its top 25 edge defenders entering the 2020 season, noting that 3-4 outside linebackers and 4-3 defensive ends were included together.

PFF's Sam Monson ranked Hunter 10th overall in the NFL and wrote the following:

Hunter is one of the most physically gifted edge rushers in the league, and while he has always been racking up the sacks, last season was the first time he really matched that with a high volume of pressure and a down-to-down consistency that saw his overall PFF grade jump more than 10 grading points from his previous best. Hunter ended last season with 97 total pressures (including the postseason) and was leading the league for much of the year. He enters the 2020 season still at just 25 years old, with his best football very possibly still ahead of him, which should be a scary proposition for anybody who has to block him.

For what it's worth, those ranked ahead of Hunter were, from 1-9, J.J. Watt (Texans), Mack (Bears), Cam Jordan (Saints), Von Miller (Broncos), T.J. Watt (Steelers), Myles Garrett (Browns), Nick Bosa (49ers), Joey Bosa (Chargers) and Brandon Graham (Eagles).

Smith Jr. Explains His Goal of Making A 'Big Jump' In Second NFL Season Irv Smith, Jr. equipped to help Vikings offense 'step up' in 2020

The Vikings are well-stocked at tight end with Kyle Rudolph and 2019 second-round pick Irv Smith, Jr.

Minnesota's offense under coordinator Gary Kubiak likely will feature heavier personnel packages on a fairly consistent basis, so having the Rudolph-Smith duo should work in the Vikings favor during the 2020 season.

Forbes contributor Steve Silverman opined recently that Smith "has the tools to help the Vikings offense step up" this season. Silverman wrote:

[Smith] flashed his talent [in 2019] by catching 36 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, and the Vikings coaching staff is hoping that Smith has just scratched the surface of his ability level.

Silverman said that Smith, listed at 6-2 and 242 pounds, "has that kind of size and athleticism that could allow him to become a consistent big-play maker."

He is able to demonstrate his speed on longer routes, and his route running has improved quite a bit since his first training camp.

That's the part of the game that could allow the Vikings to run a lot more two-TE sets this year than they did in the past. Rudolph is one of the better tight ends in the league as he excels on third-down plays and in the red zone.

Smith has the kind of skills that will allow him to make plays in those situations, but it is his ability to stretch the defense that could give the Minnesota offense the special quality that is needed if the team is going to exceed expectations and go beyond what was accomplished a year ago.