DAILY CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020

LOCAL NEWS: Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Star Tribune

Armon Watts could be Vikings' answer inside on the defensive line By Mark Craig https://www.startribune.com/armon-watts-could-be-vikings-answer-inside-on-the-defensive-line/572155312/

Alexander Mattison says failure helped him improve in first year with Vikings By Ben Goessling https://www.startribune.com/alexander-mattison-says-failure-helped-him-improve-in-first-year-with- vikings/572151152/

Pioneer Press

Ex-Vikings star Chuck Foreman ‘laughing about’ being passed over again by hall of fame By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/18/ex-vikings-star-chuck-foreman-laughing-about-being-passed-over-again-by- hall-of-fame/

Former Vikings star: , Alexander Mattison are NFL’s ‘best one-two combo’ By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/18/ex-vikings-star-calls-dalvin-cook-and-alexander-mattison-nfls-best-one-two- combo/

Vikings sign LB Hardy Nickerson, waive CB Marcus Sayles By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/18/vikings-sign-lb-hardy-nickerson-waive-cb-marcus-sayles/

The Athletic

Hasan: 73 observations for 73 players from the early days of Vikings camp By Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/2005038/2020/08/18/73-observations-for-73-players-from-the-early-days-of-vikings-training- camp/

Purple Insider

Camp rundown: Dantzler flashes, Jefferson talks, pads pop By Matthew Coller https://purpleinsider.substack.com/p/camp-rundown-dantzler-flashes-jefferson

NATIONAL NEWS: Wednesday, August 19, 2020

CBS Sports

Vikings holding Dalvin Cook out of team drills amid contract negotiations, per report By Cody Benjamin https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vikings-holding-dalvin-cook-out-of-team-drills-amid-contract-negotiations-per- report/

Associated Press

Vikings sign LB Hardy Nickerson for depth By Dave Campbell https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vikings-holding-dalvin-cook-out-of-team-drills-amid-contract-negotiations-per- report/

Maven Media

Vikings Training Camp Notes: Dantzler Continues to Impress on Day 4 By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/vikings-training-camp-notes-dantzler-impress-day-4

Mike Zimmer: "I've Never Had a Bad Defense, Ever. So I Don't Anticipate That Changing." By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/mike-zimmer-never-had-bad-defense-ever

Five Takeaways From The First Few Days of Vikings Training Camp Practices By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/five-takeaways-from-first-few-days-vikings-training-camp-practices

Justin Jefferson Already Impressing At Vikings Camp: "He's Exactly What We Drafted" By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/justin-jefferson-impressing-vikings-camp-rookie-kubiak

Vikings Sign Linebacker Hardy Nickerson Jr., Waive Marcus Sayles By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/vikings-sign-linebacker-hardy-nickerson-waive-marcus-sayles

MULTIMEDIA NEWS: Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Highlights From Tuesday's Padded Practice at Training Camp By VEN https://www.vikings.com/video/highlights-from-tuesday-s-padded-practice-at-training-camp

Zimmer: I've Never Had A Bad Defense, Ever ... So I Don't Anticipate That Changing By NFLN https://www.vikings.com/video/zimmer-i-ve-never-had-a-bad-defense-ever-so-i-don-t-anticipate-that-changing

Pelissero: Kubiak Wants Cousins To Use His Mobility More In 2020 By NFLN https://www.vikings.com/video/pelissero-kubiak-wants-cousins-to-use-his-mobility-more-in-2020

Pelissero: Vikings Limiting Dalvin Cook In Camp While Contract Talks Continue By NFLN https://www.vikings.com/video/pelissero-vikings-limiting-dalvin-cook-in-camp-while-contract-talks-continue

Vikings Training Camp By KARE http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=d15b38f0-0166-4d9a-89fa-0ce9f2733358

Day 2 of Padded Practice By KMSP http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=7d8ec360-eb7d-4dca-900d-2e361c425613

Mattison Ready By WCCO http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=e20109b7-2cc6-4c37-ba0b-cdca5f49eddb

Dantzler Turning Heads By KSTP http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=9be9ecc0-90b4-46ae-90ad-bd558d3e88c4

VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK NEWS: Wednesday, August 19, 2020

3 Observations: Dalvin Cook Takes Increased Workload on 2nd Day in Pads By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/dalvin-cook-training-camp-increased-workload-in-pads

Colquitt's Muscle Tanks Part of Vikings Bond Building By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/britton-colquitt-muscle-tanks-bond-building

Lunchbreak: PFF ranks Dalvin Cook No. 7 among NFL RBs in 2020 By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/lunchbreak-pff-ranks-dalvin-cook-no-7-among-nfl-rbs-in-2020

5 Things to Know About New Vikings LB Hardy Nickerson By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/hardy-nickerson-5-things-to-know

10 Vikings Potential X-Factors in 2020: By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/bisi-johnson-potential-factors-nfl-2020

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 8/19/20

Armon Watts could be Vikings' answer inside on the defensive line

By Mark Craig

Armon Watts has the size of a nose tackle, the speed of a three-technique tackle and the ability to be an unexpected breakout player that helps fill a critical position of need in Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s retooled defense.

Just ask Bears center Cody Whitehair, a former Pro Bowler who surrendered a Watts strip sack on an inside speed move from the nose tackle position in last year’s regular-season finale.

Or, better yet, ask Cowboys right guard Zack Martin, a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro. In Watts’ NFL debut seven weeks earlier, Martin gave up half a sack to Watts on a power move from the three-technique position, which calls for more penetration while the nose tackle absorbs blockers at the line of scrimmage.

“There are certain times we’ll slide the front one way or the other … so our guys have to learn how to play both positions,” Zimmer said. “And they’re two different positions, at least the way we play it. So, for [Watts], when he’s at nose, he’s got to be more thick and strong. And when he’s at three-technique, it’s OK, ‘I’m going to be a little more athletic and twitchy.’ He has the combination of both those things.”

In this first week of full-pad practices, Watts is working as the No. 2 nose tackle behind Shamar Stephen. He did, however, get a few reps with the first team Tuesday.

CARLOS GONZALEZ, STAR TRIBUNE Armon Watts has the size and speed to play either tackle spot on defense. for the Vikings this season. “But whether I’m starting or I’m rotating, my mentality is knowing the player I am and the potential I have to help this team,” Watts said by phone last week. “My career is only going up from here. That’s how I view it.”

With former Pro Bowler Linval Joseph now with the Chargers and prized free-agent acquisition Michael Pierce opting out of the season because of COVID-19, Watts will get his opportunities to prove he deserves to play more.

Just like he did last year from his Week 10 debut on Nov. 10 through New Year’s Eve, when a leg injury kept him from playing in the postseason.

For nine games last year, the raw sixth-round draft pick from Arkansas didn’t even suit up. He just practiced and worked with Andre Patterson, the team’s defensive line coaching guru, on learning the different stances and techniques.

“You could see the change starting to happen toward the middle of the season,” Patterson said. “He’s doing scout team and the offensive linemen were having trouble blocking him. We started thinking, ‘We have to get this guy on the field.’ ”

An injury to Joseph opened the door for a prime-time debut in Dallas. Watts played just seven snaps but came away sharing a sack with Everson Griffen.

With Dallas facing second-and-8 from midfield, the Vikings lined up in their Double A-gap look. was between the center and Martin, the right guard. Watts was shaded to Martin’s outside shoulder.

After the snap, Martin tried to quickly chip the blitzing Kendricks before turning his attention to Watts.

Bad idea.

“The biggest thing there was Armon showed his ability to come off the ball and get on top of the guard before the guard had an opportunity to bump Kendricks and then bump back out to him,” Patterson said. “Armon can move for a big old guy that’s 300-plus pounds and 6-5.”

Or, as Watts said of the move, “I knew I had a one-on-one block so that’s pretty much my job: Stay low, get my hands on him first and drive him back on the quarterback’s heels. Dak [Prescott] tried to move out of the pocket, but I was right there.”

In the sack against Chicago, Watts was shaded to the right shoulder of Whitehair, the center. He took two steps to the right before racing past Whitehair like a defensive end off the edge.

“And as soon as I got to the quarterback [Mitch Trubisky],” said Watts, “I went for the ball and got it.”

The Bears recovered, but Trubisky fumbled the ball away on the next snap.

“Go back and look at it again and watch how Armon uses his long arms, how he’s able to take away [Whitehair’s] hands and set up his move on the quarterback,” Patterson said. “That’s something we’ve worked very hard on him with, using his length and speed.”

Watts said he trusts Patterson to take him to a place where he can help “hold down the fort until Michael gets back.”

“Some guys, including myself, need to step up,” he said. “And that’s what I plan on doing.” PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 8/19/20

Alexander Mattison says failure helped him improve in first year with Vikings

By Ben Goessling

Running back Dalvin Cook, who hadn't done much work in team drills during the Vikings' first three practices of training camp, saw more time in 11-on-11 drills Tuesday, getting several carries out of the backfield and catching a swing pass.

The Vikings' decision to limit Cook's early workload, though, has meant more first-team work for Alexander Mattison, the 2019 third-round pick who ran for 462 yards in a complementary role last year.

Mattison (above) proved himself to be a better open-field runner than many expected he'd be coming out of Boise State, with four of his 100 carries gaining at least 20 yards and another 11 going for at least 10.

New podcast: Top story lines of Vikings training camp.

His ability to leap over defenders — a product of his time as a hurdler in high school track and field — landed him in a Super Bowl commercial, providing a thrill to his family when they saw the highlight show up on their TV in February.

The source of progress during his rookie year?

"I would probably say failure," Mattison said in a videoconference Tuesday. "Going out there and you fail a couple times, you learn from your mistakes, you hit the film room and you go out there and get back to it.

"I was out there, thrown into the fire with the 1s and 2s immediately as I came in, and I think that taught me early on and helped me with my progression and my growth so far. Just taking what I've learned from the guys in the group, too. From Dalvin, CJ, Ameer, Boone. All those guys in the room have helped me grow a lot and it's something that's happening every single day. We're growing together and we're going out there and we're getting better."

Mattison gives the Vikings insurance — and his name could be mentioned in their search for leverage — during the team's negotiations on a contract extension for Cook.

For his part on Tuesday, the Vikings' No. 2 running back said he hopes for the best for their No. 1 back.

"I don't know too much about [Cook's negotiations]," Mattison said. "I just know that he's a leader. He comes in here every day ready to work. So yeah, wishing the best for him. He's a leader in all sense of the word in the running back room and out there on that field."

Jefferson impresses again

The Vikings' Tuesday practice was the final session of camp that the team planned to livestream. It was more lively than the one fans saw on Monday, as the team tested its young cornerbacks with a busy day of downfield shots.

Here are some observations from the day:

• First-round pick worked with all of the Vikings' offensive units as the team tries to get the receiver more practice time before the season. He had an impressive connection with on a deep throw off play action, and made plays with the Vikings' second- and third-team offenses as well.

• During his work with the first-team defense, rookie cornerback intercepted Cousins on a play- action throw for Bisi Johnson. It was an up-and-down day overall for Dantzler, who got beat in coverage at least once, but the Vikings continue to give him chances to prove himself against veterans.

• sat out again with what coach Mike Zimmer described as a "tweak" on Monday; the defensive end made an appearance on the sideline later in practice.

• Dan Bailey continued his perfect start on field goals, making four on Tuesday to improve to 7-for-7 so far in camp.

• The Vikings continued to rotate Aviante Collins and at left guard, alongside the four players who seem established in their offensive line spots: Riley Reiff at left tackle, at center, Pat Elflein at right guard and Brian O'Neill at right tackle.

Photo: Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 8/19/20

Ex-Vikings star Chuck Foreman ‘laughing about’ being passed over again by hall of fame

By Chris Tomasson

Not only was a former Vikings player not named Tuesday a senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a notable Minnesota nemesis instead got the nod.

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, whom many on the Vikings believe pushed off before catching his famous Hail Mary pass in a 1975 playoff game, was the finalist selected by the hall of fame’s senior committee. That likely means Pearson will be elected next February to the hall.

Former Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall and running back Chuck Foreman have been considered by some to be worthy, but both again were passed over by the senior committee. Marshall did not return a message seeking comment but Foreman had plenty to say.

“I’m laughing about it,’’ he said. “That’s what I think about it. … I don’t know how they choose and pick but I have done a little research and I find that my stats are better than most. … I look at my time, and there’s a lot of ones that were good but there aren’t any that were better (at running back).’’

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Foreman played for the Vikings from 1973-79 before finishing his career with New England in 1980. He was selected to five Pro Bowls with Minnesota, and had three 1,000-yard rushing efforts when seasons were 14 games.

Foreman rushed for 5,980 yards and 53 and caught 350 passes for 3,156 yards and 23 TDs in his eight seasons.

Foreman, who led the NFL with 73 catches in 1975, believes his hall candidacy has been hampered because his receiving stats aren’t given as much weight as his running numbers.

“I’m not getting the recognition I deserve but I’m not going to cry about it,’’ he said. “I might have done it a different way, running and receiving, but in my time there wasn’t a more impactful player. There were some as impactful, if you know what I mean, but I’m not second seat to anybody that I played against or with.’’

To be selected for the hall of fame, Pearson, must receive 80 percent of the vote next February by the 48-member hall of fame selection committee. Between 2011-18, all 11 senior finalists on the ballot were elected to the hall.

RELATED ARTICLES Former Vikings star: Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison are NFL’s ‘best one-two combo’ Vikings sign LB Hardy Nickerson, waive CB Marcus Sayles Vikings rookie CB Cameron Dantzler impressive in first padded practice Freed from quarantine ‘jail,’ Vikings rookie Justin Jefferson gets down to business For Vikings, Mike Hughes, 23, passes as a ‘veteran’ cornerback MORE DAZZLING BY DANTZLER Vikings rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler had another strong performance in Tuesday’s second padded practice of training camp.

The third-round pick had perhaps the top play of the day when he picked off a Kirk Cousins pass over the middle. He had perhaps the top play in Monday’s first padded practice, when he knocked away a long pass by Cousins intended for .

Working with the first team primarily have been cornerbacks Mike Hughes and Holton Hill, both three-year veterans. When Hughes has moved to the slot, Dantzler has gotten some first-team work. The Vikings also have used used rookie , a first-round pick, in the slot.

Speaking before practice Tuesday, co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson called Dantzler’s big play on Monday “exciting.’’ He then said, “Now, the key is, ‘Can you keep doing it? Can you be consistent.’’’

BRIEFLY –Defensive end Danielle Hunter missed his third straight practice. Head coach Mike Zimmer has said Hunter’s injury is not serious, and he has a “little tweak.’’ Also sitting out practice Tuesday were guard and tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart, who have undisclosed injuries.

–Patterson said he had a long discussion after last season with about going from defensive tackle to end, and the move was made. “The guy has a unique skill set,’’ said Patterson, who said Holmes also will continue to play some three-technique defensive tackle.

–Rookie defensive end D.J. Wonnum has switched from No. 57 to No. 98. No. 98 was worn last season by nose tackle Linval Joseph, and nose tackle Michael Pierce had it this year before opting out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

–Cousins turns 32 on Wednesday. He is Minnesota’s oldest position player and third-oldest on the team following punter , 35, and kicker Dan Bailey, 32. PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 8/19/20

Former Vikings star: Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison are NFL’s ‘best one-two combo’

By Chris Tomasson

A few years ago, Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray called themselves “One-Two,” and some said the Vikings had perhaps the best running back duo in the NFL.

Well, that never fully worked out because Cook couldn’t stay healthy. He missed 12 games of his rookie year in 2017 because of an injury, and then sat out five games in 2018.

Murray left for New Orleans last year after two seasons with the Vikings, and Cook got a new running partner in rookie Alexander Mattison. And after a 2019 season during which Cook rushed for 1,135 yards in 14 games and Mattison ran for up 462 in 13 games, perhaps it’s time to revisit how the Vikings’ duo ranks in the NFL.

“They’re probably the best one-two combo in the league, in my opinion,” former Vikings star running back Chuck Foreman said Tuesday. “There’s no question in my mind that (Minnesota) has the best one-two combination at running back. (Mattison) would be a No. 1 runner for a lot of teams.”

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With the coronavirus pandemic canceling preseason games, the two backs won’t take the field until the Sept. 13 opener against Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium. In the meantime, the Vikings are being extremely cautious with Cook.

In the first two days of padded practices, on Monday and Tuesday, Cook only got a few reps in team drills even though there is no tackling. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday the Vikings want “to be smart” about getting Cook ready for the opener.

NFL Network reported Tuesday one reason the Vikings are limiting Cook’s work is due to his ongoing contract extension talks. Cook, on the books to make $1.331 million in 2020 in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal, is seeking a lucrative extension.

“I think it’s smart of the Vikings to hold him back a little while they’re in contract negotiations, as long as Dalvin is doing what he needs to do to keep himself in top shape,” Foreman said. “The good thing about a running back is you either can run it or you can’t, and he’ll be ready when the time comes.”

In the meantime, Mattison is getting extra work in practice. He’s hoping to be even better than in 2019, when his yards-per-carry average of 4.6 was even higher than Cook’s 4.5.

“I’m going out there and trying to take my game to the next level,” Mattison said. “Whatever leap that is, I’ll keep that in the back of my head and hope to put on a show for everybody.”

So how does Mattison believe he and Cook rank when it comes to the NFL’s best duos at running back?

“I’ll leave the rankings up to the professionals and the fans out there,” he said. “But, for me, I think we have a very versatile running back room.”

Cook wasn’t available for comment on Tuesday, but he spoke last week about Mattison in glowing terms.

“I expect a big jump out of Mattison,” he said. “We call Mattison ‘Deuce.’ … That’s the name for him. He’s going to take a big jump. .. Your freshman, your rookie year, you just walk around kind of figuring it out, trying to know what to do. But you see a guy (now) walking around with more confidence.”

Mattison actually got his “Deuce” nickname when he began to play football at age 6 and wore No. 2. He later wore No. 22 and was called “Double-Deuce” and “Deuce-Deuce.”

RELATED ARTICLES Ex-Vikings star Chuck Foreman ‘laughing about’ being passed over again by hall of fame Vikings sign LB Hardy Nickerson, waive CB Marcus Sayles Vikings rookie CB Cameron Dantzler impressive in first padded practice Freed from quarantine ‘jail,’ Vikings rookie Justin Jefferson gets down to business For Vikings, Mike Hughes, 23, passes as a ‘veteran’ cornerback NFL running backs can’t wear No. 2, and Vikings star safety Harrison Smith has No. 22, so Mattison wears No. 25. He’s making a name for himself with that number.

Mattison, a former track star, showed off his ability last season to hurdle defenders. One such time was a nifty leap over Detroit safety Tavon Wilson in Week 14

“(That play) actually got him on the NFL commercial, when they were talking about the upcoming season,” Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd said. “I think he’s like the highlight play.”

Mattison laughed when told what Boyd said. Yes, he has seen the commercial.

“The first time I saw it was during the Super Bowl (in February), so it was pretty cool to see. ‘Hey, that’s me,’ ” he said.

Cook and Mattison both could be ready in 2020 to both produce some fodder for commercials. PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 8/19/20

Vikings sign LB Hardy Nickerson, waive CB Marcus Sayles

By Chris Tomasson

The Vikings got some needed linebacker depth on Tuesday with the signing of Hardy Nickerson.

To make room on the 80-man roster, Minnesota waived cornerback Marcus Sayles.

Nickerson, who worked out Monday for the Vikings, spent the past three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, starting nine of the 37 games he played. He is the son of former NFL linebacker Hardy Nickerson, who made five Pro Bowls, all with Tampa Bay, while playing in the NFL with four teams from 1987-2002.

The Vikings waived Quentin Poling with an injury designation on Monday, leaving them even thinner at linebacker. Poling cleared waivers Tuesday and was placed on injured reserve by Minnesota.

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Since the start of training camp, the Vikings also have put on the physically unable to perform list, lost Cameron Smith for the season due a heart issue and waived DeMarquis Gates.

“I think he’s a good get for us,” co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson said of Nickerson, who practiced Tuesday with Minnesota. “Obviously, he’s played games in the NFL. … I don’t think he’ll come in and this will all be brand new to him.”

When Patterson was defensive coordinator at Texas-El Paso from 2010-12, he recruited Nickerson and was confident about landing him. At that time, Nickerson’s dad was coaching his son at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif., and Patterson said he got to know the coach “very well.”

“I thought I had him until Cal put his dad in the (school’s) hall of fame, and then he went to Cal,” Patterson said.

Nickerson eventually transferred to Illinois. He went undrafted in 2017.

Sayles played the two previous seasons in the Canadian Football League before signing with the Vikings in January. His best spot in the defensive backfield is in the slot, but the Vikings look to be in good shape there with Mike Hughes and rookie Jeff Gladney.

Sayles was Minnesota’s oldest cornerback at 25. The Vikings now have no cornerbacks on the roster older than 23. PUBLICATION: The Athletic DATE: 8/19/20

Hasan: 73 observations for 73 players from the early days of Vikings camp

By Arif Hasan

The first day of padded practices is about as exciting as any offseason football activity can get. For Minnesota fans, it’s been 219 days since they’ve been able to see Vikings players in pads hitting each other. It’s not quite a substitute for football — after all, most of the players won’t be taking many snaps during the season and there isn’t any tackling — but it’ll do for now.

If you missed the Vikings’ live stream of practice, our roundup of the last two days should get you up to speed.

Quarterbacks At the moment, all the quarterbacks on the roster are getting back into the swing, with ball placement a concern throughout the group. In deep-ball drills, quarterbacks are consistently putting the ball in bad spots for receivers. This has resulted in some highlight plays for the receivers in question, but the QBs will have to get up to speed soon.

Other than that, it’s about what you’d expect — Kirk Cousins is a class (or several classes) above the backups, which is only notable insofar as it would be alarming otherwise. Aside from Cousins, the other quarterbacks are having difficulty getting the ball out on time, with Sean Mannion doing the best of the three other quarterbacks in staying on schedule.

Jake Browning is having a particularly difficult time with the rhythm of the offense and seems more willing to quickly bail out of pockets and attempt to run the ball or throw it away. The ball comes out a bit late and — because of his arm strength — he can be exploited by defenders closing on receivers who otherwise do a good job creating space.

On the other hand, it’s notable that Browning was able to work a little bit with the second team — mostly in a rotation that kept Mannion on the sideline so that could work with the third team, but it’s interesting nevertheless.

Mannion and Stanley are the least accurate quarterbacks of the four thus far, but that could be subject to change as camp progresses.

It seems as if quarterbacks are having a more difficult time adjusting to a lack of offseason activities than almost any other position and they’ll need the extended camp time to get back in gear. It should be a bit before we get a sense of their true talent levels.

That said, there have been some highlight plays. It wasn’t a deep bomb, but one Cousins throw — in which he found C.J. Ham over the middle in heavy traffic — stands out to me as one of the more impressive QB throws thus far.

Running backs It’s difficult to evaluate running backs in a camp environment without tackling. More notable might be how reps are being handled. Dalvin Cook hasn’t had very many reps in camp at all, with Alexander Mattison taking the bulk of the first-team duties, occasionally switching with . That doesn’t mean Mike Boone is getting frozen out — he’s seen a significant share of on-field reps, particularly with the twos.

From a build perspective, Boone may have changed the most and looks to have filled out his frame more. That could be interesting given that his skill set matches that of a typical scatback, but his running style is one that eschews big plays for patience and follows the design more than most backs do.

As for on-field speed, Mattison has been a bit surprising in his ability to get around the edge — he may have added speed — while Tony Brooks-James is demonstrating that he has all the on-field speed he was lauded for coming out of college.

Among the fullbacks, there’s little question that C.J. Ham is going to be the lone FB on the roster. Ham has done well, but the Vikings are probably also happy with the progress of , who thus far has blocked fairly well. Interestingly, Irv Smith did some pretty good work when lined up there occasionally — sometimes as a split back, something the Vikings might try more this year.

Dalvin Cook Dalvin Cook (Brad Rempel / USA Today) Wide receiver There are no points for guessing who looks the best. Like Cousins among the quarterbacks, Adam Thielen is in a class of his own among the receivers. He’s been able to separate instantly at the release and generates even more throughout the route. As good as some of the corners in camp have been, they’ve had a difficult time keeping up with him — a good sign that his hamstring injury hasn’t kept him from performing at a top-notch level.

No other receiver has truly separated himself from the pack. It’d be nice if first-round pick Justin Jefferson immediately demonstrated that he can slot into an NFL offense and produce, but he’s not quite there yet. Any rookie, though, is bound to look less-than-stellar when they haven’t been able to work with the team all offseason.

Jefferson hasn’t looked bad, but this reinforces the fact that he’ll need some time to acclimate. At the moment, he’s not having the immediate impact that Stefon Diggs had in early practices, and that’s not necessarily a cause for alarm — not everyone develops at the same rate.

That said, he’s looked good off press, something he didn’t deal with much in his final year at LSU as a slot receiver but saw a fair amount as a sophomore given his outside responsibilities. Though offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has indicated he foresees the greatest level of comfort for Jefferson in the slot given his most recent experience there, he’s already beginning to prove his worth as a potential outside receiver. If he can do that, it frees up Thielen for his most effective role on the inside.

That doesn’t mean Bisi Johnson looks like a slouch, but his wins against the new cornerback corps are being countered by nearly as many losses. He’s maintained his fluidity, and he looks a lot like the player he was coming out of the season.

Of the backups, might be looking the best. His biggest problems — drops and deep speed — haven’t really shown up much in camp thus far. He’s done an excellent job getting open, though the nature of his style of route-running is such that he looks better in one-on-ones, where there’s significantly more space, than in 11-on-11 drills. He’s had some difficulty with option routes, which is a classic responsibility for a slot receiver, especially in Kubiak’s system.

Some receivers have had high highs and low lows, which characterizes and Alexander Hollins well. Hollins has probably had more highlight plays than Mitchell with fewer lowlights, but both have had mixed bags in camp. Mitchell currently seems to be leading the receivers in drops at camp, though that count is certainly unofficial.

K.J. Osborn seems to be operating the same way, with highs and lows that mark his performance thus far. Right now, he’s got a better shot to make the team as a returner than as a fifth receiver, but his placement in the return competition means that the opportunity is there for him. As the second person to take kick return reps after Abdullah — and ahead of Hollins — his chance is better than most. Osborn has had at least one drop and slipped a little on his routes but has also had some impressive catches, even against the starting corners.

The receiver having the most difficult time seems to be , which makes sense — he didn’t have much experience in college as a receiver, spending more time on the Penn State track team than its football team. His deep speed is impressive and he certainly found ways to get behind corners in one-on-ones with an impressive catch and great adjustment in one of those drills. But any route that required a break was laborious — he’s running routes like he’s counting steps and any separation he manages to get off the release, he loses in the break.

Tight ends Among the tight ends, Irv Smith Jr. seems to be doing the most. He’s been a sharp route-runner, which was a bit of a question for him in the past — so his ability to make cuts at speed is good to see. It’s not the final stage in his evolution as a route-runner, but it’s good progress. The Vikings have been experimenting with lining him up outside a little more often than they’ve lined up tight ends on the outside in the past, and this could become a regular possibility.

This has a few advantages — it creates a faster release for Smith standing up and takes advantage of his speed. Not only that, it immediately identifies the defense for the quarterback — a linebacker lined up out wide over Smith tells Cousins that they’re in man coverage with follow principles. A cornerback there doesn’t guarantee zone coverage, but it’s a good tell and might end up becoming a mismatch anyway because of Smith’s size.

The third advantage might be somewhat unique to the Vikings given how many receivers they have with proven production in the slot — they can move receivers to the inside with another eligible receiver lined up outside the numbers and create opportunities inherent to that positioning. That way the Vikings can have two receivers in two- tight end sets and still have a slot receiver.

He’s also looked good as a blocker, lining up at a few positions on the offense to help spring some runs. His best play so far was a highlight in two-minute drills at the corner of the end zone over coverage specialist Eric Wilson. Not only that, he’s done well enough to shake Eric Kendricks in coverage more than once as well.

I haven’t noted much about Kyle Rudolph negative or positive at the moment and that’s a result of not keeping track of him more than anything to say about his performance thus far. (Even with a more limited selection of players in camp, it’s tough to note everyone every day.) has done well in route but seems slow coming off the line of scrimmage and out of his stance – he does much, much better when lined up as a stand-up tight end than in-line.

Nakia Griffin-Stewart is showing more speed than expected of a “blocking” tight end, though his route-running is a little stiff at the moment. Should he improve that, he might be a good practice-squad candidate. Brandon Dillon needs to improve a little more as well. After an exciting training camp the year prior — eventually making the roster before later getting cut — his drops in camp thus far have been disappointing.

Offensive line Seeing the lineups every day has made fans worried about the offensive line. Pat Elflein has done little over his career to inspire confidence, and with taking second-team reps, there doesn’t seem to be much standing in the way of Dakota Dozier — a guard with limited success in the NFL, along with some alarming snaps with the Vikings — earning the other guard spot.

Unfortunately, the early returns aren’t spectacular. Elflein does look more comfortable at guard than he did last year but still seems to be losing one-on-ones. There have only been two practices featuring offensive line-defensive line pass-rush drills, but he hasn’t won many — if any — reps yet. Dozier’s not faring much better and has looked worse in my eye in 11-on-11 drills, too.

The nature of Aviante Collins’ reps being as limited as they are on the first team makes it difficult to evaluate, and I haven’t noted much about his capability in 11-on-11 drills yet. He did well in one-on-ones in the unpadded practice but lost a rep when the pads came on. It’s not a big sample size yet, but it’s a little better than Elflein or Dozier. We’ll see as camp progresses.

The two starting tackles are faring well and Riley Reiff bounced back in one-on-ones and in 11s when the pads came on after losing a number of reps to Ifeadi Odenigbo in unpadded practices. Without Danielle Hunter around, Brian O’Neill has been doing a great job against the ends lining up against him.

Garrett Bradbury hasn’t looked too bad in team drills but lost some reps in unpadded individuals. I didn’t catch his performance in padded individual drills, but we’ll see more as camp progresses. If he’s going to improve, this would be a good place to start.

As for Cleveland, his performance on the second-team has been encouraging. He lost a little bit to Armon Watts, but has otherwise done well against the array of tackles lined up against him, even in the run game — where he theoretically has the most room to improve, given his scouting reports. If these early practices are a referendum on his ability to compete for a first-team spot, he’s accounted for himself well. He’ll probably need to do quite a bit more before he’ll have done anything resembling winning the job, but it’s good to see.

Oli Udoh looked great in team drills but had some trouble in early one-on-ones. hasn’t looked bad, but with only a few exposures to NFL play thus far, it’s difficult to get a read. did reasonably well in early individual drills but has struggled in team drills and in the padded portion of practices.

Brett Jones has had better performances as a run blocker — though a little unbalanced — than in the passing game, especially in individual drills. I haven’t caught much of yet, though he did lose early in one-on-ones in unpadded practices. Still, he hasn’t been notably exploited in team drills, which is a good sign — even against a somewhat limited rotation of edge rushers.

Dru Samia and Jake Lacina have struggled at guard and center, respectively. Both have a win in pass-rush drills, which is good in a limited number of total drills thus far. But their performances in team drills have been a little alarming.

Jeff Gladney Jeff Gladney (Brad Rempel / USA Today) Defensive line Any worrisome offensive line performances come courtesy of the defensive line, so bad news on one end means good news on another. Danielle Hunter is the star of the group, but he hasn’t been able to participate in the last two practices. His only appearance on the field has been good, though, and he did a good job proving that O’Neill has a lot to learn.

Stepping up in his place was primarily Jalyn Holmes, though Eddie Yarbrough took a few reps there as well. Anthony Zettel had a few shots, too. For someone converted back to his original college position, he’s had some impact. He can get past Udoh and Hill to create some damage — and did so. He struggled against O’Neill and Reiff, however. His impact has been a bit bigger in team drills than individual pass-rush drills, but it still remains limited in his first- team opportunities.

Yarbrough has been doing about as well in those same drills and has had a little more success in 11-on-11 drills, though that has primarily come against the second-team unit. Nevertheless, it’s an encouraging start. Zettel has played on the outside for the most part but has kicked inside in a few team drills, which might speak to how the Vikings plan on using him should he make the team. He’s done pretty well on the inside and outside in pass-rush drills but has been quieter on the outside in team units.

Ifeadi Odenigbo is the other starter and thus far it doesn’t look like he’s going to lose that position. He’s played well, though not overwhelmingly so. He did better getting around Reiff before the pads went on and hasn’t flashed in a significant way since, though he’s better at sussing out the play-action passes than the rest of the DL it seems. He’ll need to more consistently convert his power into production once games start, but it’s easy to be confident in both him and Reiff for now.

The draft picks — and D.J. Wonnum — have both demonstrated that they overmatch the backup tackles. In some ways, that’s expected, given that they’re up against players who weren’t productive enough to be high draft picks, but it’s a good gut check. Early on, both have demonstrated the ability to be backup rushers, though Willekes has shown more speed around the edge and consistency reminiscent of a designated pass-rusher role reserved for third-down linemen.

Stacy Keely hasn’t taken many reps, but he’s been able to use his length as an asset in his limited action. After the pads came on, he did a better job generating pressure.

At defensive tackle, it seems like Armon Watts and Jaleel Johnson have been the most productive players in practices. Watts has been splitting double teams and winning individual pass-rush drills with authority and hasn’t been stopped easily. Johnson looks a lot better than he did in previous camps and seems to be showcasing quickness that he couldn’t demonstrate as easily in prior seasons. If he takes this next step now, he could be a huge asset.

Shamar Stephen, the likely starter at nose tackle, hasn’t been as impressive, though he hasn’t looked out of it either. The Vikings staff has gone out of its way to heap praise on his 2019 performance. If limited pressure production, but with the ability to keep offensive linemen rooted to the line of scrimmage, is what they’re looking for, he’s provided more of the same in camp, though guards still have found ways to tag linebackers on the second level at times.

Hercules Mata’afa has flashed at times and his increased size is certainly becoming an asset, but he hasn’t done enough yet to prove he deserves the heavy rotational role they gave him at the beginning of the season. He hasn’t been consistent enough yet in pass-rush drills, which generally favor defensive linemen, to show that he has retained all the quickness he had at a lighter weight. If he has, then that’s great news — but he has to show it.

Unfortunately rookies David Moa and James Lynch haven’t done much, though they’ve had fewer reps than any other defensive tackle as rotational members of the third-team unit. Neither have been overly impressive in team drills or one-on-ones quite yet, but with the few reps they’ve had, there’s still a lot of time to improve.

Linebacker It’s tough to evaluate linebackers in camp situations, just like it is for running backs. It’s useful to point out that the Vikings seem to be blitzing more in camp than they do during the season — usually blitzing at league average rates or just below it — but have sent their linebackers after the quarterback much more often. In that context, Anthony Barr has looked quite good. Not only that, he’s generated some “tackles-for-loss” — whatever that means in a tackle- less environment — and has made more of the splash plays that fans have been aching to see. This might be his expected role in a defense that needs to support its coverage more; one that requires pressure to aid the new cornerback group.

Eric Kendricks hasn’t done a lot in camp yet, but his style — a traditional linebacker who excels in coverage — doesn’t tend to lend itself to camp highlights. He’s never had a flashy camp and still produced extremely high-quality seasons. That said, it can’t be forgotten that there have been some highlight plays against him early in camp.

The third linebacker in base defense has been Eric Wilson. He’s having a bit of trouble with coverage in space but has been able to get to the runner on running plays. Given that this is the opposite of his purported skill set, this is probably a good thing — he needs to improve as a run defender and his coverage skills are probably fine.

There hasn’t been much to report between Jordan Fehr, and — though they’re probably happy that they’re getting twice as many reps as second- or third-team linebackers typically do. Without a healthy or full roster at linebacker, they’ve been getting every snap with the twos and the threes.

Cornerback The talk of the town right now is Cameron Dantzler, who has had some kind words delivered his way by Thielen through head coach Mike Zimmer. It likely came as a result of the biggest defensive highlight of practice, a deep throw pass deflection on a pass intended for Thielen late in the day.

Dantzler’s been getting some time with the ones in nickel packages, exclusively on the outside. When he comes in, Mike Hughes kicks inside to the slot. The other outside corner is Holton Hill, who has been getting all the snaps with the ones alongside Hughes. Dantzler has had some great plays and made some small mistakes, but generally has looked good.

The best-looking corner by my eye has been Hill, though the Vikings clearly think quite a bit of Hughes. It’s reasonable to assume that the Vikings will go to their old standard of having cornerbacks play “sides” — something they did when Zimmer first arrived and then later, when Xavier Rhodes declined – instead of following receivers. For the most part, that’s what the Vikings have done in camp, but Hughes has had a few reps where he’s followed Thielen around — a pretty good indication that they’re experimenting with the idea.

Hill has earned a few pass deflections and an interception in individual drills. He’s generated some blanket coverage in team drills and seven-on-sevens. He’s pushed receivers to the sideline and created incompletions on deep coverage without touching the ball.

Jeff Gladney hasn’t had many reps — he’s largely playing in the slot with the first team when Dantzler isn’t in — and he’s looked fine, but without the highlights Dantzler has. I haven’t seen many reps that make him look bad but it can be difficult to keep an eye on the cornerback-receiver battle while watching the linemen.

Just like some receivers have had up-and-down performances, so have some corners — no more than Mark Fields, who has been alternatively impressive and worrisome from rep to rep. Fields has had some great-looking pass deflections and some back-breaking coverage busts in just a few days’ time.

Kris Boyd is the same way, with highlights and lowlights thus far but has looked more consistent than Fields. His choice to wear No. 29 has made it a bit confusing for the beat down in Eagan, but he’s pretty clearly not Rhodes. He’s running solidly with the second team and hasn’t been beaten by the second-team unit of receivers at any alarming rate — though this does include Jefferson, who should probably be beating Boyd more often if he’s going to start.

Nevelle Clarke hasn’t looked too bad with the third team, and he’s done a fair job of generating pass deflections against Stanley and Browning and getting some good reps against Osborn and Hollins. Like all third-team players, he’ll need some more time to demonstrate his skill, especially against better talent. I haven’t seen much yet of Marcus Sayles or .

Safety Just like with Thielen, it shouldn’t be surprising that Harrison Smith has been doing an excellent job patrolling at safety. He’s generated a few interceptions against Cousins — once in team drills and another time in seven-on- seven drills. Anthony Harris hasn’t looked bad either, and he might have been able to grab an interception on one play if Dantzler didn’t knock it away first — though most of his production early in camp has been as a run defender.

Otherwise, the safeties are difficult to get a bead on. The only one I noted was Nate Meadors, who is officially listed as a cornerback — he’s generated a few interceptions on his own as well. We’ll see if Meadors moves back to corner after the arrival of Steven Parker. , Myles Dorn and Brian Cole will need more reps to stand out.

As far as coverage patterns go, the Vikings have been playing quite a bit of single-high, rotating which safety is the single-high safety based on the alignment of the offensive formation — shifting when the offense motions. This could mean a move back to Cover-3 and Cover-1 principles that defined the earlier versions of the Vikings defense before they switched to paired safeties in Cover-4 and Cover-2 more recently.

It’s unlikely that this is what the defense will look like in total — if the Vikings are practicing their blitzes more often early in camp, that means they’ll likely use man coverage on the back end or classic fire-zone principles, which often have three deep defenders and a single-high safety. It’s also a fairly common shift and easy to teach. As the defense and offense progress, we might see more wrinkles. PUBLICATION: Purple Insider DATE: 8/19/20

Camp rundown: Dantzler flashes, Jefferson talks, pads pop

By Matthew Coller

Hello everyone. We’ve got a ton of notes from camp so let’s get right into it…

Cam Dantzler is making some noise Monday marked the first day of training camp that the Vikings practiced in full pads. It was a short practice but one moment especially drew a lot of attention:

Minnesota Vikings @Vikings Not around The Needle

#VikingsCamp August 17th 2020

171 Retweets1,473 Likes Cameron Dantzler came into camp having the potential to quickly rise up the ranks and make noise in the cornerback competition considering he put up terrific numbers in the SEC last season and only appeared to drop in the draft because of a poor NFL Combine. In his first padded practice, he made that noise with an impressive pass breakup against Adam Thielen. If you were wondering about his speed, he showed that he can run step-for-step with a top receiver down the sideline, which says more than his 40-yard dash time.

On the radio, head coach Mike Zimmer apparently said after practice that Thielen told him that Dantzler is going to be a good player.

Sam Monson @PFF_Sam Adam Thielen apparently came up to Mike Zimmer today at practice and told him '27 is gonna be really good'

That's Cameron Dantzler.

Dantzler played Alabama and LSU last season + allowed 21 passing yards in those 2 games combined. Dude can cover. August 17th 2020

217 Retweets1,885 Likes It’s a good start. It doesn’t mean Dantzler is going to win the starting job. Holton Hill has been taking the vast majority of the first-team reps.

“He's come back, seems to be a lot more mature this year,” head coach Mike Zimmer said of Hill. “A lot more business-like. I told him the other day, his deal is that he has to prove he can be the same guy every day. So come out there, I don't have to correct you on this and then next day correct you on that again. Once we get it corrected let's move on so we can correct the next thing. He's done a pretty good job of that so far.”

First-round pick Jeff Gladney has worked in with the first team as well, sometimes getting reps in the slot, other times working on the outside while Hughes is in the slot.

Zimmer revealed that Gladney missed last Friday’s practice because of an issue relating to offseason surgery.

“It just flared up on him a little bit,” Zimmer said. “He probably took too many reps the first day so we just have to try to ease him back him a little bit as we go. Sometimes when those guys have surgery in the offseason in a situation like this, their rehab wasn’t as good as it could be. He’s going to be fine, though. There’s no real issues there.”

It’s pretty clear the Vikings are going to let the cornerback situation play out over the next few weeks and try to build up a sample size and then decide who will be playing in which spot. It wouldn’t be a surprise if we see changes or rotations once we get into the season. If there aren’t clear-cut winners, we could see different players handling different roles. That would be quite the change (aside from the very end of last year when Hughes rotated in for Xavier Rhodes) from most of the Zimmer era.

But there is reason to feel — three days into camp — like they have enough cumulative talent to put together a good cornerback unit.

Justin Jefferson’s strong start While he’s only seen first-team reps in the slot (and second-team reps outside), the Vikings’ first-round wide receiver stands out on the practice field. He has a different level of athleticism from any other receiver and Bisi Johnson said Monday that his “releases are crazy.”

Zimmer seems impressed.

“He loves to play football, he’s really good in and out of his breaks,” the Vikings’ head coach said. “He seems to have a knack for knowing where the open areas are – sometimes we continue to run across the formation, sometimes we have to stop. But you can just tell in his route running that some things come really natural to him.”

Gary Kubiak also noted Jefferson’s route running and said that the young receiver has a passion for learning the technical element (which is something that couldn’t be said for the Vikings’ last first-round receiver).

“It’s very encouraging, he’s exactly what we drafted,” Kubiak said. “We knew he’s a very talented young man that had a comfort zone in the slot because he did that a lot. I play him a little bit of everywhere, teaching him my offense, understanding schemes and what we’re doing but very good route runner, very I guess I should say he’s really, when you sit there and talk routes and stuff, this kid’s very knowledgeable. He’s been coached by some good coaches before he got here.”

Jefferson got a little behind from the start because he was on the COVID/reserve list. He said that for 10 days he did nothing but play video games and lost track of the days at one point because he wasn’t allowed to leave his hotel room. But Jefferson added that he recognizes a lot of the concepts in the Vikings’ offense from his time at LSU and that has helped catch on quickly. He also realizes how quick he’s going to have to adapt in order to make an impact this year.

“I was just talking to some of the other rookie receivers, and we were just saying how we’re going to go straight into Week 1, we don’t have any time to really start it up or get comfortable,” Jefferson said. “So really just taking the reps that we have in practice and making them game-like so that every technique, every speed-in, speed-out route, whatever route we’re running, we just have to focus more on how it will be running in the game and how the defenses will be playing.”

Last year the Vikings have the luxury of easing Irv Smith Jr. into the mix before he was pushed into a bigger role when Adam Thielen got hurt. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect that Jefferson plays a smaller number of snaps right off the bat and then works into a every-down player as the year goes along. That might be the best-case scenario considering the circumstances.

Is Bisi Johnson the No. 2 receiver? For the first three days Bisi Johnson has taken almost all the snaps with the first team at outside wide receiver. Gary Kubiak seems to appreciate Johnson’s mental capabilities and we might see him take another step forward from a possession receiver to more of a downfield threat this year if he holds down that No. 2 job.

On Monday Johnson talked about how grew in the offseason by working out in Colorado with Broncos players.

“I got a pro-style quarterback to throw to me, so I was throwing with Drew Lock then there was competition at receiver, whether it was Courtland Sutton or Tim Patrick,” Johnson said. “There were a lot of pro guys out there, which helped because you want to surround yourself with pro guys when you’re training for the NFL. I think I definitely had an edge this offseason, for sure.”

Johnson does not have the upside of Jefferson but the Vikings need to have reliability at the No. 2 spot to start the year. With Johnson showing that he could step in last year on short notice and handle the gig, there is a good chance he will improve and leave behind any talk of his draft status.

Dalvin Cook isn’t taking many reps After all the drama over whether Dalvin Cook would A) show up to camp B) participate in camp, he has been out there on the practice field. However, he hasn’t done much. Cook has only participated in a handful of 11-on-11 reps in the first three practices.

“We’re going to be smart with him,” Zimmer said. “We’re just trying to make sure that we continue to give him what he needs and get him ready for the 13th.”

Remember last year there were questions about whether he should play in preseason and then Cook ran for a long touchdown in his only exhibition action and was great right away against Atlanta and Green Bay.

There must be confidence a deal gets done for him to be practicing but whether we see a completely drama free run up to the season is yet to be seen.

Hunter still out Danielle Hunter missed his second straight day. Zimmer called it a “tweak” but in the past Zimmer has not been forthcoming about injuries.

The interesting note here is that Eddie Yarbrough worked his way into a set of first-team reps. He’s looked good to start camp and might be separating himself from the young players like DJ Wonnum and Kenny Willekes along with veteran Anthony Zettel.

However, Jalyn Holmes still took the majority of first-team snaps in Hunter’s absence.

The question here is: If Hunter is out, who will prove they can create pressure consistently? Even Ifeadi Odenigbo, who had seven sacks last year, did not have the same job in 2019 as he will this year.

Pat Elflein’s move to guard At least for now, there doesn’t appear to be a competition for right guard. Pat Elflein is the only one who has taken first-team snaps. Left guard continues to be a mix of Dakota Dozier and Aviante Collins with Ezra Cleveland playing second-team left guard.

Elflein said that it was a group decision to move him from the left to the right side, where he played quite a bit in college. He talked about the journey over the last three years from center to left guard to right guard.

“The move from guard to center, you have to really lock into the playbook more, you have more responsibilities mentally, so that can be a challenge,” Elflein said. “With guard also, you don’t have to snap the ball. You still have to think but you don’t have those responsibilities solely on yourself as a guard.”

Elflein acknowledged that his road hasn’t been easy because of serious injuries suffered as an up-and-coming center in 2017. Undergoing offseason surgeries on his shoulder and ankle during the 2018 offseason set him back as a center and then the Vikings picked Garrett Bradbury in the first round of the 2019 draft, which bumped Elflein to guard.

Now he’s going to be asked to make a change without having time to build chemistry with Brian O’Neill at right tackle.

“That’s a lot of time that we get to spend together, especially during OTAs and minicamp, but we were together virtually so you can still try to build those relationships, but not be physically with those people, so yeah it could have an impact,” Elflein said. “Luckily we’ve got some guys back in our room that we’ve built some chemistry and we can build on that. And we’re just making up for the time now, building that chemistry and going to work every day at practice and working on that. I think we have a great room to do that with.”

This will be the last shot for Elflein as his contract is up after this year and he struggled mightily in pass protection last season. If he can find some comfort to play at an average level against bigger rushers, his screen and run blocking can be an asset. It appears the Vikings are still holding out hope that happens.

Mike Hughes’s confidence Last year Mike Hughes returned from a season-ending ACL tear in 2018 that took several weeks into the season to fully be ready for him to return. This time around he has a full offseason and the opportunity to emerge as a very good player with Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes and gone. Mike Zimmer said he wants to see more self belief from the 2018 first-round pick.

“Mike is a very talented kid and good conscientious person, he needs to continue to have more confidence in himself,” Zimmer said. “He needs to have more belief that when he goes out there he can cover anybody. I think that's the biggest thing with Mike. If Mike will just say, 'hey I got this guy, it's me, let's go, you and me.' I think that part will help him mature faster and be a better player quicker.”

If Hughes doesn’t have that hardcore you-versus-me attitude, he might be better built for the slot. Which, as we wrote here recently on Purple Insider, is every darn bit as valuable as outside corner these days. He is the only player in the DB group with experience of three training camps and a handful of real game snaps in the slot.

Chad Beebe’s chances Chad Beebe was a bit of a darling at camp over the last two years and showed enough for the Vikings to believe he can get open in the NFL and make plays but health has kept him from proving it. Last year he suffered a freak injury while trying to block against the Raiders and he acknowledged that he’ll have to stay healthy this time around in order to have a shot.

“I think it's the knowledge of the slot position, he's done a really nice job there,” Zimmer said. “A lot of those guys run option routes so it's understanding what other route takes the next defender away from him and I think he does a nice job of setting up defenders as far as not giving them the same look all the time.”

The way it appears, Thielen, Johnson and Jefferson are set but the No. 4 battle seems to be between Beebe and Tajae Sharpe. Alexander Hollins is in that conversation as well.

Will they tackle in practice?

One of the thing every coach is going to grapple with is how much hitting they should have in practice. This isn’t full contact two-a-days anymore like back in he 90s. It sounds like Zimmer will be cautious with players he’s certain can tackle (and who are very valuable).

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot,” Zimmer said. :I think there’s certain guys that are going to need to do some of those and certain guys that don’t. I think we’ll probably have some live special teams periods to find out if some of these guys can tackle, run down the field in space and tackle. I want to get to September 13th healthy if we can. But on the same token, we want to make sure that we do a good job in tackling. I think maybe ‘thud’ periods where you’re wrapping guys up and doing that would be more important than getting them to the ground.”

The benefit to not having preseason games is that players have less chance to get hurt during practices. How that translates to games, we’ll see. There’s no precedent to rely upon. PUBLICATION: CBS Sports: 8/19/20

Vikings holding Dalvin Cook out of team drills amid contract negotiations, per report

By Cody Benjamin

Earlier this offseason, Dalvin Cook was reportedly set to hold out of training camp in the absence of a new contract from the Minnesota Vikings. Now, days into padded practice at camp, the Vikings are doing the holding out for him. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday that Minnesota has been keeping Cook out of many team drills while the two sides negotiate a long-term deal.

"This situation has to come to a head soon," Pelissero said. "Either Cook is going to become one of the higher-paid running backs in the NFL on a fair, long-term deal with the Vikings, or they're eventually going to re-integrate him into practice and he will be playing out the final year of his rookie contract."

Cook has already indicated he'll practice and play this season even without an extension to his rookie deal, which expires after 2020, telling reporters he's "full go" at camp, isn't focused on negotiations and wants to remain in Minnesota. This echoes the general optimism that's surrounded contract talks since March, when the Vikings reportedly first engaged the star running back about a new deal. Even after the reported threat of a Cook holdout, which itself was unlikely because of CBA rules that would've penalized the RB for his absence, all signs pointed to Minnesota making Cook one of the game's highest-paid at his position.

The 25-year-old former second-round draft pick emerged as the centerpiece of the Vikings' offense in 2019, when he gained a career-high 1,135 yards on the ground to go along with 519 receiving yards. He's set to count $2.02 million against Minnesota's salary cap this season, the last one on his rookie contract. PUBLICATION: Associated Press DATE: 8/19/20

Vikings sign LB Hardy Nickerson for depth

By Dave Campbell

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings signed former Cincinnati linebacker Hardy Nickerson for depth on Tuesday.

Nickerson played three seasons for the Bengals, appearing in 37 games with nine starts. He was undrafted in 2017 out of Illinois, where he played for his father — then-defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson Sr. — in his final year of college after transferring from California. The elder Nickerson was a five-time Pro Bowl linebacker for Tampa Bay in the 1990s.

The Vikings placed backup linebacker Cam Smith on the reserve list for non-football injuries last week, after Smith was diagnosed with an enlarged heart that will require surgery.

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Ben Gedeon, who had concussion problems last season, started camp on the physically unable to perform list. Behind stalwarts Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, three of the other four linebackers prior to Nickerson’s addition are rookies.

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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFLwas PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 8/19/20

Vikings Training Camp Notes: Dantzler Continues to Impress on Day 4

By Will Ragatz

Another day, another Vikings training camp practice in the books. The weather remains beautiful out at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, and there were plenty of interesting developments during the second padded practice of this year's camp.

If you haven't done so yet, make sure to get caught up on my takeaways from the first three days of practice.

Here's what stood out on Tuesday.

Dalvin Cook gets some reps in with the starters Everyone has been curious to see how much work Dalvin Cook would do during camp while his agent and the Vikings continue to negotiate a potential contract extension. Early on, the answer was not a whole lot. Cook was seen off to the side a lot, working individually with a coach.

“We’re going to be smart with him," Mike Zimmer said. "We’re just trying to make sure that we continue to give him what he needs and get him ready for [September] 13th.”

Cook was a little bit more active on Tuesday than he had been in previous days. He began the first 11-on-11 period by taking a handoff and bursting through a hole on the left side. He only took one carry at a time, but ended up finishing with three carries and a reception during the entire session. When the running backs were doing individual drills, he was a full participant with the rest of his teammates.

There hasn't been any recent news on the extension front.

Cameron Dantzler continues to impress Third-round pick Cameron Dantzler was the star of Monday's practice with his full-extension deflection of a Kirk Cousins deep ball. Co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson said he liked seeing that play, but now wants Dantzler to do it consistently.

“That’s exciting," he said. "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?"

Well, apparently Dantzler can, because he got Cousins again on Tuesday. The Vikings' star quarterback dropped back on play-action and saw Bisi Johnson running open on a deep post down the field. But at the last minute, Dantzler ranged back and high-pointed the ball for an interception, causing his teammates to go crazy.

The hype train for the man known as 'The Needle' is almost starting to get out of control. But it's well-deserved; his length, ball skills, and instincts have all translated to the practice field.

It is worth noting that he got beat on a double-move by speedy wideout Alexander Hollins here. Still, that's nothing to be too concerned about. Hollins is a burner and there arguably should've been safety help over the top.

Lineman 1-on-1s were fun to watch, even with Hunter still out Danielle Hunter got his third straight day off on Tuesday. Zimmer recently said he has a "little tweak." It doesn't sound like anything serious, but there's no reason to risk any aggravations; Hunter doesn't need much work in training camp to be able to dominate on Sundays.

Even with Hunter not out there, one of the most fascinating portions of practice were the 1-on-1s between the offensive and defensive linemen. A marquee matchup came between two starters: Ifeadi Odenigbo and Riley Reiff. It was won pretty handily by Odenigbo, who beat Reiff twice in a row – once on a spin move and once on an inside rush.

On the other side, Jalyn Holmes continued to replace Hunter with the first team. He struggled with Brian O'Neill, as can be expected.

Another interesting matchup was between Anthony Zettel and Ezra Cleveland. Zettel is listed as a defensive end, but appears to be working at three-technique defensive tackle. He easily got past Cleveland – who is still learning how to play guard – on the first rep, but the rookie impressively bounced back and stopped Zettel in his tracks on the following rep.

The Vikings' backup tackles, Rashod Hill and , both looked quite good in 1-on-1s against the likes of Eddie Yarbrough and Stacy Keely. The rookies got some work in too, with Blake Brandel and D.J. Wonnum splitting wins and losses on a pair of reps. Wonnum had a very impressive spin move on the second rep to blow by Brandel.

On the interior, Pat Elflein got the best of Hercules Mata'afa a couple times and Garrett Bradbury was impressive. That's encouraging to see.

Additional notes Outside of Hunter, the only other players not practicing were G Dru Samia, TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart, and LB Ben Gedeon, who remains on the PUP list. Samia doesn't seem to be a factor in the competition at guard at all. The newest Viking, Hardy Nickerson Jr., was at practice wearing No. 47. Also in number news, D.J. Wonnum has switched from 57 to 98 (which was going to be Michael Pierce's number until he opted out). Dan Bailey is 7 for 7 on field goals in camp so far, which is always good. Third-string RB Mike Boone continues to impress me. His burst and decisiveness are excellent, and he's added some muscle this offseason. Justin Jefferson still looks good, although he did drop one catchable ball. He had a big play on a pass from Cousins during the team period. Rookie QB Nate Stanley made an excellent throw to Tyler Conklin, but also overthrew multiple receivers on deep balls. He seems to still be down at No. 4 on the QB depth chart. Chad Beebe made a few nice catches from the slot with the second team. He's super shifty over the middle of the field. PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 8/19/20

Mike Zimmer: "I've Never Had a Bad Defense, Ever. So I Don't Anticipate That Changing."

By Will Ragatz

There's been a lot of questions asked about the Vikings' re-tooled defense, which will have five new starters in 2020. The unit is going to have to rely on some young players at cornerback and on the defensive line, which could theoretically result in growing pains early on in the season.

However, the Vikings don't all see it that way. Veteran safety Harrison Smith gave a great answer a couple weeks ago when asked about a potential defensive drop-off in production.

"I guess I’ve kind of been out of the loop," Smith said. "I didn’t know we were supposed to be bad."

Mike Zimmer doesn't think they're going to be bad either. Both he and co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson have said they like being doubted – that it's motivating. In early August, Zimmer said he was fired up to prove people wrong.

"It gets you rejuvenated to go out and, honestly, people say, ‘Hey, they’re not going to be good on defense.’ OK, well, let’s find out. Let’s go prove it. That’s kind of the approach that we’re taking."

On Tuesday, Zimmer doubled down on his belief that the Vikings are going to have a good defense in 2020. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero referenced Smith's quote while asking Zimmer about the challenge of replacing some of the departed veterans on that side of the ball.

"Well I've vever had a bad defense, ever," Zimmer said. "So I don't anticipate that changing."

As Chris Tomasson points out, that's not technically true.

But the overall sentiment is accurate. Zimmer has been a defensive coordinator or head coach in every season since 2000, and the vast majority of his defenses have been among the league's best. Zimmer only spent one season with the Falcons in between long stints as the DC in Dallas and Cincinnati. Since becoming the Vikings' head coach in 2014, Zimmer's units have never ranked worse than 11th in points allowed, including three top-five finishes.

ADVERTISEMENTSCROLL TO CONTINUE READING There's certainly a path to another strong performance from the Vikings defense in 2020. Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Anthony Harris, and Smith are all veteran stars. Ifeadi Odenigbo might be able to replace Everson Griffen without much of a drop-off. And the Vikings' young corners – including rookies Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney – have started out strong in training camp.

PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 8/19/20

Mike Zimmer: "I've Never Had a Bad Defense, Ever. So I Don't Anticipate That Changing."

By Will Ragatz

We've just barely gotten our first glimpse at the 2020 Minnesota Vikings, with three training camp practices having taken place since the media was allowed access last Friday. Monday's practice was the first of 14 with pads on, so there's still a long way to go over the next few weeks.

But at the same time, we've already learned a lot. The season-opener is less than four weeks away, so things are ramping up quickly and there has been plenty to observe during these few first few sessions.

Here are five early takeaways from Vikings camp in Eagan.

1. The depth chart on the offensive line is taking shape USATSI_14742324_168388404_lowres One of the most pressing questions heading into this year's camp was what the offensive line would look like, specifically at the two guard spots. So far, we've gotten some answers on that front.

Pat Elflein appears to be entrenched as a starting guard yet again, although he has moved from the left side over to the right guard spot occupied by Josh Kline in 2019. That's where Elflein spent almost all of his time in 2014 and 2015 before moving to center for his senior year at Ohio State. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has been complimentary of Elflein, but I still think this position switch means this year is his final chance to prove himself worthy of a place in the Vikings' plans going forward. This is a contract year for Elflein, after all. We'll see if Dru Samia pushes him at all for that job in the coming days, but it seems highly unlikely at this point.

With Elflein almost certainly the starting right guard on September 13th, that leaves just one spot open. So far, Dakota Dozier and Aviante Collins have been getting all of the first-team reps at left guard, with Dozier leading the way in that rotation. I'd say he's the favorite to emerge with that starting job out of camp.

There probably isn't much more time for a shakeup at either guard spot. Mike Zimmer recently said that they're going to pick their best five pretty quickly and go from there.

"Some of the things that we’re looking at right now, we’re going to look at for a few days," Zimmer said. "And then after a few days, we’re going to settle in and start getting going with where we’re at. We’re going to try to make a quick decision with some of these offensive linemen. Probably after three days in pads or something like that.”

I'm going to continue to keep an eye on rookie Ezra Cleveland, who has been taking the second-team reps at left guard. With a shortened offseason, can he push to see the field at guard in year one?

The O-line depth chart has looked something like this so far:

First team: Riley Reiff, Dozier/Collins, Garrett Bradbury, Elflein, Brian O'Neill Second team: Rashod Hill, Cleveland, Brett Jones, Samia, Oli Udoh Third team: Blake Brandel, Collins, Jake Lacina, Kyle Hinton, Udoh 2. The picture is getting clearer on the defensive line, too Nose tackle Michael Pierce opting out of the 2020 season threw a wrench in the Vikings' plans on the defensive line, but there's some interesting depth there. Shamar Stephen has drawn a lot of recent praise from coaches, and he's always made more sense as a nose tackle than at three-technique. Stephen seems like a virtual lock to start at the nose this year.

At three-technique, Jaleel Johnson has taken a bunch of first-team reps so far. That's not entirely surprising, given that the 2019 Vikings prioritized having two big-bodied run stoppers in the middle over generating interior pressure. Outside of Stephen, Johnson is the best run-stuffing defensive tackle on the roster. The fourth-year veteran can probably offer more pass-rushing ability than Stephen did last year, though.

The other name to keep a close eye on at DT is Armon Watts, who the Vikings are expecting big things from this year. He's been working as the second-team nose tackle, but I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see him push Johnson for that starting job at three-tech. Watts needs to keep improving as a run defender in order to see the field consistently and reach his lofty upside. The second-team three-tech has been Hercules Mata'afa, meaning he's ahead of rookie James Lynch on the depth chart for now. Mata'afa bulked up this offseason and plays with a lot of burst and tenacity.

Notably, Jalyn Holmes has moved from defensive tackle to defensive end. With Danielle Hunter missing practice on Sunday and Monday (more on that in a second), Holmes has taken the majority of the first-team reps opposite Ifeadi Odenigbo. Holmes is another player whose position switch suggests it's his last chance to leave a lasting impression. Eddie Yarbrough is the No. 4 DE right now, with Stacy Keely at No. 5 bumping up to the second team during Hunter's absence. That means Anthony Zettel and the two rookies (D.J. Wonnum and Kenny Willekes) have some work to do if they're going to play major roles in 2020.

3. It looks like there's a clear top four at cornerback USATSI_14750466_168388404_lowres The Vikings will have a completely revamped cornerback group this year after the departures of Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander. There are nine players competing at that position right now, but there appears to be a pretty clear top four: Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, Jeff Gladney, and Cameron Dantzler. Notably, two of those are rookies and all four are 23 or younger.

Hughes has the most experience and is the top guy in that room. He has made some nice plays early on in camp and just needs to stay healthy in 2020. Zimmer did have an interesting answer to a question about Hughes on Monday, though.

"He needs to continue to have more confidence in himself," Zimmer said. "He needs to have more belief that when he goes out there he can cover anybody. I think that's the biggest thing with Mike. If Mike will just say, 'Hey I got this guy, it's me, let's go, you and me,' I think that part will help him mature faster and be a better player quicker."

So far, Hughes and Hill have been the two starting corners in base defense, as expected. Hill is a very interesting player because he has flashed a ton of talent over the past couple years, but he's also been suspended twice and has been in Zimmer's doghouse for various reasons. The early results in year three are encouraging.

"He's done a good job," Zimmer said. "He's come back, seems to be a lot more mature this year. A lot more business-like. I told him the other day, his deal is that he has to prove he can be the same guy every day. He's done a pretty good job of that so far. As it starts getting longer into camp that will be the key. Holton has all the attributes you need at corner. Hopefully he'll continue to progress each and every day."

As for the rookies, it's been the third-rounder and not the first-rounder who has stolen the show a little bit. Dantzler was the big winner from Monday's padded practice with several nice plays, including the highlight of the day on a full- extension pass breakup. He seems like he has a chance to be one of the steals of this year's draft, but it's also very early and that might be a reckless overreaction. We'll see.

Gladney missed Friday's practice with a little "flare-up" related to his offseason meniscus surgery. He was out there on Sunday and Monday and should be fine moving forward. Both Gladney and Dantzler have taken some first-team reps – Dantzler on the outside, Gladney in the nickel. Hughes has also played some of both. Gladney moves to the outside with Dantzler or Kris Boyd on the second team.

With all four of these top cornerbacks being so young, there's a lot of potential upside there. However, there could be growing pains in 2020. Outside of that top four, don't forget about Boyd. UDFA Nevelle Clarke has made several nice breakups and might be pushing for a spot on the 53-man roster.

4. Justin Jefferson looks great, but he's not the No. 2 receiver yet USATSI_14742327_168388404_lowres There's no denying that rookie Justin Jefferson has been everything he was advertised to be so far. He has looked the part in every practice we've seen, and has been drawing rave reviews since he first reported to camp a couple weeks ago. There's just something that feels special about the way he runs routes, catches everything in a wide radius, and makes people miss after the catch. Don't expect him to put up crazy statistics right away, but I think he's going to be really good before too long.

One reason why Jefferson might not put up huge numbers immediately is that he's not actually the No. 2 receiver right now, as many assumed he would be. At the moment, that title belongs to second-year wideout Bisi Johnson. Kubiak was a big fan of Johnson's during the pre-draft process, and the seventh-rounder seized his opportunities as a rookie last year.

Now he's entering his second year in this system, and he's been excellent so far. Johnson is a really smart player who understands route-running and how to get open, which is very valuable for this offense. Does he have the athleticism and upside of Jefferson? No. But given the nature of this offseason, it wouldn't be shocking to see Johnson stay ahead of the rookie on the depth chart for a while longer.

Behind that top three, it looks like veterans Tajae Sharpe and Chad Beebe are competing for the No. 4 spot, though Alexander Hollins and K.J. Osborn could also be factors. Both Sharpe and Beebe have had some good moments in these practices. Kubiak is definitely fond of Beebe, who needs to stay healthy this year.

"I think he’s going to be a really fine player," Kubiak said. "I think the key for him is just staying healthy and getting that first season under his belt where he is healthy, and I think you’re going to see his career take off."

Being in that top four is going to be big for playing time this season, based on this recent comment from Kubiak: "From a receiver standpoint, we’re going to probably play four guys throughout the course of the game, so I look at all of them as starters."

Further down the depth chart at receiver, UDFA speedster Dan Chisena has had some impressive moments. It's been a rough camp for Dillon Mitchell, who dropped several balls on Monday.

5. Some stars are standing out, others are taking things slowly USATSI_14750467_168388404_lowres For most of the roster, training camp is about proving what you can do and trying to earn a role or just make the team. It's a big opportunity, it's intense, and it's the time to go as hard as you can. For a handful of stars, there isn't much to prove or any reason to risk injury.

Running back Dalvin Cook is among the latter group. He's been out there every day with his teammates, just like he said he would be, but he hasn't been doing a whole lot. Cook goes through the stretches and position drills, but sometimes he's off by himself doing drills. During the team periods, he rarely handles any reps, ceding those to Alexander Mattison, Mike Boone, and the rest of the Vikings' backs. It's a workload similar to what Adrian Peterson used to handle in camp, and is unrelated to his contract situation.

“We’re going to be smart with him," Zimmer said. "We’re just trying to make sure that we continue to give him what he needs and get him ready for [September] 13th.”

Danielle Hunter is another star who doesn't have to prove much. He was a dominant force during Friday's practice, but has sat out the past two sessions with what Zimmer described as a "little tweak." Doesn't sound like anything to worry about. The Vikings have every reason to exercise caution with their star players if they pick up any minor ailments.

With that said, several of those stars have been out there in full force and setting an example for their younger teammates with their play. Harrison Smith had two interceptions on Monday and remains extremely good at football. Eric Kendricks is all over the place, as usual. The Kirk Cousins-Adam Thielen rapport is still obvious, even if Dantz PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 8/19/20

Justin Jefferson Already Impressing At Vikings Camp: "He's Exactly What We Drafted"

By Will Ragatz

Take it with a grain of salt, because the pads have yet to come on and the lights have yet to get bright, but there's no denying it: Justin Jefferson has been everything he was advertised to be thus far in Vikings training camp.

Hype levels for the rookie wide receiver from LSU have been through the roof since the minute he was drafted 22nd overall by the Vikings in April. His numbers (1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns last year), championship pedigree, and athleticism all stood out. But beyond that, it quickly became clear that he has some of the star quality possessed by many of the game's best receivers. Jefferson has an infectious personality, a signature touchdown dance, and confidence that spills out every time you hear him talk.

Those traits turned the 21-year-old into a rapid fan favorite in Minnesota. Expectations are high for his rookie season – perhaps unfairly so. Jefferson has massive shoes to fill in replacing Stefon Diggs, and has had to deal with unique circumstances this offseason due to COVID-19. When he takes the field in Week 1, he will do so with significantly less preparation time than he would've been afforded in any other year.

Up to this point, Jefferson has made the most of every rep he's had. Through nearly two weeks of walkthroughs, workouts, and practices, he has lived up to the billing. Jefferson's speed, shifty route-running, and sticky hands were all well-known traits leading up to the draft, and those things have translated to the practice field. With the cameras rolling, he's already put together a highlight reel of impressive catches.

"It’s very encouraging," Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said of what he's seen from Jefferson so far. "He’s exactly what we drafted. We knew he’s a very talented young man that had a comfort zone in the slot because he did that a lot. I play him a little bit of everywhere, teaching him my offense, understanding schemes and what we’re doing but he's a very good route runner. When you sit there and talk routes and stuff, this kid’s very knowledgeable. He’s been coached by some good coaches before he got here. So he’s working. He’s got some great examples around him. A long way to go, but very encouraged by his work."

What Justin Jefferson Brings to the Vikings: Background, Scouting Report, 2020 Role

Kubiak was a big advocate for Jefferson during the pre-draft process. The Louisiana native has the separation ability and big-play potential that will theoretically allow him to thrive in Kubiak's system. That fit is a big reason why the Vikings were elated when the Eagles went with a different receiver on draft night, letting Jefferson fall to the 22nd pick. Recently, the Vikings OC cited a competitive family environment – both of Jefferson's older brothers also played at LSU – and excellent college coaching as reasons why the rookie is ahead of the curve from a football IQ standpoint.

Despite all of the mental reps and meetings he's gotten to do all offseason, plus two weeks looking impressive in shorts, Jefferson still has a lot to prove when the pads come on and the contact starts. He's not going to be handed the Vikings' No. 2 receiver job. Through two full-speed practices open to the media, second-year WR Bisi Johnson has been running opposite Adam Thielen with the first-team offense. Jefferson has been with the twos, though he did some work with the ones in three-WR sets on Sunday.

Over the next 14 padded practices, Jefferson will have the opportunity to step up and earn that starting role. But that's far from automatic, considering Johnson's knowledge of the system and the experience of a veteran like Tajae Sharpe. An important factor to watch is Jefferson's rapport with Kirk Cousins; the two have had limited time together and are still trying to develop that crucial connection all QB-WR duos need.

“It was a tough balance to find this summer in terms of getting together to work out, and we decided to do that when it looked like things were clearing up," Cousins said during the walkthrough period in early August. "We did connect for a few days in Minnesota to work, and actually when we finished and all went our separate ways, right after that is when news started coming out of some other teams doing similar things and having some challenges with COVID. We were fortunate to get that in and come out without an issue and move on. That was one step of trying to begin that process of learning the offense, but it’s just a small step. Then you’ve got to make progress in a unique setting of virtual meetings and now these walkthroughs."

"Every day he’s learning something new and getting experience. Just yesterday, there was a unique route we’re asking him to run that he was still trying to figure out – 'How do you want me to do this? What steps do you want me to take?' Whether it’s the receivers coach, myself, coach [Kubiak], we’re just trying to help him understand what we want, and every day you have another step that you take.”

Jefferson still has a long way to go. His career won't be judged by pad-less highlights on the practice field, it'll be judged by what he does on Sundays. But one thing you can count on is that the former two-star recruit will show up every day ready to work and get better.

The early returns on the Vikings' newest offensive weapon have been promising. Starting on Monday, it's time for the real fun to begin. PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 8/19/20

Mike Zimmer: "I've Never Had a Bad Defense, Ever. So I Don't Anticipate That Changing."

By Will Ragatz

With their linebacker depth suddenly a concern, the Vikings have signed Hardy Nickerson Jr., a three-year veteran who has appeared in 37 games for the Bengals. To make room on the 80-man roster, cornerback Marcus Sayles has been waived.

Nickerson was one of three players brought in by the Vikings for workouts on Monday, the others being safety Jahleel Addae and linebacker Derrick Moncrief.

This move makes a lot of sense from a roster-construction standpoint. The Vikings had nine corners and only six healthy linebackers, three of which were rookies. Adding Nickerson for Sayles gives them a veteran linebacker who could legitimately make the team, and they're only losing a corner who was buried on the depth chart.

This move was necessitated by a wave of injuries to Vikings linebackers. Cameron Smith is on IR due to upcoming open-heart surgery that will cause him to miss the entire season. Ben Gedeon remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list and hasn't been able to participate in training camp. The Vikings signed journeyman LB Quentin Poling, but then he got hurt in one of his first practices with the team. They also waived DeMarquis Gates.

That left the Vikings with three rookie backup linebackers behind Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, and Eric Wilson. Fourth-round rookie Troy Dye is No. 4 on the depth chart right now, and the other two are UDFAs Jordan Fehr and Blake Lynch.

Nickerson gives the Vikings someone who made nine starts in the NFL and will compete for a roster spot.

Hardy Nickerson Jr. File USATSI_11693983_168388404_lowres College: Cal (three seasons), Illinois (one season) Drafted: 2017 UDFA NFL experience: Three seasons (37 games, 9 starts) Age: 26 Size: 6'0", 235 Career stats (NFL): 81 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PD, 1 FF Career stats (NCAA): 351 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 4 sacks, 3 INT, 2 FF, 4 FR Nickerson spent the first three seasons of his college career at Cal before spending his final year as a grad transfer in the Big Ten at Illinois. He went undrafted, but was a priority signing by the Bengals and wound up making the 53- man roster as a rookie. He was primarily a special teams contributor as a rookie, but made his first career start in Week 14 at...U.S. Bank Stadium. Nickerson had five tackles in that game in a blowout loss.

His best season in the NFL came in 2018, when Nickerson made seven starts and recorded 57 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and a forced fumble on the year. He made a career-high 11 tackles against the Ravens in Week 11. It's worth noting that PFF gave him a very low grade of 45.6 for his 500-plus defensive snaps that season.

Nickerson's role on defense essentially disappeared last season, as he played just 46 snaps. He did continue to play on special teams.

Part of the reason why Nickerson may have gone undrafted in 2017 was that his athletic testing numbers were very underwhelming at the combine:

The 26-year-old doesn't have a ton of upside, but he has experience and can provide some run-stuffing ability. If Gedeon remains out, Nickerson will likely be competing with rookies Fehr and Lynch for the No. 5 linebacker spot on the active roster.

He is the son of 16-year NFL veteran and all-1990s team linebacker Hardy Nickerson Sr.

The player the Vikings waived is Sayles, who appeared to be way down the depth chart at cornerback during the camp practices we've seen so far. The former West Georgia and Canadian Football League star signed with the Vikings back in early January and was seen as a longshot candidate to make the team as a nickel corner.

Minnesota now has eight cornerbacks on the roster: Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Mark Fields II, Harrison Hand, and Nevelle Clarke. PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/19/20

3 Observations: Dalvin Cook Takes Increased Workload on 2nd Day in Pads

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings hit the practice field in full pads again at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, practicing for roughly 90 minutes on a warm Tuesday afternoon.

Defensive end Danielle Hunter, guard Dru Samia and tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart did not practice. Neither did linebacker Ben Gedeon, who is currently on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List.

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

Training Camp Practice: August 18 View photos of Vikings players from a Verizon Vikings Training Camp padded practice at TCO Performance Center.

1. Dalvin gets involved

Dalvin Cook hadn't done much work through the first three practices open to the media, including Monday's first session in pads.

But Cook was more involved Tuesday, taking part in team drills and looking like the Pro-Bowl running back he is.

Cook participated in a handful of snaps with the first-team offense, and looked smooth on the first play, a handoff to the left that likely would have went for a 10-plus yard gain.

The running back later took a handoff to the right and looked explosive, and also caught a swing pass in the right flat from quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer has said the team's goal is to get him ready for the season as contract negotiations continue between the Vikings and his representation, but Cook looked in fine form Tuesday.

Zimmer: I've Never Had A Bad Defense, Ever ... So I Don't Anticipate That Changing 2. Right side of OL looks strong

The right side of the Vikings offensive line features some familiar faces, even if one player is in a new position.

Garrett Bradbury (center) and Brian O'Neill (right tackle) return from their starting spots from 2019, while Pat Elflein has shifted to the right side after spending the past two seasons at left side.

The three linemen each won both of their individual reps in 1-on-1 drills on Tuesday. Bradbury walled off Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson, while Elflein got the best of Hercules Mata'afa on the interior. O'Neill was also solid as he went up against Jalyn Holmes.

That trio also opened up some holes in 11-on-11 drills, including for a sizable run for Alexander Mattison in the first team period of practice.

Spielman: There's A Lot of "New" But We're Getting Used To Things and It Feels Like Football Now 3. Bailey continues hot start

Dan Bailey is off to a perfect start in camp, as the veteran kicker nailed all four of his kicks Tuesday.

Bailey hit a PAT and a pair of 41-yarders in team drills, while also adding a 48-yard kick that was true.

So far in camp, Bailey has made all seven of his opportunities, with the kicks ranging from 33 to 48 yards.

Bailey was a three-time NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in 2019 as he made 27 of 29 field goal tries. PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/19/20

Colquitt's Muscle Tanks Part of Vikings Bond Building

By Craig Peters

EAGAN, Minn. — Roughly a decade — whether measured in his 780 punts or thousands of holds — has passed since Britton Colquitt allowed himself to envision what it would be like to become a veteran awarded extra locker space in an NFL locker room.

After playing in every possible game for Denver (2010-15), Cleveland (2016-18) and Minnesota (2019), Colquitt's wish has been awarded but not under ideal circumstances.

The Vikings have emptied lockers on each side of occupied ones to help with social distancing measures amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"One good thing about the whole distancing thing, everybody has an extra locker next to them, right? There's an extra locker in between, which is something that, every year of my life, 'I want to be that old guy so they feel sorry for me and get me an extra locker,' " Colquitt said recently during a video conference interview. "I'm finally the oldest guy around, and everybody gets an extra locker."

Colquitt's "Cast of Characters" — a collection of plush toys and plastic figurines representing former and current teammates — has not expanded to the new space. YET.

Instead, his first move was to set up a supply of muscle tanks that he hands out to teammates. It was one of the earliest endearments as the veteran transitioned to the Vikings on the fly last September.

He quickly took command of holds for extra points and field goals, delivered consistency on punts with nary a touchback and effused a light-hearted and likeable folksiness.

Image from iOS (4) Photo taken in 2019 The muscle tanks could be considered a joke for many a punter, but Colquitt takes his time in the weight room seriously. He has the cred to hand out the shirts to the likes of Dalvin Cook, Anthony Harris and linemen on both sides of the ball.

Colquitt also offered one to Special Teams Coordinator Marwan Maalouf.

"No, I'm good," Maalouf told Colquitt. "I'm just going to keep this right here."

Maalouf is in his 16th season in the NFL and second with the Vikings. He knew of Colquitt's accomplishments on the field, but he didn't quite know the colorful personality that would accompany the punter.

"We had played against him a few times, but meeting somebody in pre-game is completely different than forming a relationship with them," Maalouf said. "I like what he brings to the room. He's a laid-back guy. He likes to have fun. He knows when to get serious, which is important, but getting to know him, I think it's good for [kicker] Dan [Bailey]. It's good for [long snapper] Austin [Cutting]."

Image from iOS Photo taken in 2019 Maalouf said Colquitt has "a huge impact on the rest of the team," evidenced by how quickly other position players donned the tanks.

"I think two days after he gets here, half the team is wearing tank tops," Maalouf said.

Receiver Bisi Johnson, who was new to the NFL last year, quickly took note of Colquitt's presence, saying the veteran is "probably the funniest" player on the team and "jacked for a punter."

"My first impression, for sure, was that this dude was a character. I mean, I feel like you never expect a specialist or punter to have as much character as he does," Johnson said. "He's just a funny dude and has everybody laughing.

"But then he brings in the bro tanks, and you just have to laugh. This dude is in the weight room more than he's out on the field, I'd say. And he looks good," Johnson added. "Some of the guys are in the weight room still rocking those things."

Indeed, Colquitt said he's got a good supply for this year.

"There's pegs in our lockers, three on each side, and I've got large, XL, double-XL. I've got the tank tops hanging on the pegs, so kind of creating a little store. Of course it's free, so I'm going to keep it going," Colquitt said. "I've already had some young guys that have asked for tank tops that are kind of in on it, so we're going to get the gun shows going, but it's tough [to bond because of the distancing measures]."

Image from iOS (1) Then, what of the animals and figurines?

"I've got room for a whole bunch more, and maybe even some life-sized ones," Colquitt said. "I don't even know what can go on there. I'm already thinking about Christmas time. I can put my own Christmas tree up in a locker. It's going to be good. We're going to come out of this on the other side, and everyone is going to be closer and all of that kind of stuff."

The pandemic shifted offseason operations and schedules and has canceled all NFL preseason games for 2020, but the regular season is still scheduled to start Sept. 13. It also has prompted numerous changes for camp and locales throughout Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.

Changes include the following: players, coaches and staff being required to wear masks while inside and maintain 6 feet of distance, which is enforced by contact-tracing devices; leaving just one chair per table in the cafeteria; and removing most of the comfy seat cushions from the auditorium that, based on guidelines, no longer has capacity for a full team meeting.

"Everybody is still trying to chat it up and do the same thing," Colquitt said. "You've just got to try to keep your distance out of respect for the whole situation and anybody else. It is tough. It's amazing how much you start to recognize people with just half of their face, but I'm always trying to read people's expressions, you know what I mean? Are you smiling? Are you glaring at me?"

Colquitt isn't the only one navigating new ways to bond and communicate.

Image from iOS (3)

When Mike Zimmer was hired as head coach in 2014, he promptly requested a temporary room of platforms, chairs, tables and pipe-and-drape to be constructed around a pop-up video screen in the field house so that the entire team could meet together. Previous days of large meetings at Winter Park involved players spilling into a weight room and peering their heads around the doorway to hear what was being said.

Zimmer wanted the ability to look each of his players in the eye. He still can, but facial expressions are hidden, and there are limits on how many players he can meet with in-person. Meetings with the entire team are virtual affairs.

Although the coach would prefer face-to-face (even if masked) over screen-to-screen interactions, he mentioned that he opens or ends most meetings with a reminder "about what is going on in the world and what we have to do in order to be successful with this season, with not just playing, but being good and winning."

He volunteered that he caught himself before leaving his office without his mask and doubled back to stay in compliance.

"I think it's just getting used to the newness of everything. It's honestly no different from when we moved from Winter Park over here, we had to figure out where everything was and what to do and how to do it. We're still trying to do that now in a different setting," Zimmer said. "But it's like we've told the players, 'It's a new world for us, too.' So we're going to do our very best to keep them safe and then move forward."

It's safe to say that each player's accountability to teammates and the virtue of, "Do your job so the person next to you can do his," are being stressed by Zimmer.

Mastering and executing Xs and Os certainly are important for sure, but team camaraderie and connectedness are also valuable in a sport that is about overcoming obstacles and adversities.

Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Adam Zimmer described the fast-tracking on getting-to-know-you process that naturally occurs in a normally immersive training camp.

"Some of the guys, I'm just seeing their faces for the first time — and only half their faces, because there's a mask — so yeah, when you're on the sideline you've got to try to talk to people and get to know them," he said. "Usually by now we know the rookies really well or the new faces really well, but that's something to it, learning their personalities, learning how they react to coaching, learning how they tick, and that's something we're constantly spending time with, and I think the position coaches have a better feel for the certain positions than some of the other coaches, so those coaches are going to have to lean on the other position coaches, and we have great coaches to do that."

Adam Thielen has played in 90 games for the Vikings. The only game-day overlap he has with other Vikings receivers is with Bisi Johnson (10 games), Chad Beebe (six games) and Alexander Hollins (two games). Thielen described the importance of on-field communication and fostering relationships.

"I think when you have good relationships, when you're able to communicate, talk about maybe tough subjects, things like that, you're able to play a little harder for one another when you're on the field on game days in a tough environment, when things are maybe up against the wall and things aren't just perfect," Thielen said. "So yeah, again, when you have a good relationship, when you're able to spend time and build that relationship with a receiver, it just makes it easier on game day to be able to play for one another, to have each other's back and to fight for each other."

Cousins said "one of the biggest challenges" of the offseason was not getting to connect with teammates and coaches for "the social aspect."

"Great to see everybody again and get back to some sense of normalcy with our job," Cousins said. "It's been a really productive first week-and-a-half, two weeks, and certainly a different beginning to August than what we're used to, but it has been effective, and I think it's given young players a great chance to learn the system and get their base before we were to go full speed in practice. It's been a pretty smooth transition with the protocols related to COVID, and I think that's been a real positive. It's kind of a new normal. Right now, we're just kind of stacking bricks and hopefully building the foundation for an outstanding 2020 season." PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/19/20

Lunchbreak: PFF ranks Dalvin Cook No. 7 among NFL RBs in 2020

By Lindsey Young

Dalvin Cook's passion for the game is evident when he takes the field on Sundays.

The running back spoke to media members last week and expressed excitement for being at Verizon Vikings Training Camp with his teammates.

"I love football; I love being around the guys," Cook said. "It's like a stress reliever for me, just being on the field, being around the guys, being in the locker room."

As the Vikings prepare for the 2020 season in the wake of an offseason altered drastically by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cook is readying for his fourth campaign in Purple. There's no denying that he's among the league's top running backs – but where exactly does he rank?

Analytics site Pro Football Focus recently listed its top 25 running backs and ranked Cook seventh overall. PFF's Ben Linsey said he slated Cook a little lower because of the injuries he's navigated over his first three seasons. While durability is listed as a concern for Linsey, he wrote that Cook's "abilities on the field are another thing entirely."

The tackle-breaking show that he put on display at Florida State has certainly translated to the NFL. Cook'sforced missed tackle rateof 22.4 [percent] ranks fourth among 28 running backs with 500 or more touches over the past three seasons, and he has been an ideal fit in Minnesota's outside-zone scheme, showing rare ability to maintain speed in and out of his cuts. It's a big reason why his83.5 rushing gradeduring the regular season in 2019 was a top- three mark at the position. The biggest thing left to do is stay healthy and highlight that ability in a full season of action.

Ranked ahead of Cook by Linsey were, from 1-6, Christian McCaffrey (Panthers), Nick Chubb (Browns), Alvin Kamara (Saints), Saquon Barkley (Giants), Aaron Jones (Packers) and Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys).

Training Camp Memories Featuring Randall McDaniel, Pete Bercich, Mike Morris and Dixon Edwards Randall McDaniel joining 'Change Starts with Me' event Thursday

Vikings fans who help make a difference in the Twin Cities community this week will also have the opportunity to meet Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel.

McDaniel, who helped anchor Minnesota's offensive line from 1988-99, is participating in Thursday's "Change Starts with Me" donation drive.

The grassroots organization was founded in the wake of George Floyd's tragic death on Memorial Day while in police custody. It has hosted a number of donation and distribution drives since May, including one with the help of Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, defensive end Danielle Hunter and several of their teammates.

Thursday's event will take place at the Cub Foods Blaine North location (12595 Central Ave NE) from 3-7 p.m. (CT).

McDaniel will be on-site greeting guests, accepting donations and signing autographs for the first 200 individuals who donate – while abiding by social-distance guidelines.

PA, Bercich and Johnson Set The Stage For Vikings 2020 Season Vikings 'triplets' fall middle-of-the-pack by NFL.com

Each summer, NFL.com ranks all 32 teams according to their offensive triplets, meaning the team's QB-RB-pass- catcher trio.

NFL.com's Ali Bhanpari said that while this particular ranking "might feel a bit antiquated and unscientific, it can provide a decent snapshot of an offense's capability."

Bhanpari tabbed Minnesota's offensive trio of Kirk Cousins, Cook and Adam Thielen just about middle-of-the-pack, tying for 15th in the league with Philadelphia's Carson Wentz, Miles Sanders and Zach Ertz. He wrote:

Cook makes everything look so effortless, whether he's sprinting past defensive ends on an outside zone or taking a dump-off in the flat for 40. While durability is a legitimate concern, I'm conveniently overlooking the what-ifs here and focusing my attention on his immense value. He's the motor that powers the Vikings ship. He's also largely responsible for Cousins' career year last season. As I recently wrote in our 30 over 30 file, Cousins is a really good quarterback who'd instantly improve half the league's QB1 situations. But in those less-than-ideal conditions, would he still be a top-10 passer? That's what I'm not so sure about. Hampered by hamstring issues, Thielen caught just 30 balls for 418 yards and six TDs over 10 games. With Stefon Diggs gone, can Thielen carry Minnesota's receiving corps?

PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/19/20

5 Things to Know About New Vikings LB Hardy Nickerson

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings added linebacker depth to their roster Tuesday with the signing of Hardy Nickerson.

The 26-year-old California native is listed as 6-foot and 235 pounds.

Minnesota waived cornerback Marcus Sayles in a corresponding move.

Here are five things to know about the newest Minnesota Viking:

1. A familiar first start

Nickerson's first start in the NFL occurred in Week 14 of the 2017 season with Cincinnati … at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Vikings.

Minnesota earned a 34-7 victory that day to wrap up the NFC North, but Nickerson was credited with five tackles (four solo) for the Bengals.

The linebacker made two starts as a rookie, with the second one in Baltimore in Week 16.

2. Strong family pedigree

Nickerson can turn to his father, Hardy, for football advice. The elder Nickerson played 16 total seasons in the National Football League with the Steelers, Buccaneers, Jaguars, and Packers.

A fifth-round pick of Pittsburgh in the 1987 NFL Draft, Nickerson ended his career as a five-time Pro Bowl honoree and earned four All-Pro (two First-Team) selections.

He was tabbed as a member on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team at linebacker.

3. NFL experience

Nickerson joined the Bengals as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2019.

He has played in 37 career games with nine starts, totaling 81 tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and two passes defensed.

Nickerson made seven starts in 2018, but split the 2019 season between Cincinnati's active roster and the practice squad.

4. More Pac-12 connections

Nickerson, who grew up in Oakland, stayed close to home for college and attended the University of California from 2012-15.

He redshirted as a true freshman before appearing in 35 career games with 27 starts over the next three seasons.

Nickerson, who earned a bachelor's degree in legal studies at Cal, tallied 246 tackles, nine tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception in his time with the Bears.

Nickerson's best season came as a junior in 2015 when he started all 13 games and compiled a team-high 112 tackles.

Nickerson is now one of four linebackers on Minnesota's 80-man roster with Pac-12 connections. Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks starred at UCLA, and rookie Troy Dye attended Oregon. And linebacker Cam Smith, who is on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness List, played at Southern California.

5. Another season with Dad

Nickerson transferred from Cal to Illinois, where his father was defensive coordinator, for his final college season.

Nickerson appeared in 12 games while playing for his father, racking up 107 total tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Nickerson was also coached by his father during his final two seasons at Bishop O'Dowd High School in 2010 and 2011. PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 8/19/20

10 Vikings Potential X-Factors in 2020: Bisi Johnson

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — As Verizon Vikings Training Camp continues and the 2020 season nears, plenty of players will play key roles for the Vikings.

But some players will be in the spotlight more than others, whether it is because of roster turnover or their own progression in recent years.

This is a 10-part series about X-factors on the roster, consisting of players who could be primed for more playing time, and a chance to help the Vikings more than in years past.

Rookies are excluded, as are veterans who have already cemented themselves as vital players on the Vikings.

Up next? Vikings wide receiver Bisi Johnson. Here's why he could be an X-factor in 2020:

— Put together solid rookie season as seventh-round pick

— Trustworthy and appreciated by coaches and teammates

— Versatility allowed him to move around the field

2019 Recap

Stat line: 31 catches (on 45 targets) for 294 yards (9.5 yards per catch) and three touchdowns in 16 games (six starts)

Johnson was a seventh-round pick last spring, but he was still a bit of an unknown player to most after spring practices concluded in 2019.

2019 Season in Photos: Vikings WR Bisi Johnson View the top photos of Vikings WR Bisi Johnson from the 2019 season.

RELATED LINKS 10 Vikings Potential X-Factors in 2020: Eric Wilson 10 Vikings Potential X-Factors in 2020: Holton Hill 10 Vikings Potential X-Factors in 2020: Ifeadi Odenigbo 10 Vikings Potential X-Factors in 2020: Garrett Bradbury That changed in training camp and preseason games, as he worked himself off the bubble and onto the 53-man roster. While some expected him simply to be a depth player, he made six starts and filled in admirably for Adam Thielen when the Pro Bowler missed nearly two months with a hamstring injury.

Vikings Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak, who was in an advisory role in 2019 and had done some evaluation of the former Colorado State player when Kubiak was with Denver's personnel department, said Johnson just continued to get better as the season went along.

"We got in here with Bisi, a seventh-round player, you start practicing, you go in a coaching meeting and the special teams coach says, 'Boy, this guy really knows what he's doing.' It just kept adding up," Kubiak said. "He caught up very quickly. He can play a lot of positions, and then the minute Adam goes down, he starts six or seven games.

"When you're studying players coming out, you can say, 'Hey, I think this guy's a smart player, can handle a lot,' " Kubiak added. "But you really won't know until you get him, and he went above and beyond the call of duty there."

Bisi Makes Spectacular Leaping Touchdown Catch At 6-foot and 204 pounds, Johnson isn't the biggest or fastest receiver on the field by any means.

But he said the constant commitment to his game, even away from the facility, helped him grow in 2019.

"Yeah, I think it helped that I was putting in the extra work after practice," Johnson said. " and I threw I don't know how many times after practice, and I don't know how many balls, but it was a bunch.

"Then not only that, but locking in on the playbook after practice when I was back at the hotel, just hours upon hours of studying, which helped me a lot," Johnson added.

Johnson didn't top the 50-yard mark in a game in 2019, but was steady with five games of 30-plus yards.

Bisi Johnson 'Mosses' Saints CB for Touchdown Best Splash Play So Far

You always remember your first NFL touchdown catch.

Johnson's came early in the second quarter of a Week 7 road game in Detroit. Minnesota trailed 14-7 and needed someone to step up after Thielen had left the game with an injury.

The Vikings took advantage of Johnson's athleticism and put him in motion as he used his speed to dash into the end zone and haul in a 1-yard score.

"I knew I was going to have an opportunity to get the ball," Johnson said in October after he finished with four catches for 40 yards. "I was going to motion over … if it was man, they were going to have to send them back over the top when I came back underneath. I knew it from the start.

"I prepared myself during the week that if anything happened in the game," Johnson added. "I know I'm the next one up. It was just going out there and playing ball."

Johnson caught touchdown passes in both games against the division-rival Lions in 2019, and added another one on the road against the Chiefs.

2020 Outlook

Most players will tell you that they feel more confident both physically and mentally entering their second season in the league.

Johnson is no different, especially after seeing some extended playing time in 2019.

"It's slowed down a whole bunch, just understanding my role on the field, where I have to be and when I have to be there," Johnson said. "It's crazy going from Year 1 to Year 2 and how much of a difference it makes."

While Johnson endured an unusual offseason like everyone else, he stayed ready by working out with fellow NFL players back home in Colorado.

Training Camp Practice: August 17 View photos of Vikings players from Verizon Vikings Training Camp practice at TCO Performance Center.

"It was a little different for me since this was my first offseason. I wasn't really sure what a normal NFL offseason looked like," Johnson said. "But I was actually back in Colorado training with a few of the Broncos. I got a pro-style quarterback to throw to me, so I was throwing with Drew Lock.

"Then there was competition at receiver, whether it was Courtland Sutton or Tim Patrick," Johnson added. "There were a lot of pro guys out there, which helped because you want to surround yourself with pro guys when you're training for the NFL. I think I definitely had an edge this offseason, for sure."

Now Johnson could be in line for an even bigger role in 2020 depending on how training camp shakes out.

There's no question that Thielen is the No. 1 wide receiver when healthy. Newcomers Justin Jefferson (2020 first- round pick) and Tajaé Sharpe (2020 free agent) are putting their best feet forward.

But the Vikings know what they have in Johnson — a trustworthy and reliable player — who has already earned the respect of his teammates and coaches.

And he's already spent a year in a Kubiak-style offense, showing he has the football smarts to line up at any receiver position, rather than just be pigeonholed into a specific spot.

Thielen: It's Exciting To Get Back On The Field The Vikings expect Johnson to take another step forward in 2020. So, too, does Thielen.

"It's fun to see his progression because I think being around him in the last week, he's excited to be back and you can just tell he's confident," Thielen said. "He knows that he's a good football player. He knows that he can be successful in this league and it shows.

"It's an exciting thing for me to see the rookies last year, now to see him progress into who he is now," Thielen added. "I'm excited to get back on the field with him because I think he's a special football player."