Minnesota Vikings News and Links: Game Day! (2024)

Game Day!

Who are you looking forward to watching besides everybody?

Obviously, JJ McCarthy is first. Then, I will be watching Jaquelin Roy, James Lynch, Taki Taimani, Jalen Redmond, Tyler Manoa, and Levi Drake Rodriguez on the defensive line. I want to see Brian Asamoah and Dwight McGlothern too. Others are Michael Jurgens, Dan Feeney, and Walter Rouse.

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Vikings Trading Andrew Booth Jr. to Cowboys for Nahshon Wright

Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton believes Darnold is already proving to be among the “steals” from 2024 free agency.

“If the USC product is a moderate upgrade over [Nick] Mullens, Jaren Hall and Joshua Dobbs, who filled in for an injured Kirk Cousins last season, Minnesota could push for a playoff spot,” Moton wrote on August 8.

“Because of Darnold’s supporting cast, he could have a year similar to Baker Mayfield’s 2023 campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, extending his career as a starting signal-caller.”

Vikings Built to Support Quarterbacks

Moton points to the Vikings’ cohesion along the offensive line. They are returning four of five starters and five players who have starting experience. A fifth starter from 2023, left guard Dalton Risner, also re-signed in free agency.

Moton also notes the Vikings’ plethora of options at the skill positions, headlined by All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

They will miss Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson as he recovers from a severe knee injury. However, former Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan was turning heads before back spasms knocked him out of practice in training camp.

The Vikings also have options like wideout Jordan Addison and running back Aaron Jones.

Then there is the coaching staff, headlined by highly regarded head coach Kevin O’Connell, a former player whose staff also features fellow former QB Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach.

Matthew Coller: Vikings who will be in the spotlight during preseason opener

Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced his plans for splitting up the playing time on Thursday.

“Sam Darnold will start the game, and then we will transition to J.J. McCarthy, for what I’m very excited to see, a significant amount of work.”

In the last two seasons O’Connell hasn’t played his starting quarterback in the preseason but this time around is very different. The free agent signee Darnold is starting to get on the same page with the first team offense stringing strong practices together over the last two weeks while McCarthy is learning the ropes as an NFL quarterback.

“Now, we’re reaching the point where we get to see a good barometer on where we’re at,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell did not say exactly what “significant” means in terms of how many series Darnold will play or when McCarthy will give way to second-year QB Jaren Hall. Nick Mullens is not expected to play.

On what he feels that he can learn about McCarthy’s progress, O’Connell said: “Nothing can quite simulate real play clocks, real repercussions for things like maybe you don’t do your job and it affects others or vice versa. I think it’s just a really good way of seeing exactly where you’re at.”

Vikings Expect to Dodge Worst-Case Suspension for Jordan Addison: Report

The Minnesota Vikings expect a suspension is imminent for wide receiver Jordan Addison, but when the timing is looking ideal for the team to be without the second-year star.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported on August 9 that the Vikings expect Addison, who is facing drunk driving charges in California, to be suspended late in the season or during the 2025 offseason.

If this is the case, the Vikings would avoid a scenario where the team would be without Addison and Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson, who is expected to miss at least the first month of the season while recovering from knee surgery.

“The Vikings anticipate that a suspension is coming at some point. But due to the speed with which those matters move at the league office, they’re comfortable in their belief that any suspension would come either late this season or during the 2025 offseason,” Graziano wrote. “There was some concern that an Addison suspension could overlap with the early part of the season, when they’ll be without tight end T.J. Hockenson as he recovers from a season-ending torn ACL, but that doesn’t seem likely.”

How is Vikings’ rookie J.J. McCarthy progressing so far?

August 2 was a big day for J.J. McCarthy. The Minnesota Vikings were finishing their second week of training camp, and to that point, their rookie quarterback had managed to keep afloat in an environment that can swallow up young players. As it turned out, coach Kevin O’Connell was planning to give him his first snaps with the Vikings’ No. 1 offense.

Right away, something seemed off. McCarthy said later he felt “rushed up mentally, just not settling in.” On more occasions than he had in other practices, McCarthy tried to create additional time in the pocket rather than trusting his reads. He seemed jumpy, scrambling when there were places to throw the ball.

He violated what he said was advice he received earlier this year from Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who told him to “respect the NFL but don’t over-respect it.” Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips refers to it as the John Wooden rule: Be quick but don’t hurry. And in the only pass he threw during two first-team snaps, McCarthy fired into coverage and was nearly intercepted.

“[Manning said,] ‘Don’t speed up your footwork, don’t speed up your thought processes,” McCarthy said. “And that’s something I fell victim to that day, so it was a great learning experience.”

Five things to watch in the Vikings’ preseason opener against the Raiders

Should Vikings pursue former Patriots receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster?

Vikings Training Camp Takeaways: Sam Darnold Is Honing in on Starting QB Job

Cowboys-Vikings trade grades: Teams swap recently drafted cornerbacks

Cowboys: B-

Dallas is taking a shot on a former second-round pick with two years of team control remaining on his rookie deal, hoping that a change of scenery and a new scheme can help tap into what made him a sought-after prospect. For the price of a fourth-year player who was probably going to be cut, it’s a decent gamble — even if it’s unlikely to pay big dividends.

Vikings: C-

Wright is in the final year of his rookie contract and has yet to show he’s an NFL-caliber corner, so even though it appears that Booth was not in Minnesota’s plans, bailing on him and only getting a player who has thus far been exclusively a special-teamer in return is not particularly good asset management. They might not lose much by cutting ties with Booth, but they didn’t get much, either.

Yore Mock

9 Mason Graham DL Michigan 6’3” 320

137 Devin Neal RB Kansas 5’11” 215

145 Nick Emmanwori CB South Carolina 6’3” 227

169 Jordan Burch DL Oregon 6’6” 290

195 Dane Key WR Kentucky 6’3” 210

201 Francisco Mauigoa LB Miami (FL) 6’3” 230

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

No discussion of politics or religion
No feeding of the trolls
Leave the gender hatred at the door
Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)
Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags
No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer
If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away
While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm