It’s game week! Yes, I know it sounds crazy. But the Minnesota Vikings will play a football game this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has not yet tipped his hand on who will and won’t play. Expect that news later in the week.
In the meantime, I thought laying out some evaluations from the first few weeks of training camp could be useful. Who’s up? Who’s down? And who’s holding steady?
Here’s the pre-preseason game stock watch:
GO DEEPERMinnesota Vikings training camp: What we’ve learned from Week 1Stock up
Jalen Nailor, WR
Don’t take it from me, take it from superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson. When asked about Nailor this weekend, Jefferson said, “He’s balling. I’m very proud of him.” Nailor, a sixth-round pick in 2022, has missed ample time due to injuries (concussion, hamstring, leg, etc.). This is the longest he’s been healthy, and he hasn’t disappointed. In 11 personnel groupings at practice, he has been the primary No. 3 receiver. As long as he stays healthy and the Vikings don’t add an external receiver, the job feels like it’s his to lose.
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Theo Jackson, S
“Theo’s getting lucky,” Vikings passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Daronte Jones joked Saturday. His smile was an obvious tell. No, Jackson, a sixth-round pick by the Titans in 2022, is not getting lucky. He’s ascending to a level where it’ll be hard for defensive coordinator Brian Flores to keep him off the field. The Vikings already have a stacked safety room. Jackson’s emergence is a boon for depth, but expect to see some four-safety looks, too. Jackson sits next to future Ring of Honor member Harrison Smith in the meeting room and might eventually be his successor.
@theo_jackson05 is a true football player pic.twitter.com/aPwZZSb8Xs
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2024
Jonah Williams, DL
Once Jerry Tillery left practice Saturday with an injury, Williams filled his spot when Flores used three-defensive tackle personnel groupings. The two other interior positions were occupied by Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard. Williams is considerably lighter and has more wiggle. But he also has power, which showed up last week as he exploded into right guard Ed Ingram and knocked him into the backfield on two consecutive reps. Williams is best as a three-technique across from a guard, and in five-down fronts, he would likely replace Tillery.
Fabian Moreau, CB
He arrived last week and started with the first team on his first day. That was notable, but more than that, his length and athleticism stand out among the Vikings’ cornerback options. The group is thin, and Shaq Griffin, when healthy, is still likely to be the team’s primary outside corner — unless the Vikings add someone external, which I would not rule out. Behind Griffin, though, Moreau might be the best option depending on how Akayleb Evans progresses in his third season as a pro. Simply put, I didn’t expect Moreau to look as solid as he has thus far.
Gabriel Murphy, Edge
Flores is not a coach who typically showers praise on youngsters, but he did Saturday with Murphy. “I’m excited to see him moving forward,” Flores said. This isn’t that surprising. The Vikings have successfully identified undrafted fits since Flores became the defensive coordinator. And Murphy, who hails from UCLA, was the 15th-highest-graded overall edge rusher in college football last year, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s explosive and aggressive. It’s early, but he looks like a surefire 53-man candidate.
Coach Flores says that @gabrielmurphy_ only likes good football and has a high football IQ pic.twitter.com/enlQPnFHBb
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 3, 2024
Dwight McGlothern, CB
The undrafted secret sauce continues with McGlothern, who has impressed on the practice field a few times. Last week, he deceived Sam Darnold in the red zone and deflected a pass toward the pylon in the direction of Brandon Powell. He has even matched up in stints against Jefferson. Jones, the defensive backs coach, was familiar with McGlothern dating back to their time together at LSU. His size stands out, and he is constantly asking questions of the veterans after practice. He is trending similarly to Murphy.
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Jeshaun Jones, WR
He has flown under the radar given the other undrafted talent that has made waves, but Jones pops almost daily. He’s a former Maryland wide receiver who tore his ACL twice in college. While not the largest or the most physically imposing, he’s similar to Nailor in that he transitions smoothly into his routes. He has made contested catches, too. The Vikings have ample receiver depth, so maybe Jones ends up on the practice squad, but he’s a name to keep an eye on because he has a skill set that wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell certainly seeks.
Holding steady
Blake Brandel, LG
I added this category mostly to mention a few players I thought needed updates. Brandel has held his own. He is, for lack of a better term, massive; larger than Dalton Risner, certainly, at 6-foot-7. There has not been a moment throughout camp where left guard has been a worry. The first real test will come in a couple of weeks in Cleveland when Brandel is facing off against Dalvin Tomlinson and Za’Darius Smith. For now, his solid start warrants a mention.
Ryan Wright, P
Wright still has his work cut out for him to earn the job for the third year in a row. But for a shank during one of the first practices, he has booted the ball consistently in terms of distance and placement inside the 20-yard line. His reliability as a holder is no minor factor, either. Kicker Will Reichard is clued into every minor detail of his process (the snap, the hold, the wind, etc.). They all matter, and Wright is regarded internally as a trusted option in that role.
GO DEEPERWhy tough Alabama kicker Will Reichard was the guy the Vikings simply couldn't pass upJohnny Mundt, TE
If you were wondering who has gotten the most targets at camp, the answer might be Mundt. Maybe that’s a byproduct of the way Flores is defending. Or maybe Mundt is just a quarterback magnet. Whatever the case, until T.J. Hockenson returns, the 29-year-old out of Oregon is the tight end who seems to be in line for the most snaps. He can catch and he can run block. Sometimes, O’Connell talks about him like he’s his own son. And, it should be noted, for all of the targets he has received, I don’t think he has dropped one.
Clutch catch in the corner of the end zone 🙌🙌@JMundt83 pic.twitter.com/ax12pQeB05
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 3, 2024
Stock down
Lewis Cine, S
O’Connell classified Cine’s current injury as “a lower leg” strain. The former first-round pick has barely practiced, and even when he has been healthy, he has mostly been confined to the third-string unit. He’s assuredly behind Jackson and newly acquired Bobby McCain on the depth chart. If Jay Ward hadn’t transitioned to cornerback recently, Cine would be behind him, too. Releasing him would incur a nearly $5 million dead cap hit this season, but that seems the likely move until Cine shows availability and production.
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Andrew Booth Jr., CB
Booth is healthy but he has rarely played. Duke Shelley, Ward and McGlothern have taken most of the snaps with the No. 2 defense. A.J. Green III and 2023 undrafted cornerback Jaylin Williams have earned as many — if not more — reps than Booth. Similar to Cine, the Vikings would be dinged about $1.7 million by cutting him, but that’s a minor tax to hang onto someone like Murphy or McGlothern who could become major contributors.
Andre Carter II, Edge
For all of the undrafted success the Vikings have had in recent years, Carter has yet to shine. He is listed at 6-foot-6 and 256 pounds, but he still seems to get washed out of plays too easily. While twitchy, his overall power leaves a lot to be desired. Adding Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Murphy and undrafted option Owen Porter put Carter in a precarious position before camp. He hasn’t ascended since the action began.
Jaquelin Roy, DT
The Vikings drafted Roy last year in the fifth round, and he played 96 defensive snaps as a rookie. While he is big and knows the system, he has mostly competed for training camp snaps with fellow substitute James Lynch. Levi Drake Rodriguez, the Vikings’ seventh-round pick this season, has taken more snaps with the starters than Roy, which might simply be a reflection of the Vikings wanting to evaluate Rodriguez against high-end talent. But Roy, like 2022 fifth-round pick Esezi Otomewo, has not flashed much.
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(Photo of Jalen Nailor: David Berding / Getty Images)
Alec Lewis is a staff writer covering the Minnesota Vikings for The Athletic. He grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and has written for Yahoo, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kansas City Star, among many other places. Follow Alec on Twitter @alec_lewis
