The Vikings will return to practice on Monday, beginning their most important week of training camp. After a day off on Tuesday, the Vikings will have joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday against Baltimore at TCO Performance Center before facing the Ravens in a preseason game on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The practices should help shape some of the key decisions that will be made by general manager Nolan Teasley and coach Kevin O’Connell. The joint sessions offer a more controlled environment than an exhibition game, but are competitive enough that coaches like to get veterans valuable reps to prepare for the regular season.
Here are some of the key things that Vikings’ brass will be monitoring this week:
With Kyler Murray being named the Vikings’ starting quarterback last week, he and Justin Jefferson can focus on developing their chemistry. The rapport between Murray and Jefferson looked good last week, but the two won’t play together in a game until the Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers. Jefferson has never played in a preseason game in his career, and coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t about to change that now. The joint practices are as close as Murray and Jefferson will get to game-like conditions before next month.
The potentially season-ending knee injury veteran Jamal Adams suffered on Saturday raises a few questions about what the Vikings will do on defense. Adams was signed as a linebacker in late July, but the former Pro Bowl safety was quickly switched to a number (32) that allowed him to play both positions. The 30-year-old appeared to be competing for a starting spot, and his ability to blitz from multiple spots made him a great fit for coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme. Adams also possessed the type of football smarts that Flores values. Adams’ injury might help preserve linebacker Ivan Pace’s spot on the roster — at least in the short term.
It’s clear the door remains open for Harrison Smith to return, if he chooses to play a 15th season. The signing of Adams had me wondering if Smith had told the Vikings he wouldn’t be back, but you can bet the full-court press will be on. No one thinks the 37-year-old Smith is still the Pro Bowl player he was in his prime, but his understanding of the Flores’ defense and ability to make pre-snap calls is what makes him so valuable. Adams was capable of making a similar impact.
Starting edge rushers Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel both played Saturday, and Turner finished with a sack. Bo Richter, Chazz Chambliss, Cam’Ron Stewart and Arden Walker also got a chance to make an impression. Richter had one of the Vikings’ four sacks. The assumption has been the Vikings will make a veteran addition on the edge, but that depends on how the always-creative Flores plans to get pressure. There also is a chance one or two of the four backups also have impressed. This week will offer a great opportunity for Richter, Chambliss, Stewart or Walker to emerge.
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