Joint practice week could shake up Vikings' depth chart

[minny65]

Joint practice week could shake up Vikings' depth chart (msn.com)

The Minnesota Vikings’ coaching staff has been mentioning joint practices with the Tennessee Titans during press conferences dating back to Day 1 of training camp. They seem pretty pumped to see their squad in action versus another team. Wednesday and Thursday’s practices combined with Saturday’s preseason game against Tennessee represent the peak of the summer for evaluations.
Over the first few weeks of camp we have seen the depth chart begin to settle but with plenty of time remaining before the Vikings kick off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 1, there are a number of players who need to kick into gear in a competitive environment in order to stay in the race and others who can solidify their roles.
The feeling that there could be movers and sharkers on the roster is quite different from last year when the Vikings practiced against the San Francisco 49ers. While those practices were hotly contested at times and we were able to get hints that Christian Darrisaw was ready for a breakout season, Justin Jefferson was going to light up the NFL and that Kevin O’Connell’s passing game was going to look quite different from the previous regime, there weren’t many jobs up for grabs. This time around there are battles for position between certain players and also battles between some players and themselves.
Let’s get into it..
— At running back, Kene Nwangwu has been out with an injury, leaving Ty Chandler and DeWayne McBride behind Alexander Mattison. The staff sounds unconvinced that Chandler can pass protect well enough to be confident in playing him for long stretches. The Vikings had another running back, Mike Davis, in for a visit on Tuesday, making it clear that they are considering a veteran option. Davis has gained over 500 yards with three different teams in his career. Will Nwangwu be back in time to show the coaches that he belongs as Mattison’s backup? Will Chandler step up over the next four days and take a step toward solidifying himself as RB2?

— The wide receiver room is still lacking clarity. On the first day of camp Jalen Nailor suffered a leg injury and hasn’t practiced since. That has opened up the door for more reps for everyone else. One of those players is Trishton Jackson, who came back a knee injury on Sunday and made several very good catches. He has developed after landing on the practice squad the last two years and may be forcing the team to pay attention to him. There’s also two punt returners, Jalen Reagor and Brandon Powell, jockeying for position. Both played well in last week’s preseason game. At the bottom of the chart N’Keal Harry, Thayer Thomas and Blake Proehl can improve their practice squad chances while Garrett Maag and Lucky Jackson (both banged up presently) have a ways to go.

— Will joint practices make a difference for KJ Osborn and Jordan Addison? Hard to say. As it stands Osborn remains WR2, though Addison’s daily circus-catch act is certainly convincing. The “battle” between the two is probably overrated anyway since the Vikings run three-receiver personnel the majority of the time but Kirk Cousins’s chemistry with Addison matters as does his trustworthiness to be in the right places and block the right people in the run game.
— On the offensive line, it’s the guards versus the idea of signing veteran Dalton Risner, who visited two weeks ago. They started Ed Ingram in the preseason game and talked about wanting to give him more experience. Whether that’s the case or there are considerations about making a change or they simply are thinking about more depth on the O-line isn’t clear but if the starters want to keep a free agent out of the competition they will need a strong week against a quality Tennessee defensive line.
— It could be a turning point for decisions on veteran free agents at cornerback as well. Right now rookie Mekhi Blackmon and second-year corner Akayleb Evans are running with the first team while Joejuan Williams and Andrew Booth Jr. are with the second group. Do they believe in the inexperienced players in the starting lineup? Are they worried about the depth in case of emergency?
At safety, it does not appear that there is any debate over where Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus and Lewis Cine stand. The only thing we can look for is more experience from Cine against quality competition.
— When camp started there was little intrigue about the linebacker position. That is until Ivan Pace Jr. came along and earned first-team reps and played well in the preseason game against Seattle. Brian Asamoah has missed time recently and it’s unclear whether he will be back or how far he has fallen behind Pace Jr. It stands to reason that the undrafted rookie has a chance to start Week 1 but the team appeared high on Asamoah coming off a good small sample size performance last season. It’s also possible they could split time alongside Jordan Hicks. We might have a much clearer picture of that after this week.
— On the defensive line, the Vikings lost depth DT James Lynch to an ACL tear, leaving chances for others to mix in. Rookie Jaquelin Roy had impressed but got hurt last week and has been working off to the side. TJ Smith has worked often with the second team with Ross Blacklock and Jonathan Bullard. Last year’s interior draft pick Esezi Otomewo hasn’t appeared to challenge for a role thus far.
— And then there’s the kicking competition. If it’s going to get hot, it’s going to get hot this week. Greg Joseph has been fine during camp so far with only a handful of opportunities but rookie Jack Podlesny has a huge leg and potential to make things interesting. Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said that they have plans to do a lot of kicking this week and Podlesny will get the assignment in Saturday’s game.