Padded Practice Highlights
In the first padded practice of training camp, the Vikings defensive line appeared to turn up the heat on young quarterback J.J. McCarthy and a retooled offensive line.
“This defensive line has the looks to be probably the best I’ve been around. ... Jon Allen has a heck of a lot left in the tank, I’ll tell you that,” right tackle Brian O’Neill said. “...
McCarthy met Allen, the 30-year-old former Pro Bowler who was cut by Washington this offseason, in the backfield a couple times.
Edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel also applied ample pressure that left observers, including injured receiver Justin Jefferson, wanting to see more from the offense at times.
Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. enjoyed a little less mileage downfield.
“I was like, ‘Man, I don’t really need to cover too long,’” Murphy said.
Will J.J. McCarthy be ready?
McCarthy’s longest completion in team drills went about 20 yards to receiver Lucky Jackson, playing the No. 3 role with Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor while Jefferson (hamstring) is sidelined. The pass had the kind of touch and trajectory that head coach Kevin O’Connell said he’s looking for from McCarthy, who often threw one way at Michigan: hard.
O’Connell said coaches are focused on creating open throwing lanes for McCarthy, but that his touch as a passer is also a work in progress.
“Where there’s a void and there’s a vacancy,” O’Connell said Saturday, “but there might be a defender in front and a defender behind, and we’ve got to find a way to get that ball completed. That’s probably the biggest difference between college football and the NFL, at least with a lot of the passing attacks that I’m familiar with.”
“He’s working on different trajectories,” O’Connell added. “You’re still seeing the revolutions on the ball, but not that heavy finish, more so that up-and-down two-ball feel that we kind of talk about.”
Will the offensive line heal and coalesce?
New guard Will Fries, the prize of this year’s free-agent spending spree, showed off his progress by returning to full-team reps on Monday.
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who suffered two torn ligaments in his left knee last season, is expected to return to team drills later this week, O’Neill told the Minnesota Star Tribune. When Darrisaw returns, the Vikings will finally practice with their new offensive line that also features center Ryan Kelly, who, like Fries, came from the Colts.
Fries said he and Kelly have “built-in chemistry” as they learn a new system together.
“He helped me along the way since I wasn’t able to practice much during the spring. ... With him learning it, too, and us kind of figuring it out together, it’s been invaluable so far,” Fries added.
Rookie Donovan Jackson, the 24th overall pick out of Ohio State, has taken every rep with the first-team offense as coaches prepare him to be the starting left guard.
Startribune
How good will this defensive front be?
You can count Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips among those excited about the retooled D-line that includes new Pro Bowl-caliber big men Allen and Javon Hargrave. Phillips, a team captain last year, thinks they’ll get more out of everyone now.
“The three of us are older players,” Phillips said this spring, “so I think anytime you can go out there and platoon in three- to five- to six-play roles, you can really attack with waves, and because of the depth we have, we’ll truly have waves we can throw.”
Defensive coordinator Brian Flores sees a deep D-line, too, but he tempered expectations until he sees what Greenard, Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner can do with an interior group that expects next steps from reserves like Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Taki Taimani.
“Only time will tell,” Flores said Monday. “We’ve got a group that works extremely hard. There’s a lot of talent in the room. I think we know the names like Harrison Phillips, Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, but we’re excited about some of our younger players. ... A lot of guys that can go out there and play at a high level.”
Will Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason pack a punch?
The Vikings’ offseason cash purge was aimed, in part, to give their rushing attack some finishing power. Despite Aaron Jones’ success last year, the Vikings finished with nine rushing touchdowns and have just 16 rushing scores over the last two years, ranking 31st in the NFL. General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for 49ers bulldozer Jordan Mason, giving him a two-year, $10.5 million deal after also re-signing Jones to two years and $20 million.
The Vikings view Mason as a “really complete player,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said, despite the 26-year-old runner having just 14 catches through three NFL seasons. He may give the Vikings a strong tandem in the backfield once again.
“We’ve got a better front overall, we feel like,” Phillips said. “Bringing in a guy like Jordan Mason to pair along with Aaron is something we’re really excited about. There is a noticeable size difference when you look at the line ... I think you kind of see that on both of our fronts. ... Already you’ve seen some good battles between those guys.”
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
I wanted to see how the offensive line would perform in the first padded practice because they can only be properly evaluated in the padded practices. I wanted to hear how Donavan Jackson did in particular, but haven't seen much about him. Sounds like the new improved O-line didn't do so well, except the new O-line wasn't there yet. I was happy to hear the D-line dominated because I think they are going to be a huge reason for success this coming season. A force to be reckoned with. But this time of year the defense is usually ahead of the offense, and I'm pretty confident the O-line will also be very good when they are all healthy and get a chance to play together. For so long, the Vikings have been really good on one side of the ball or the other, but not both.
This is going to be one of those rare occasions where they are very good on both offense and defense. So inexperienced QB and tough schedule be damned; these guys have chance!
I fully expect the offense to struggle in TC. Flores drove 12th-year-vet Kirk Cousins up the wall in '23 TC because he kept throwing the kitchen sink while KOC and Kirk were trying to just install the offense. McCarthy in year 2 is facing a better defensive roster without Jefferson as his #1WR. Good luck kid, Flores don't care.
I also expect lots of melting down over every incomplete pass.
purplefaithful wrote:
“He’s working on different trajectories,” O’Connell added. “You’re still seeing the revolutions on the ball, but not that heavy finish, more so that up-and-down two-ball feel that we kind of talk about.”
Uhh...huh?
“Only time will tell,” Flores said Monday. “We’ve got a group that works extremely hard. There’s a lot of talent in the room. I think we know the names like Harrison Phillips, Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, but we’re excited about some of our younger players. ... A lot of guys that can go out there and play at a high level.”
Love hearing this. Redmond, Taimani and the two hyphens will be important for the future of this defensive line. Vikings typically carry five DLs on the active roster. We now have 7, so two will have to be exposed to waivers before landing on the PS. Probably Taimani and Drake-Rodriguez, since Ingram-Dawkins is a rookie 5th rounder.
nebar@Matt_Falk
Biggest takeaways from camp aside from sweating my balls off. #SKOL
- Can't see how Zemaiah Vaughn doesn't make 53.
- Silas Bolden looked damn good both in WR drills and returning punts
- Dallas Turner hype is real
- JJ McCarthy is so damn fast moving in the pocket and zip on the ball
- Mekhi Blackmon had a rough go
- Jordan Mason is build like a brick shit house
- Okudah actually looks really good
- Tai Felton has a ways to go
- Max Brosmer ....... looks pretty f'in good and Myles Price
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
RS_Express wrote:
I fully expect the offense to struggle in TC. Flores drove 12th-year-vet Kirk Cousins up the wall in '23 TC because he kept throwing the kitchen sink while KOC and Kirk were trying to just install the offense. McCarthy in year 2 is facing a better defensive roster without Jefferson as his #1WR. Good luck kid, Flores don't care.
I also expect lots of melting down over every incomplete pass.
This. Every TC the D is way ahead of the offense for every NFL team. My feed is full of other team's TC info as well so I see that to be true. The team O was practicing the 2 minute drill mostly yesterday as well, so lots of sloppy play. But as you mention, it won't stop the Internet from exploding. The O-line has a rookie, a recovering and learning Fries and no Darrisaw yet so its about as smooth as a fresh-cut slab of knotty pine before it hits the planer right now.
Deep breaths: the great news is the talent is there. Players are learning. It'll be night and day comparison come one month from today. This is what KOC said he'd do, push McCarthy hard in practice. That's where the growth comes. Baptism by fire, then the rest is easier. But I'll say this: the team will be its best not until October. Lots of new moving parts. Guys coming off injury. A new QB. Patience. Its always better to lose games early in the schedule than late.
purplefaithful wrote:
Will J.J. McCarthy be ready?
McCarthy’s longest completion in team drills went about 20 yards to receiver Lucky Jackson, playing the No. 3 role with Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor while Jefferson (hamstring) is sidelined. The pass had the kind of touch and trajectory that head coach Kevin O’Connell said he’s looking for from McCarthy, who often threw one way at Michigan: hard.
O’Connell said coaches are focused on creating open throwing lanes for McCarthy, but that his touch as a passer is also a work in progress.
“Where there’s a void and there’s a vacancy,” O’Connell said Saturday, “but there might be a defender in front and a defender behind, and we’ve got to find a way to get that ball completed. That’s probably the biggest difference between college football and the NFL, at least with a lot of the passing attacks that I’m familiar with.”“He’s working on different trajectories,” O’Connell added. “You’re still seeing the revolutions on the ball, but not that heavy finish, more so that up-and-down two-ball feel that we kind of talk about.”
Hmm. Lol. Reading this stuff is good for me because it brings me back to reality. While I wouldn't say we've had elite play in recent years, for the most part we have had guys back there who will air it out big time and push the ball down the field. It makes sense with the skill players we have.
But this year is going to be a lot more conservative. I'm pretty high on the Vikings prospects for wins which is all I care about, but I will likely be fading our offense for fantasy football purposes.
StickierBuns wrote:
So I hit it just right yesterday and was able to catch about 10 minutes of BFlo's presser when he talked about the D-line: I think they've got plans for Drake-Rodriguez. The first backup he mentioned was LDR. I think he was raw last year and needed to get stronger and he's done that. He's got a big time motor. I think Taimani is the guy that will probably be waived and they go 6 DL.
Also JMO: slow the roll on the Vaughn hype right now. He's tall and stiff, not sure he's got the quicks for CB.
All UDFA rookie standout performances should be tempered by the specter of Kyries Hebert. But no doubt, Vaughn has been flashing. Whether that continues, or even if he makes the team, will be another thing entirely.
Zemaiah Vaughn 👀
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) July 28, 2025
(@Dust_Vikings)pic.twitter.com/M81AI0bSGc
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
MAD GAINZ wrote:
Vaughn is big... Dang. Can he run?
He sho'nuff can.
"At 6-foot-3 and 186 pounds, with an 80-inch wingspan, Vaughn is sculpted in the mold of Jets two-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. Although he was omitted from the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Vaughn crushed athletic tests at the Big 12 Pro Day in March, running the fourth-fastest 40 among defensive backs (4.45 seconds) and clocking his position's fastest speed at 10 yards (19.09 mph). Additionally, Vaughn tied for the best vertical (39.5 inches) and broad (129) jumps by a defensive back; only four out of 21 participating corners and 12 safeties at this year's combine fared better in each drill."
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
StickierBuns wrote:
This. Every TC the D is way ahead of the offense for every NFL team. My feed is full of other team's TC info as well so I see that to be true. The team O was practicing the 2 minute drill mostly yesterday as well, so lots of sloppy play. But as you mention, it won't stop the Internet from exploding. The O-line has a rookie, a recovering and learning Fries and no Darrisaw yet so its about as smooth as a fresh-cut slab of knotty pine before it hits the planer right now.
Deep breaths: the great news is the talent is there. Players are learning. It'll be night and day comparison come one month from today. This is what KOC said he'd do, push McCarthy hard in practice. That's where the growth comes. Baptism by fire, then the rest is easier. But I'll say this: the team will be its best not until October. Lots of new moving parts. Guys coming off injury. A new QB. Patience. Its always better to lose games early in the schedule than late.
That is absolutely correct. Every single training camp that I've followed for the last 50+ years, this has been true.
Please God, just one Lombardi before I die.
StickierBuns wrote:
So I hit it just right yesterday and was able to catch about 10 minutes of BFlo's presser when he talked about the D-line: I think they've got plans for Drake-Rodriguez. The first backup he mentioned was LDR. I think he was raw last year and needed to get stronger and he's done that. He's got a big time motor. I think Taimani is the guy that will probably be waived and they go 6 DL.
Also JMO: slow the roll on the Vaughn hype right now. He's tall and stiff, not sure he's got the quicks for CB.
I don't see both McGlothern & Vaughn making the roster. Between both of them & Blackmon, that's too much inexperience for our bottom 3 CBs.
It'll be McGlothern or Vaughn with the loser hopefully being signed to the PS.
MaroonBells wrote:
All UDFA rookie standout performances should be tempered by the specter of Kyries Hebert. But no doubt, Vaughn has been flashing. Whether that continues, or even if he makes the team, will be another thing entirely.
https://x.com/vikingzfanpage/status/1949938249285476796
https://x.com/vikingzfanpage/status/1949940870326657340
He looks pretty stiff in the hips on that first video.
badgervike wrote:
He looks pretty stiff in the hips on that first video.
A little handsy too. But the tools are there.
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
MaroonBells wrote:
Uhh...huh?
Love hearing this. Redmond, Taimani and the two hyphens will be important for the future of this defensive line. Vikings typically carry five DLs on the active roster. We now have 7, so two will have to be exposed to waivers before landing on the PS. Probably Taimani and Drake-Rodriguez, since Ingram-Dawkins is a rookie 5th rounder.
[hr]
nebar@Matt_Falk
Biggest takeaways from camp aside from sweating my balls off. #SKOL
- Can't see how Zemaiah Vaughn doesn't make 53.
- Silas Bolden looked damn good both in WR drills and returning punts
- Dallas Turner hype is real
- JJ McCarthy is so damn fast moving in the pocket and zip on the ball
- Mekhi Blackmon had a rough go
- Jordan Mason is build like a brick shit house
- Okudah actually looks really good
- Tai Felton has a ways to go
- Max Brosmer ....... looks pretty f'in good and Myles Price
So I hit it just right yesterday and was able to catch about 10 minutes of BFlo's presser when he talked about the D-line: I think they've got plans for Drake-Rodriguez. The first backup he mentioned was LDR. I think he was raw last year and needed to get stronger and he's done that. He's got a big time motor. I think Taimani is the guy that will probably be waived and they go 6 DL.
Also JMO: slow the roll on the Vaughn hype right now. He's tall and stiff, not sure he's got the quicks for CB.
MaroonBells wrote:
All UDFA rookie standout performances should be tempered by the specter of Kyries Hebert. But no doubt, Vaughn has been flashing. Whether that continues, or even if he makes the team, will be another thing entirely.
https://x.com/vikingzfanpage/status/1949938249285476796
https://x.com/vikingzfanpage/status/1949940870326657340
The top Vaughan clip, he commits DPI twice and Addison still beats him but doesn't make the catch. Yay?
StickierBuns wrote:
An example:Chad Graff
@ChadGraff
·
15m
Takeaways from Day 6 at Patriots camp:
— Up and down again for top offense. Accuracy just OK from Maye but highlight was TDs to Kyle Williams and Stefon Diggs.
— K'Lavon Chaisson impresses again.
— Jared Wilson continues to work in with top O-line.
— Fumbled snaps still an issue.Chad Graff
@ChadGraff
·
13m
Today's practice (and really the last few) has been an example of you can take whatever you want from them.Want to believe Drake Maye is going to be a top-10 QB this season? There have been some insane throws to validate that.
Want to believe the offense is going to struggle? There have been plenty of mishaps to validate that.
Remember: It's Day 6 of camp. There's a long, long, long way to go.
I understand Garret Bradbury, our former C got banged up today and limped off the field.
Please God, just one Lombardi before I die.
Will Ragatz
@WillRagatz
Will Fries just pancaked a backup defensive tackle on a TE screen. Maybe not supposed to do that in practice, but it was pretty impressive.
Howell btw....
#Vikings CB Dwight McGlothern has 2 picks in 2 days:
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) July 29, 2025
(@SkolGeek)pic.twitter.com/e0zGK1ohfA
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
An example:
Chad Graff
@ChadGraff
·
15m
Takeaways from Day 6 at Patriots camp:
— Up and down again for top offense. Accuracy just OK from Maye but highlight was TDs to Kyle Williams and Stefon Diggs.
— K'Lavon Chaisson impresses again.
— Jared Wilson continues to work in with top O-line.
— Fumbled snaps still an issue.
Chad Graff
@ChadGraff
·
13m
Today's practice (and really the last few) has been an example of you can take whatever you want from them.
Want to believe Drake Maye is going to be a top-10 QB this season? There have been some insane throws to validate that.
Want to believe the offense is going to struggle? There have been plenty of mishaps to validate that.
Remember: It's Day 6 of camp. There's a long, long, long way to go.
Montana Tom wrote:
I understand Garret Bradbury, our former C got banged up today and limped off the field.
Somebody better light a candle for Drake Maye:
Patriots have brutal injury day at their most concerning position
The Pats already had a shaky offensive line. Now, two projected starters had to leave practice with apparent injuries.
FOXBOROUGH -- The only thing more rough than the heat was the blow dealt to the Patriots' offensive line depth charts.
Three O-linemen, two of which entered training camp projected to be starters, had to bow out of practice early with injuries during Tuesday's practice in Foxborough. Right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury headline the fresh list of walking wounded for the Patriots.
RS_Express wrote:
The top Vaughan clip, he commits DPI twice and Addison still beats him but doesn't make the catch. Yay?
I don't see the DPI twice, the initial release pressure was good. A bit handsy, but didn't seem to impede the WR.
Addison had a small window, but it was very small and the throw was hot and outside because of the coverage IMO. Sticking with Addison and being all over him seems like a good win.
Ryan Kelly getting bull rushed by Javon Hargrave and giving up the sack.
Ryan Kelly allows the sack pic.twitter.com/jLZWyGcVOJ
— Dustin (@Dust_Vikings) July 30, 2025
"All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand." —Steven Wright
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