Vikings 2022 Training Camp

@smccullough5 Seems that many of the rookies are starting to get some time with the 1's. From what you've seen, is this because they've overtaken the competition or because the coaches want to get a look at how they compete against better players.

Well, that’s not exactly how it’s gone. Ed Ingram splitting reps in practice with Jesse Davis is the only time we’ve seen any rookie with the 1s regularly. So, yeah, it wasn’t just a Mike Zimmer thing. Lewis Cine got a couple first-team reps early this week and then none since and Booth Jr. and Brian Asamoah maybe have combined for a handful during the entire camp. I think Ingram will win the competition over Davis because they want him to and he has better upside but aside from that it’s possible we won’t see any other rookies starting unless Cine overtakes Cam Bynum or Booth Jr. beats out Cam Dantzler. It didn’t sound to me like O’Connell was super thrilled with some of the technique stuff Dantzler was doing versus what they want from him but he’s more experienced and has taken almost all the reps next to Peterson.

@thetwostooges2 Who has been the biggest surprise so far at training camp? Which vet seems to have taken the biggest step backwards? Which rookies have impressed the most this week?

I’m not sure there has been any huge surprises. Probably the biggest is that Lewis Cine isn’t taking first-team reps yet. I’m giving that one time to see what happens in the joint practices with San Francisco. If anybody claims they can watch practices and figure out which veterans are going to take a step backwards, they’re BS’ing you. Unless it’s super obvious that someone has completely lost it or there’s an injury, that isn’t something we’ll know until the regular season. The rookies have put themselves in pretty clear spots going into the preseason games and joint practices — Cine, Booth Jr. and Asamoah with the 2s, Ingram getting some work with the 1s. The only chance at changing that will come with either big performances/steps forward or injuries over the next two weeks.

@samroot43 Who is your prediction for the guy we'll all be talking about after the preseason game?

I’ll go with Ty Chandler and one of the edge rushers… maybe Luiji Vilain? Those are positions that tend to make splash plays and stand out.

@bobh332 How are they using C.J. Ham in this offense?

Pretty much the way we expected. He’s moving around a bit but mostly in the backfield doing the things he usually does with run blocking and play-actions. Last year Ham played more than 40% of snaps in a game only two times. I suspect they will do something similar in terms of usage where he’s occasionally run blocking and sometimes a decoy, whether that’s lined up somewhere outside or in front of Dalvin Cook. They’re going to use him to mix things up and he’ll get a ton of special teams run. Typical CJ stuff.

@gbecktv I would like to request a pie chart of who you expect to play the most at nickel corner. I understand Sullivan is really the only natural guy who will be on the 53, but it feels like there's a lot more upside in whichever young safety doesn't start next to Harrison Smith.

It’s going to be Sullivan. Lewis Cine isn’t the type of safety who is going to play nickel unless he’s going against a tight end 1-on-1. Cam Bynum was a cornerback in college and they converted him — seemingly successfully — to safety so it’s hard to see a player who was purposefully taken out of that position as a better option that a player with over 1,000 coverage snaps as a nickel corner in the last two years. Sullivan has only given up an 85.7 career QB rating on throws into his coverage, so I’d be surprised if he wasn’t the guy. If he gets hurt… then it’s either Parry Nickerson season or they would have to try Bynum there.

@jeffintokyo1 Ed Ingram.. How does he look? Do you think he can be a legit starter?

They must like something they see because he’s mixing in with first-team reps. He’s certainly big and appears to have an anchor as a pass blocker. Actual preseason game snaps will give us a better look. I don’t know whether he can be a legit starter. Practice and regular season game plays are wildly different and I haven’t heard any hyperbole from coaches or teammates to indicate that we should be fitting him with a gold jacket so we’ll have to get more information. Usually with linemen it takes at least a full season to have a good idea whether they can play.

@devinrubink Who are 3 players who have exceeded your expectations so far?

Cam Bynum, Greg Joseph and uhhhh Trishton Jackson… OK probably Christian Darrisaw.

The minute the Vikings drafted Lewis Cine, we assumed Bynum would be the third safety and a solid depth player but he’s looked like a legit starting safety in practice. Joseph is kicking bombs. I’ve seen him miss two all camp and he’s made a bunch of 50-plus, including a 60-yarder on Thursday. I’m half joking about Jackson but he’s made plays and gotten a lot of second-team reps recently, which puts him on the map. He’s worth watching in the preseason games because the No. 5 and 6 WR spots aren’t super clear. I figured we’d be seeing good things from Darrisaw but I think he’s looked absolutely fantastic going up against Za’Darius Smith.

@headcoach21 Great players drive team success but who are the “other guys” you feel could make a difference for the Vikings this season??

It’s about the weak points of the defense. Can they get any interior rush? Can Chandon Sullivan provide them with solid nickel play? Is Cam Dantzler going to step up to the challenge of getting a starting opportunity (assuming that doesn’t change before Week 1)? Does Jordan Hicks fit in right away? On offense we have a pretty good idea of what all the players are…maybe around the edges with right guard or TE2 or RB3 there’s some value but mostly the stars have to drive that one and the weaknesses aren’t going to be vastly improved i.e. interior O-line pass blocking. There’s maybe one or two “other” guys on offense but half the defense is “other” guys that they need to step up.

@coreyhermanson Will Lewis Cine be viewed as a failure in Year 1 if he can't beat out Cam Bynum? I feel like that's where the narrative will go, but a mid-round pick playing really well would be a good thing, and shouldn't negate a more highly-drafted rookie.

Safeties should start right away. I’m sure they would make it about Bynum being good — and he might be — but safety isn’t a position with a massive learning curve for rookies. It would be a little suspect if he couldn’t win the job, yes. Plenty of time to go in order for that to happen.

@nurseintime Talk me into the idea that cutting a lot of players from the 2021 draft class is a good thing.

That’s not a tough one. If there’s nothing there with Mond, Davis, Surratt, Robinson etc., then why hang onto them when they could make room for 2022 draft picks and UDFAs that might have long-term potential? Most times teams know when they’ve botched a pick but they stick with the guy because they want to give it as much time as possible to work out. The current staff isn’t under that obligation with the 2021 picks. They should stick with the players they believe have the most long-term potential based on their own evaluations.

@hennessey_zach Who’s the guy on no one’s radar that is most likely to make the 53?

I mentioned UDFA edge rusher Luiji Vilain…there might be something there. I could see the other edge rushers having a chance too. Zach McCloud and Andre Mintze were also picked out by the current group to compete for backup jobs. Trishton Jackson or Myron Mitchell would be the others but they feel like practice squad guys if they make it in any capacity.

@bigpapachase101 How has the slot corner been looking? (Sullivan I think)

One thing to note is the Vikings have great receivers who smoke dudes but there might be a little too much smoke coming from Sullivan at the moment. But we have a sample size of real game action on him to say he knows how to do the job. So I dunno. Nickel guys are hard to predict. I wouldn’t have thought Mack Alexander would be brutal last year or that Terence Newman would be fantastic in 2017.

Here are some of the individual battles I'm looking forward to watching this week, both in 1-on-1s and full-team reps:

Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw vs. 49ers DE Nick Bosa

Vikings OLBs Za'Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter vs. 49ers LT Trent Williams

The Vikings' interior O-line vs. 49ers DTs Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw

Vikings RB Dalvin Cook vs. 49ers LB Fred Warner

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson vs. whoever the 49ers have at cornerback (starters Charvarius Ward and Emmanuel Moseley are also banged up)

Vikings linebackers and safeties vs. 49ers TE George Kittle

Vikings CBs Patrick Peterson, Cam Dantzler, and Andrew Booth Jr. vs. 49ers WRs Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins and 49ers QB Trey Lance vs. the opposing defenses