The Vikings began a busy two-week stretch on Sunday in which they will play host to the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals for joint practices and then preseason games.
Other than an exhibition loss on Thursday in Seattle, the Vikings have spent training camp competing against themselves since it opened in late July.
The Titans’ presence on Wednesday and Thursday at TCO Performance Center will change that and will present an opportunity for the teams to go against each other in a more controlled environment than the preseason game between the clubs on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Coach Kevin O’Connell called the next two weeks, “the most important stretch of our training camp,” as his team prepares for their Sept. 10 opener against Tampa Bay.
The Vikings got some good news on Sunday as starting right tackle Brian O’Neill practiced for the first time this summer in full pads. Here’s the update on O’Neill and a few other notes ahead of the Titans’ arrival in Eagan.
Brian O'Neill appears to be right on schedule
O’Neill suffered a partial tear of his Achilles’ in a loss to the Packers’ on New Year’s Day at Lambeau Field. That type of injury is a concern for any player and especially one listed at 6-foot-7, 310 pounds.
O’Connell, though, was confident when he said at the beginning of training camp that there was a plan for O’Neill and his eventual return to practice.
A significant step occurred Sunday as O’Neill, who had been watching practice and getting mental reps, returned to his right tackle position as the Vikings practiced in pads.
“I was really excited,” he said, “I’m just trying to follow the plan that they’ve got for me. I’m starting to shake some rust off.”
O’Neill signed a five-year, $92 million contract extension with the Vikings in September 2021. His average salary of $18.5 million puts him fifth among right tackles in the NFL.
O’Neill is unlikely to play in the Vikings’ two remaining preseason games, but he could end up getting extensive work in the joint practices against Tennessee and Arizona. His return moves Oli Udoh back to the second team.
“We’re right on schedule,” O’Neill said of the recovery process. “We’re right where we want to be. They’ve done a great job. We’re not there yet but we will be.”
T.J. Hockenson continues to sit out team drills as Kevin O'Connell praises Johnny Mundt
It’s no secret one of the Vikings’ priorities is getting T.J. Hockenson signed to a multiyear contract extension, but for now, the tight end is entering the final season of a rookie contract that will pay him $9.3 million.
It certainly is tempting to think that Hockenson not having an extension, is a big part of the reason why he has only taken part in individual drills more than a week.
O’Connell, though, has said Hockenson is battling an illness, and brought up Tyler Williams, the Vikings’ executive director of player health and performance, and Uriah Myrie, the team’s head athletic trainer, when discussing Hockenson’s situation.
“The hope is we can start working him back in repetition wise here, hopefully,” O’Connell said. “I know T.J. has been so engaged and dialed in. We’ll work through that with Tyler and Uriah because really, I mean it when I say, this is a pretty critical part of our preparation for the season, especially with our plan for some of our starters, and I know T.J. will be out there when he is ready to go.”
As far as Hockenson’s contract situation, the veteran and his agent are likely looking at the fact that Bears tight end Cole Kmet agreed to a four-year, $50 million contract with $32 million guaranteed in late July, and Jaguars tight end Evan Engram got a three-year, $41.25 million extension with $24 million guaranteed in the middle of last month.
Engram’s average salary of $13.75 million ranks sixth among NFL tight ends, while Kmet’s $12.5 million average is tied for ninth.
Hockenson’s absence from team periods has provided backup Johnny Mundt an opportunity to get extensive work with the starters. O’Connell said he hasn’t disappointed.
“I don’t want to cause any major headlines, but I believe Johnny Mundt is the best third tight end in the National Football League,” O’Connell said. “If there was a category for that, Johnny would certainly get that in my opinion. So reliable. So trusted by not only myself, but everybody in that huddle with him.
“The variety of jobs he can do on all three downs. Doesn’t get enough credit for how well he runs or blocks for that matter, physicality. And then when you get a chance to pair him with Josh (Oliver) in some of those looks, you guys probably saw a few times where it probably felt a little bit different at times then last year, just because of Josh’s ability in the run game and then Johnny’s now doing the complementary roles at that F position, that other tight end position, because that Y position can be a whole different ball game sometimes.
“But what Johnny gives us is so much versatility, depth, to pair him with a premiere player like T.J., and we brought Josh here for a reason, but we really see all those guys having a major role for our team and could not feel better about the tight end group.”
Josh Oliver, who was signed to a three-year, $21 million free agent contract this offseason, will give the Vikings a premier blocking tight end and should enable O’Connell to employ more 12 personnel, meaning a running back and two tight ends.
Vikings building files on free agents who might help
The Vikings have had at least three high-profile veteran free agents in for visits since camp opened. Guard Dalton Risner, cornerback Ronald Darby and, most recently, running back Kareem Hunt have spent time at TCO Performance Center. None have been signed to a contract.
So what’s the strategy?
Bringing in potential free agents is nothing new for the Vikings, but the reports of these three talking to the team are interesting because they are well-known names. The common thread with the trio is that they all play positions at which the Vikings probably aren’t as deep as they would like.
Risner was a starting left guard for the Broncos the past four seasons, and while Ezra Cleveland and Ed Ingram are expected to open the season at the guard spots, Risner could be an option if there is an injury or Cleveland or Ingram continue to struggle in pass protection.
The Vikings also are young at cornerback and Darby, who is 29, could add some valuable experience. Darby suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 of last season with Denver.
Hunt, who also visited the Saints and Colts last week, rushed for 468 yards and three touchdowns and caught 35 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown last season with Cleveland.
Alexander Mattison will be the Vikings’ starting running back and it looks as if Ty Chandler will be his backup. The team also wanted to see Kene Nwangwu compete for the backup job, but he has missed significant time because of an undisclosed injury.
In defense of Ed Ingram and his performance in the preseason opener
There was plenty said of Ingram’s play at right guard on Thursday in Seattle, and the fact he was the only first-team offensive lineman to start raised questions about O’Connell’s happiness with the 2022 second-round pick.
Asked about Ingram’s performance and the decision to play him, O’Connell said: “First and foremost Ed played a lot of football last year, but he’s still in his second year. There were some other second-year players out there as well to make sure we’re doing our part to get those guys primed and ready for the season and all that will entail for them. Ed really wanted to play. He was
fired up for the opportunity.“Ed graded out pretty well across the board. There were communication issues that took place on a couple plays where there might not have been a protection call. It might have looked worse from a fan’s perspective than what it actually was, but there was also some really positive stuff on the tape. Ed has shown improvement throughout training camp. Hopefully, we will continue to see that throughout the joint practices and whatever work he gets the rest of the way in the preseason.”
The Vikings will be looking for Ingram to make significant strides this season. He had an overall grade of 57.1 from Pro Football Focus last season, but his run-blocking grade (63.4) was superior to his pass-blocking mark (44.4).
Quarterback Kirk Cousins has proven to be an iron man during his career, but the “Quarterback” documentary on Netflix this summer highlighted how much Cousins got hit last season. Having that happen again to the soon-to-be 35-year-old would be inviting trouble.
