The NFL offseason has become pretty much non-existent, except for the few weeks after minicamps end in June and training camps open in late July.
That period enables executives, coaches and players to get a breather before the long season begins in the summer heat. So with the Vikings, and the rest of the league, taking a few weeks to recharge, let’s open the mailbag and answer some questions.
The most important position battle of training camp
What is going to be the most important battle position wise in training camp this year?
Predictions of what you think the starting D will look like?
Who will win the RB2 spot when all the dust settles?
— Jamie Kueker (@quads_guy) July 5, 2023
I don’t expect a lot of position battles in training camp, Jamie, but there will be one that should be very interesting. Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans, both selected in the 2022 draft, and 2023 third-round pick Mehki Blackmon are likely to battle for two of the three starting spots at cornerback.
Byron Murphy Jr., who signed a two-year, $17.5 million free agent deal in March, is expected to play one of the outside corner spots in base and move inside in the nickel. Considering how often teams are in nickel, that means extensive playing time will be available for two of the three players listed above.
Booth and Evans both battled injuries last season, and it was clear in the offseason camps that Blackmon is going to get an opportunity. It won’t be surprising if Evans, who was in concussion protocol three times in an eight-week period last season, ends up with one of the starting jobs.
Your second question is difficult to answer until we know if Danielle Hunter and the Vikings will be able to work out a contract. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores took this job hoping that the pass-rushing Hunter would play a key role.
But there has been no word on whether the Vikings and Hunter are near an agreement on a contract after Hunter stayed away from the mandatory minicamp because of his dissatisfaction with his current situation. (Hunter has one year left on his deal, with no guaranteed money and only a $4.9 million base salary.)
Right now I’d say the defensive line will feature Dean Lowry, Khyiris Tonga and Harrison Phillips; Patrick Jones II, Brian Asamoah II, Jordan Hicks and Marcus Davenport at linebacker; and Evans, Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum and Murphy Jr. in the secondary.
The running back spot behind Alexander Mattison figures to come down to Ty Chandler and Kene Nwangwu. I’m not sure that seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride is going to factor into the mix as much as some think, especially at first.
I was surprised that Nwangwu seemed to be ahead of Chandler during minicamp on the depth chart, but I’m guessing Chandler opens the season as the backup to Mattison.
Lewis Cine's place on the depth chart
What can we expect from Lewis Cine this year? Also on a funny note, when will you get to speak with Addison? Lol
— Jordan Diekman (@diekman_j) July 6, 2023
Lewis Cine is coming off a gruesome leg injury that cost him most of his rookie season, but the 2022 first-round pick made it clear he was good to go during Organized Team Activities and minicamp.
Cine, however, was fourth on the depth chart behind Smith, Bynum and 2020 sixth-round pick Josh Metellus. Metellus spent the offseason being used in a role that often saw him as the third safety on the first team, lining up at various spots in Flores’ defense.
Cine played in only three games before his season came to an end last year, but he had lost any chance at grabbing a starting job by the time training camp opened and only played two snaps on defense before being hurt in a Week 4 victory over the Saints in London.
I wouldn’t count on seeing a ton of Cine unless someone is injured.
As for Addison, that story comes from an OTA practice in which he did not take part because of an undisclosed (and we assume) minor injury. Addison, the Vikings’ first-round pick in April, did not practice after the rookie minicamp and I attempted to stop him one day to ask about his injury.
The wide receiver never slowed down as I asked if he was OK. Evidently, Jordan wasn’t in a talkative mood that day.
What's up with a T.J. Hockenson contract extension?
Any news on a contract extension for Hockenson?
— Melissa Ropella (@MelissaRopella) July 5, 2023
There has been plenty of talk this offseason about Hunter’s desire for a new contract, the massive upcoming extension that wide receiver Justin Jefferson is sure to get and quarterback Kirk Cousins playing on the final season of his deal.
Lost in the shuffle has been a potential extension for tight end T.J. Hockenson, who became an important part of the Vikings’ passing game after being obtained from the Lions at the trade deadline last season.
Hockenson is set to make $9.392 on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract and there is little doubt the eighth-overall pick in the 2019 draft is going to land a lucrative second deal. That should come from the Vikings and there are no indications it won’t.
But there hasn’t been a lot of recent chatter about a new deal at this point. The guess here is something gets done to keep Hockenson in purple.
A long way from Mankato
How has covering training camp changed now that's it's at TCO and not Mankato?
— Michael McGivern (@mcgiveit2me) July 6, 2023
Great question, Michael.
I covered the Vikings for the Star Tribune from 2005 through 2010 and then moved from the paper to what was then 1500 ESPN following the Mankato portion of camp in 2011.
Honestly, I miss Mankato. Because it took about an hour-and-a-half to drive from the Twin Cities to the Vikings’ longtime training camp home in southern Minnesota, reporters often stayed in a hotel to cover the team. That meant running into players, and more importantly, team personnel at various establishments in the evening.
This was a great way to get information and background, and give you a much better idea about people you often didn’t get to see on a regular basis during the season. I’ll never forget the panic that broke out between practice fields in 2010 when the Vikings realized Brett Favre might not return for a second season. Every key decision-maker was huddled and no one was paying attention to the actual practice.
The NFL has become very corporate and closed down, meaning access to coaches and players is much more difficult to come by after practices. A Favre situation today, would be handled inside TCO Performance Center and out of the sight of reporters.
It’s hard to believe anyone with the team misses Mankato. No one has to stay in dorms, no equipment has to be shipped and business can be conducted as usual. Plus, the fields are a lot nicer at TCO.
Still, I miss it.
It was a grind but it also was a lot of fun.
