Highlights From Day 2 of 2025 Minicamp Practice<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.vikings.com\/video\/highlights-from-day-2-of-2025-minicamp-practice<\/a><\/p>\n The next organized team activities.<\/p>\n OTAs: June 16-18<\/p>\n Minnesota Vikings News and Links<\/p>\n 3 Observations: Byron Murphy, Jr., Still Picky; J.J. McCarthy Finds Jordan Addison for Deep TD<\/a><\/p>\n Left tackle Christian Darrisaw participated in individual drills with the offensive line group. It was an encouraging sight in the fifth-year pro\u2019s return from a knee injury in Week 8 of 2024. Darrisaw and other linemen worked through footwork drills. He also joined in combo block drills. Veteran addition Justin Skule again filled in at left tackle with the first team during the team period.<\/p>\n 1. Murphy a ball magnet<\/p>\n Byron Murphy, Jr., picked up where he left off in 2024. Murphy broke cleanly on a pass to the outside, caught it in stride and glided for what would have been a pick six.<\/p>\n The play occurred on the third throw of the first 7-on-7 period.<\/p>\n Murphy recorded a career-best six interceptions last season, boosting his career total to 14 and making his first Pro Bowl, where he claimed Defensive MVP honors after returning an interception 8 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n The offseason re-signing took snaps, as did newcomers Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah, at corner with the first grouping. He wasn\u2019t done tracking footballs for the day, either.<\/p>\n 2. Bounce back includes long TD<\/p>\n McCarthy showed no ill-effects from the nice play by Murphy. He drilled a throw to Jalen Nailor on the following snap to finish his first four throws in 7-on-7, which also included a pair of completions to T.J. Hockenson.<\/p>\n McCarthy\u2019s day included completions to Justin Jefferson, several more to Hockenson and multiple connections with Jordan Addison.<\/p>\n He fit the ball into tight windows and cashed in when Addison got behind the defense for a trip to pay dirt.<\/p>\n 3. Runners as receivers<\/p>\n Vikings Head Coach Kevin O\u2019Connell has emphasized how the offseason practices feel more like a passing camp than anything.<\/p>\n Certainly more so than training camp, particularly once pads start popping a few days after the annual tradition begins.<\/p>\n The Vikings did work on a few runs with Aaron Jones, Sr., and Jordan Mason during the team period.<\/p>\n That session also included some play-action concepts and throws to each back.<\/p>\n Vikings minicamp recap, Day 1: Start the year two Dallas Turner hype train<\/a><\/p>\n One moment stood out above the rest at Day 1 of Vikings mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.<\/p>\n It was a seven-on-seven period, which are the only reps that happen at close to full speed during this portion of the offseason. Backup QB Sam Howell dropped back, surveyed the field, and looked to fire a ball up the seam to rookie tight end Ben Yurosek. The throw was accurate. But there to break it up, running stride for stride with Yurosek roughly 20 yards downfield, was second-year outside linebacker Dallas Turner. His defensive teammates roared in approval.<\/p>\n It was an incredible play from the 22-year-old Turner, who is listed at 247 pounds but looks to have maybe added a bit more muscle to his frame this offseason. Known for his pass-rushing prowess in three seasons at Alabama, Turner spent his rookie season learning to play a versatile, Andrew Van Ginkel-esque role in Brian Flores\u2019 defense, which includes playing off the ball and dropping into coverage. Even at his size, he has the athleticism and fluidity to do it, which he showed on his first career interception last December in Seattle.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m loving what I\u2019m seeing,\u201d veteran safety Josh Metellus said after practice. \u201cI think he\u2019s done the right things. He had two vets in front of him that are All-Pro type players. He\u2019s seen it. He\u2019s very receptive on how he\u2019s supposed to be and the stuff he\u2019s supposed to get done leading up to OTAs, the stuff he\u2019s doing now. He had a great play today in coverage. Just to see the growth in the player from year one to year two, that\u2019s what you want. With training camp coming around, all he\u2019s gonna do is keep growing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDallas, we talked a lot about him last year and his growth throughout the season,\u201d defensive coordinator Brian Flores said. \u201cHe\u2019s just kind of built on that. … He\u2019s much more comfortable, I would say, in this environment. He knows what the expectations are. He\u2019s got a high standard for himself, and that\u2019s a great place to start. But he also knows he\u2019s gotta work a significant amount to get to that standard. And he\u2019s come in and really gotten into a routine that\u2019s, I think, gonna allow him to put his best foot forward and put himself in position to have the type of season that he wants to have. All positive with him. Definitely a lot of growth from his standpoint, and excited to see where this goes.\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t really a knock against Turner that he was behind a pair of Pro Bowlers in Greenard and Van Ginkel, or even Jones, who earned a two-year, $15 million deal from the Panthers this spring. It also has to be noted that Flores\u2019 defense is not an easy one for a rookie to learn. This year, the comfort level is much higher. And you can expect Turner to be a lot more involved, including playing alongside both Greenard and AVG in many situations.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that room, I really see it as three starters,\u201d Flores said. \u201cSo you\u2019re with two guys who receive all the accolades and obviously are good players who have been in the league, who have made a lot of plays. The best thing you can do \u2014 and I think Dallas did this \u2014 is just soak up that information. Dallas is coming into his own as far as how he\u2019s gonna contribute, and it can be a variety of ways. As a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages. We\u2019re excited about his versatility but also his growth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Saw the highlights\u2019 Colin Cowherd commits cardinal sin when discussing Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy and it\u2019s getting tiresome<\/a><\/p>\n Colin Cowherd has become one of the biggest and most popular radio show hosts in the country. Currently with Fox Sports, Cowherd has been with ESPN in his past and doing this for the better part of 20 years. When he says something, it gets mainstream attention quickly.<\/p>\n That element is what makes this so frustrating. At mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday, McCarthy threw an interception for the third consecutive practice open to the media.<\/p>\n The interception was the start of the conversation about McCarthy, which diverted to talking about traits in a franchise quarterback. Cowherd doesn\u2019t think that McCarthy has an elite trait.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so much mystery here. Why does Minnesota keep flirting with other quarterbacks? And there\u2019s too many conflicting reports on JJ McCarthy, so I just find the whole thing. There\u2019s a lot of stuff I just don\u2019t know. I feel sometimes I\u2019m getting, I\u2019m getting a little bit of a spin job here.<\/p>\n \u201cI think J-Mac (Jason McIntyre), you and I have had this discussion to be a great franchise quarterback. And I, again, I think Jalen Hurts is probably 10th best in the league. But I do think he\u2019s a top 10 franchise quarterback. If you\u2019re top 10 in a league of 32 teams, you\u2019re good. There\u2019s got to be a trait. There has to be a wow trait.<\/p>\n \u201cSo let\u2019s just go through them. Mahomes? Arm talent. Allen? Sheer force of size. Lamar? Athletic ability. Stafford has one of the great arms in the last 30 years in the league. He\u2019s got a magic arm. You start stacking up these quarterbacks. There\u2019s, there\u2019s a trait like Elway\u2019s arm, Marino\u2019s arm, Aaron Rodgers\u2019 arm and release. I go back and look at the people I trust. You know, there\u2019s one, one or two things I never buy. I never buy this: When you say this about a quarterback, that guy is a winner. Everybody under Jim Harbaugh and Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban\u2019s a winner. I don\u2019t want to hear that. If you go back and look his arm is modest. His escape ability is modest. His release wasn\u2019t super quick. There is no great trait.\u201d<\/p>\n When you watch McCarthy throw the football, it\u2019s evident that he\u2019s got a whip of an arm. He threw the ball 61 miles per hour at the NFL Scouting Combine. Josh Metellus said after Tuesday\u2019s practice that he\u2019s got great zip.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has one of the best zips I\u2019ve seen since being in the league, and I\u2019ve been around some guys who could sling it. Shoutout to Sean Mannion, he was slinging it. He had a great arm. But yeah, (J.J.) throws the ball as good as I\u2019ve been around. He can put the ball where he wants to.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s where things get really interesting. The only points that Cowherd makes about McCarthy are based on other\u2019s scouting reports and the sole preseason game that he played in last year, where he was admittedly doninant.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, my two questions are, I\u2019ve seen one preseason game. He was good in it, by the way, 11-17, 190 yards, couple of touchdowns, passer rating like 100. He was very good. I saw the highlights. Didn\u2019t watch the game live. Saw the highlights. Was very good. Then you get to surgeries. So we don\u2019t know what he is, but it is. There\u2019s so much mystery here. Why does Minnesota keep flirting with other quarterbacks? And there\u2019s too many conflicting reports on JJ McCarthy, so I just find the whole thing. There\u2019s a lot of stuff I just don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n NFL analyst sends strong message about Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy with a Super Bowl comparison<\/a><\/p>\n Not only are analysts undervaluing the potential of McCarthy, the sportsbooks are as well, with a win total of just 8.5. The roster is stacked right now, and that leads to Fox Sports\u2019 Henry McKenna ranking the Vikings starting quarterback at 12th in the league, believing he will have a tremendous season.<\/p>\n You could put just about anyone in the Vikings\u2019 QB slot, and I\u2019d get excited about him. But McCarthy was a top-10 pick in what\u2019s shaping up to be an incredible QB class. This year, McCarthy might look like 2023 Brock Purdy \u2014 an athletic point guard with an idyllic supporting cast.<\/p>\n Vikings DC Brian Flores sends firm message about state of cornerback room that could impact potential acquisition of Jaire Alexander<\/a><\/p>\n The Vikings beat writers hadn\u2019t gotten to speak with defensive coordinator Brian Flores all offseason, and they took the opportunity to ask about the cornerback position, specifically presumed starter Isaiah Rodgers and it didn\u2019t take him long to gush about his ability.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been on my radar since he was at UMass, a fast playmaker. I think he\u2019s one of these kind of late-round guys who found his way in the league in the kicking game. And got in some games and made some plays. I\u2019ve always thought he was a good player and was ascending. And the opportunity presented itself that we could maybe acquire him. I was all in, and I\u2019m happy we got him. He\u2019s been a great addition. He\u2019s got a great kind of football IQ and acumen. That\u2019s something that we stressed, really, throughout the group, at all levels, secondary, second level, and obviously D line. And I think it\u2019s just a great addition we talk about, you know, bringing guys in who as far as building a synergy within the group. How does this guy mesh with Murph (Byron Murphy Jr.) and Harry (Harrison Smith) and Telly (Josh Metellus), and he\u2019s just come in and done a great job from that standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n Report: Vikings haven\u2019t contacted Jaire Alexander following Packers release<\/a><\/p>\n Hours into former Packers corner Jaire Alexander\u2019s first taste of free agency, he still reportedly hasn\u2019t heard from the Vikings. According to KSTP\u2019s Darren Wolfson, the Vikings \u201care not\u201d one of the teams that has reached out to Alexander\u2019s representatives in the hours following his release from Green Bay.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t necessarily quantify how many teams have touched base, it might be two, it might be four, plural, more than one, but the Vikings are not one of the teams in these first handful of hours that Jaire has hit the market,\u201d Wolfson reported on Tuesday\u2019s Mackey & Judd Show.<\/p>\n While Minnesota\u2019s front office may have not registered immediate interest following his release, Wolfson believes the Vikings did express some interest in the past.<\/p>\n \u201cI was told last night that at some point going back months, I don\u2019t know the exact date, the Vikings registered some level of interest,\u201d Wolfson said. \u201cBut this may have been before Byron Murphy Jr. was re-signed. You make the move on Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, having a better sense of Mekhi Blackmon (post injury), so I can\u2019t necessarily tell you the exact date that the Vikings registered interest.\u201d<\/p>\n Note: I suppose we need to take this with a grain of salt since it is Doogie<\/p>\n Brian Flores has new weapons on Vikings defense, but don\u2019t forget the old ones<\/a><\/p>\n The Vikings\u2019 defensive coordinator spoke to the press from minicamp on Tuesday, and unsurprisingly, the first question was about the two new faces on the defensive line: Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Flores offered praise, but quickly pivoted to the developing players on the roster.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are two great additions, excited to have both guys,\u201d Flores said. \u201cBut also excited about guys like Jalen Redmond who came on, really, the entire year. He just got better and better day after day and week after week. Levi [Drake Rodriguez] who has, I would say, grown significantly from year one to year two. Bigger, stronger, faster, more confident.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe got a lot of guys who have played, there\u2019s a good amount of depth in that room,\u201d Flores added. \u201cWe\u2019re excited about all the pieces, and as coaches, it\u2019s about who fits where and how do we get the most out of each individual player and the collective unit.\u201d<\/p>\n Flores also gave a shoutout to Theo Jackson, a safety who has been buried on the depth chart but earned a new contract and will see his role increased this season after Cam Bynum\u2019s departure in free agency.<\/p>\n \u201cTheo\u2019s been great, and that\u2019s something we\u2019ve been saying for two years,\u201d Flores said. \u201cI think he\u2019s steadily built his communication skills, his techniques, his fundamentals, his disguises, his playmaking ability. He\u2019s one of the hardest workers we have.\u201d<\/p>\n Early returns on Vikings undrafted free agent show he will make the league regret not selecting him in the 2025 NFL Draft<\/a><\/p>\n Of all the rookies that were on the field, one player has been mentioned multiple times: undrafted free agent cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn.<\/p>\n Not going to make too much out of OTAs\/minicamp, but one guy who keeps flashing to me is Utah undrafted corner Zemaiah Vaughn. Just always around the ball, never seems out of place.<\/p>\n \u2014 Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) June 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Vikings predicted to sign former Raiders starting cornerback with electric NFL record<\/a><\/p>\n What the Vikings could use is another veteran as an insurance policy and possible starter. With that in mind, Bleacher Report\u2019s Moe Moton predicts the Vikings will sign former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones.<\/p>\n The Minnesota Vikings haven\u2019t re-signed Shaquill Griffin or Stephon Gilmore. They added Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah, but over the last two years, Jones has started more games than both of those players combined.<\/p>\n Jones could be a veteran upgrade and spot starter in case cornerback Mekhi Blackmon needs extended time to bounce back from a torn ACL.<\/p>\n