The Minnesota Vikings are moving toward their Week 1 preseason matchup with the New York Giants, and the next stretch of training camp is already separating the players with a real path from the ones who need to catch up fast.
That’s the reality for a few Vikings who head into Week 2 of camp with plenty on the line. Some are trying to lock down a starting job.
Others are simply trying to stay in the conversation long enough to make the roster. Either way, the margin for error is shrinking.
Blake Brandel may already be lined up as the team’s starting center, but the job still comes with questions. Several exchanges with the quarterback have gone poorly, and a few shotgun snaps have gotten away from him. Brandel has time to clean that up, but he needs to have it sorted by the start of the season if the Vikings are going to feel comfortable with him in that role.
Ivan Pace Jr. is in a similarly uncomfortable spot, though for a different reason. A year ago, the former team captain was already a puzzling case when he was removed from the starting lineup in favor of Eric Wilson.
Pace played 59 percent of Minnesota’s defensive snaps in 2024, but that dropped to 30 percent last season. Now, with Wilson and Blake Cashman back and the Vikings also adding Jake Golday in the draft, Pace has to fight harder than ever for defensive snaps.
He does have a chance while Cashman is hurt, and a strong showing in practice and the first preseason game could help him get back into the staff’s good graces.
For Dillon Bell, the path is even more crowded. Jordan Addison’s training camp injury gives him more chances to stand out, but he still sits behind Justin Jefferson, Addison, Jauan Jennings, and Tai Felton on the depth chart.
On top of that, he has to outplay return specialist Myles Price and six other players who are trying to earn a roster spot. For the undrafted rookie out of Georgia, the challenge is simple: convince the coaches he belongs on the team.
The tight end room offers another brutal fight. T.J.
Hockenson is locked in as the starter, and Josh Oliver is the backup. That leaves Ben Yurosek and Gavin Bartholomew as likely competitors for a spot, while Nesbit may be battling just to reach the practice squad.
Cornerback may look thin on paper, but that doesn’t make the competition any easier. Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and James Pierre appear to be the likely starters, and Charles Demmings is having a camp strong enough to make the Week 1 roster feel like a formality. Behind them, Dwight McGlothern and five others are chasing what could be only one opening.
That leaves Zemaiah Vaughn in a difficult position. As an undrafted player who appeared in just one game last year, he doesn’t have much job security, and the pressure is on him to find a way into the picture.
In Other News...
JJ McCarthy Just Turned Up The Heat In Vikings QB Battle
The Vikings quarterback competition has taken on real shape in training camp, with J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray battling to open the 2026 season under center. McCarthy, who sat out his rookie year because of injury before going 6-4 in 10 starts last season, is trying to build on that momentum as Minnesota works to rebound and get back to the playoffs.
ESPNs Dan Graziano watched a recent camp session and came away feeling McCarthy had the edge that day, a reminder of how closely the Vikings staff will be tracking every rep between the two. It has not been a one-way race throughout camp, though, which is why this remains such a live situation for a team trying to sort out its most important position before the season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Jamal Adams Just Put A New Twist On The Vikings Safety Battle
Jamal Adams got a noticeable preseason wrinkle during Vikings practice, where the veteran was working in a different spot after spending time at linebacker. The shift fits his background, since Adams played safety for eight NFL seasons, and it comes as Minnesota continues to sort through a secondary that has already had to manage his recent injury history.
The jersey change was the other clue that this was more than a temporary look, with Adams now wearing a number associated with his old role. It also lands at a time when the Vikings still do not have a clear update on Harrison Smiths status, leaving the safety picture open enough that a familiar name could end up mattering in a bigger way than it seemed a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]
New Vikings Already Feeling The Pressure Of A Brutal Roster Fight
Training camp always has a way of sharpening the edges of a roster, and for the Vikings it is already turning into a test for several newcomers who do not have much room for error. Defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk, center Gavin Gerhardt and punter Johnny Hekker are all trying to carve out roles while a larger group of players fights for one of the few spots available on the 53-man roster, with positional depth and versatility quickly becoming part of the conversation.
For Loudermilk and Gerhardt, the challenge is not just earning coaches trust, but doing it in a room where younger players and undrafted options are pushing just as hard. Hekker faces a different kind of squeeze, as even specialists are not insulated from the reality of camp competition. In a month where every practice rep can matter, the Vikings are already finding out which additions can withstand the pressure and which ones may be battling uphill the entire way. [Read more 🡒]