The Vikings got a first real look at their roster in game action against the Giants, and a few names clearly helped themselves before joint practices with the Ravens later this week. Others, not so much. The most useful takeaways came from the quarterbacks, the rookies, and the players hanging around the bottom of the depth chart.
On the positive side, the quarterback work was steady enough. Kyler Murray didn’t flash anything eye-popping, but he moved the offense without any major mistakes and finished his lone drive with a scoring march. Carson Wentz also handled his half-game well, and right now he looks more and more like QB2.
Jacob Thomas turned in one of the loudest performances of the day. Not to be confused with third-round pick Jakobe Thomas, Jacob Thomas is the safety out of James Madison who came in as a UDFA rookie and made a real case for himself.
He logged the most reps of any player on both defense and special teams, earned the highest PFF grade among special teamers at 82.3, tied for the team lead in special teams tackles with two, and finished as the second-highest graded defender at 92.5 with one tackle for a stop, two assists, and an interception. He’s been drawing attention in camp too, and he was even taking some first-team reps in Monday’s practice.
A few other players also helped their standing. Max Bredeson only played seven offensive snaps, but he showed he can handle the fullback role in the Vikings’ changing scheme and also contributed on special teams.
He looks like a possible upgrade over C.J. Ham.
Myles Price caught all four of his targets for 51 yards, and three of those grabs came in traffic. That’s the kind of showing that says he can be more than just a return man.
Up front, Walter Rouse made his case as a roster contender. He split 33 reps about evenly between both guard spots and looked comfortable there, especially since guard seems to fit him better than tackle.
He didn’t allow a pressure, graded well in run blocking, and finished as the second-highest graded offensive lineman overall. Ryan Van Demark also had a strong outing, leading all Vikings offensive linemen in PFF grade with an 83.2 in pass protection and a 78.2 in run blocking, which was a welcome sign after some training camp struggles.
Henry Byrd added a solid day of his own with 36 reps at left guard and right tackle, no pressures allowed, and no obvious blown blocks. His versatility helps.
The backfield also had a name worth watching. Demond Claiborne dealt with some run stuffs up the middle because of poor blocking, but he flashed burst and speed on the edge and held up on a pass-blocking rep too.
Zavier Scott, meanwhile, had a tougher time in pass protection, which doesn’t help his chances. Claiborne could end up getting a couple hundred reps this season, and maybe more if Aaron Jones misses time.
At punter, Brett Thorson held his own against Johnny Hekker. The two basically battled to a draw in both punting and holding, but that may actually favor Thorson because he’s younger and on a cheap UDFA deal. So far, he has handled holding for Will Reichard without issue, and that could be the path that gets him on the roster and knocks out the 36-year-old Hekker.
The other side of the ledger was rougher. Jamal Adams’ season is over after a right knee injury, and that’s a brutal turn after he had shown some promise in Brian Flores’ scheme and brought value as a locker room presence. For Adams, who has already spent years working back from a torn quadricep tendon injury, this could be career-altering at his age after he’s struggled to latch on with a team in recent seasons.
J.J. McCarthy also came away with more questions than answers.
A mistimed jet sweep on the first play of the preseason and an uncatchable throw on a routine out route from a clean pocket on third-and-3 may be only a small sample, but they fit a larger pattern of unreadiness. The report even suggests that could push him to QB3 and maybe even make him a trade candidate.
Compared with his only preseason game in 2024, there doesn’t appear to be any progress, and maybe even some regression. He’s still staring down his first read and often letting the ball go a tick late.
Caleb Tiernan had a rough debut too. He struggled to hold run blocks all afternoon, and his pass protection wasn’t much better.
He allowed one QB hit on 20 pass-blocking reps, which isn’t a good rate, and he also picked up back-to-back holding and offsides penalties. At the moment, he doesn’t look ready to be a dependable swing tackle.
Caleb Banks showed that size alone won’t carry him. He needs better technique, better pad level, and better hand usage and pass-rush moves if he wants to turn his physical tools into real production.
The upside is there, but the timeline sounds longer, more in line with Dallas Turner’s. For now, the main goal is simple: become less of a liability in rotation.
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins had a quiet and frustrating day. He tried to use his length and hand fighting to work into blockers and set the edge, but too often he got tied up and couldn’t get free.
He was charged with two hurries, one tackle for a stop, and two missed tackles, both tied to his inability to disengage quickly enough. That’s the next step he has to take if he wants to be effective off the edge.
Jake Golday also drew some attention, though not necessarily because he was at fault on the long Devin Singletary catch-and-run to open the second quarter. The play was a cleverly designed screen, with the center coming over to block him and Ivan Pace Jr. taking a poor angle that let Singletary break free. After watching it back several times, it’s not clear Golday could have done much differently.
There were also a handful of depth players who graded well on limited reps, including Jacob Roberts, Bangally Kamara, Zemaiah Vaughn, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Marshall Lang, and Vershon Lee, who split work between guard and center. They all face steep odds to make the roster, and while Saturday may have earned some of them a few more looks, none of them appears to have moved the needle much yet.
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