When the Minnesota Vikings kick off training camp next week, what position battles will be the most intriguing to keep an eye on?
During the first couple of years under Mike Zimmer, training camp was a time for the Minnesota Vikings to find their identity. Heading into their fifth training camp with Zimmer next week, the Vikings now have a solid foundation and will be working mostly on improving their depth as they prepare for the regular season.
Despite the majority of the starting lineups on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball already being set, there will still be plenty of positional battles to keep an eye on during Minnesota’s training camp this year. A few of these battles could even have a significant impact on the Vikings’ success in 2018.
So when Minnesota hits the field next week for to begin their first ever training camp at the new TCO Performance Center, which six position battles will be the most intriguing to watch play out?
6. Third Running Back
Mack Brown vs. Roc Thomas vs. Mike Boone
Minnesota already knows who the top two running backs are going to be on their 2018 depth chart. Dalvin Cook is expected to be the Vikings’ starter and Latavius Murray will be his backup.
Behind these two is where the questions begin.
Jerick McKinnon was technically Minnesota’s third running back in 2017, but he ended up getting a bunch of playing time due to Cook tearing his ACL. McKinnon is no longer on the Vikings’ roster this year, so his spot on the team is up for grabs.
Competing for the vacant role in Minnesota’s offensive backfield this summer will be Mack Brown, Roc Thomas, and Mike Boone. Brown has played sparingly in the NFL for the past two seasons, while Thomas and Boone are both rookies.
Due to his experience, Brown is probably the frontrunner right now to be the Vikings’ third running back in 2018. However, a solid training camp and preseason by either Thomas or Boone could result in one of them ending up among Minnesota’s final 53 this year.
5. Kick Returner
Marcus Sherels vs. Mike Hughes vs. Stacy Coley vs. Jeff Badet
After four straight seasons of having one of the NFL’s top kick returning units thanks to Cordarrelle Patterson, this area of the Vikings’ team was definitely one of their weakest in 2017.
Last season was the first time since 2014 that Minnesota did not lead the league in yards per kick return. While the Vikings did finish among the league’s top four in this category last year, it is still a part of their game that they would like to see improve in 2018.
To help in these efforts, Minnesota selected a talented corner in the first round of last April’s NFL Draft in UCF’s Mike Hughes. In addition to his coverage skills, Hughes was also an explosive kick returner for UCF in 2017.
On 20 kick returns last season at UCF, the Vikings rookie corner took two back for touchdowns and averaged 31.8 yards per return. If selected to be the team’s kick returner in 2018, Hughes could add a little more explosiveness to Minnesota’s special teams.
Of course, the young corner will have to beat out veteran return-man Marcus Sherels for the job. This could actually be the year the Vikings show Sherels the door, but he’s proven everyone wrong in the past so it really would be no surprise if he made the roster again in 2018.
4. Kicker
Kai Forbath vs. Daniel Carlson
Following the failure that was drafting Blair Walsh in 2012, not many believed that Vikings general manager Rick Spielman would considering selecting a kicker in the draft ever again. Well, Spielman proved those doubters wrong last April when he used a fifth-round pick on Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson.
Minnesota’s selection of Carlson was even more surprising considering the team decided to re-sign Kai Forbath in March. Despite re-signing him, the Vikings are clearly not 100 percent confident in Forbath for 2018.
Right now, it seems like the rookie has the best chance to win the job. Forbath has experience, but cutting a kicker who they used a draft pick on would not be that great of a look for Minnesota.
Unless Carlson gets the yips or suffers an injury this summer, expect him to open the 2018 season as the Vikings’ starting kicker.
3. Nickel Corner
Mackensie Alexander vs. Mike Hughes vs. Terence Newman
Minnesota’s defensive backfield is arguably the deepest part of their roster in 2018. Figuring out who is going to see time on the field is what the Vikings’ coaches will be doing at this year’s training camp.
The first two spots on Minnesota’s cornerback depth chart are taken care of with Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes. Who the team selects to be their nickel corner this season is where things begin to get more interesting.
Ideally, the Vikings would probably like Alexander to take the next step in his progression as a player and be a reliable slot corner this year. However, that was also the hope in 2017 and Minnesota ended up replacing him with Newman halfway through the season.
The wild-card in this battle is Hughes. Despite being a rookie, the young corner has been receiving an unusual amount of praise from Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer this offseason.
If Minnesota is not happy with how Alexander is performing in camp and the preseason, Hughes could find a way to swoop in and win the job.
2. Third Receiver
Laquon Treadwell vs. Kendall Wright
This really seems like a put up or shut up type of year for Treadwell. Selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2016 draft, the 23-year-old receiver still has not even caught a touchdown pass in his NFL career.
Treadwell will be competing for playing time this season with Kendall Wright, who Minnesota signed in free agency this year. Wright is coming off a 2017 campaign where he led the Chicago Bears in catches and receiving yards.
Who wins the Vikings’ job as the third receiver for this season will likely depend on how the team wants to run its offense. Treadwell would be the choice if Minnesota wants to stick to a run-first scheme while Wright would be the better option for an offense that features a quick passing attack.
Factoring into this decision will also be where the Vikings want Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen to line up during each game. If Minnesota wants to continue moving Diggs and Thielen inside and outside throughout each matchup, then Treadwell is probably going to get the edge over Wright.
1. Right Tackle
Rashod Hill vs. Brian O’Neill
Mike Remmers has all but officially moved inside to be the Vikings starting right guard for next season. Which means Minnesota is going to have someone new as their Week 1 right tackle for the fifth-straight year.
Expected to be battling for Remmers’ old job this year is Hill and O’Neill. Hill has spent the past two seasons as a reserve offensive lineman for the Vikings while O’Neill was selected by Minnesota in the second round of last April’s NFL Draft.
It would appear that Hill has the edge over the rookie right now due to his experience. But O’Neill could easily propel himself into the starting lineup with a solid training camp and preseason just as Vikings center Pat Elflein did last year.
Even if O’Neill does outperform Hill this summer, Minnesota could be hesitant to name the rookie as their starting right tackle due to his inexperience.
Next: 4 free-agents the Vikings could sign before camp
The Vikings have had better luck recently with young players on the inside (Nick Easton and Elflein) of their offensive line than those who have played on the outside (T.J. Clemmings). Will this cause Minnesota to play it safe and open 2018 with Hill as their starting right tackle?