Minnesota Vikings Training Camp 2018: Day 6 recap

After everyone finished congratulating Stefon Diggs on his new extension, the Minnesota Vikings took to the practice field for their sixth day of training camp on Tuesday.

The Minnesota Vikings have not been at training camp very long this year, but this team seems to already be establishing their identity for 2018.

On offense, the excitement surrounding Dalvin Cook’s performance has been very high as the running back doesn’t even resemble someone who suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2017. New quarterback Kirk Cousins is building up his connections with the Vikings’ pass catchers including Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph, and even Laquon Treadwell.

Minnesota’s defense looks as dominant as ever and they are even getting a number of great moments out of rookie cornerbacks Mike Hughes and Holton Hill. If these two can be actual legit contributors in 2018, opposing offenses are going to have a very tough time throwing against the Vikings.

On Tuesday, Minnesota held their second padded practice of this year’s training camp. Things are continuing to get more physical with the pads on and it resulted in a Vikings offensive lineman having to leave practice early on Tuesday.

Minnesota’s injury list growing was one of the many takeaways from the team’s sixth training camp session of 2018.

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Offense on Day 6:

Remmers exits practice early

The Vikings are already without starting center Pat Elflein due to injuries and Rashod Hill has had to miss some time in camp because of an illness, so Minnesota guard Mike Remmers leaving Tuesday’s practice early with an injury is not something the team wanted to see.

During a goal line drill, Remmers struggled to get back to his feet as he appeared to suffer an injury to his left foot.

The Vikings guard headed straight to the locker room and later returned to the field without his pads and a walking boot on his left leg. Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer declined to talk about Remmers’ injury (because he doesn’t have to until the regular season), so his status for Thursday’s practice is unknown at this point.

Cousins getting into a groove

Joining a new team is always tough for any player in the NFL, but it is especially difficult for quarterbacks.

In his first training camp with the Vikings, Kirk Cousins’ comfort level with the offense seems to increase more and more as each day goes by. On Monday, he had some impressive throws (especially to Laquon Treadwell) and on Tuesday he continued to toss the ball around well.

O’Neill spending more time with the first team

With Minnesota right tackle Rashod Hill battling a stomach illness for the last few days, rookie Brian O’Neill has been getting more reps in his place with the first-team offensive line at camp.

Even with Hill back practicing on Tuesday, the Vikings still gave O’Neill some time on the field as the first-team right tackle. Hill is the presumed starter for Minnesota in the regular season, but he is definitely starting to feel some heat from the rookie.

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Defense and Special Teams on Day 6:

Hughes looking impressive

Expectations are normally high for a first-round NFL Draft pick, so people should not be surprised that Mike Hughes’ first training camp with the Minnesota Vikings appears to be off to a good start. The rookie cornerback has been getting praise in camp from a number of veterans on the Vikings’ roster and he continued to impress on Tuesday.

If he keeps up his level of play, Hughes could end up being a significant contributor for Minnesota on defense in 2018.

Alexander holding his own

As he competes to be the Vikings’ starting nickel corner with Hughes, Mackensie Alexander has also had some impressive moments during training camp this year. On Tuesday, Alexander even got his hands on a pass thrown by Kirk Cousins.

Minnesota Vikings

In his third season with Minnesota, the young corner is trying to prove that he belongs with the team’s elite defense. Alexander’s performance in camp so far indicates that his play has improved since 2017 and he is ready to take his game to the next level this season.

Wide left, a Vikings tradition like no other

Despite being a rookie, Minnesota kicker Daniel Carlson is already paying homage to the team’s forgettable history. On Tuesday, Carlson sailed a 36-yard field goal attempt wide left.

Something that Vikings fans have unfortunately seen from their team’s kickers in the past.

With Minnesota’s expectations being so high in 2018, the last thing the team needs is to suffer a close loss because their kicker missed a short field goal attempt. Training camp is the time to work out the kinks for every player, so hopefully Carlson gets all of his misses out before the regular season begins.

The Vikings have the day off on Wednesday and will resume their 2018 training camp on Thursday with a walk-thru at 10:30 a.m. CT and practice at 2:45 p.m. CT.