6 takeaways from the first portion of Vikings training camp

Leaders emerging in top position battles

For what seems like the first time in a while, the Vikings top positional battles this year are not for any roles on their starting offense or defense. This time, Minnesota is spending training camp trying to figure out who will be their backup quarterback, backup running back, third receiver, punt returner, and kick returner among others.

After the Vikings’ first four full-team practices, some players are actually starting to step into the lead for their respective positional battles.

In the search for Dalvin Cook’s backup, Ameer Abdullah was seen getting second-team reps during the first practice and he was assumed as the leader to be Minnesota’s No. 2 running back in 2019. However, rookie Alexander Mattison has been performing well in camp so far and he could eventually emerge as the guy for the job by the time the regular season comes around.

The Vikings battle for their third receiver spot is one that will likely need all of training camp and the preseason for a decision to be made. Chad Beebe and Jordan Taylor appear to be neck and neck for the role currently, but there’s still a lot of time left for that to change.

The training camp battles have just begun, but it really doesn’t seem like any of them are going to end before this year’s preseason comes to a close.