10 players facing the most pressure in the final preseason game
Friday's game at Kansas City will determine many players' fates
By Matthew Coller and Sam Ekstrom
EAGAN — With cutdown day less than a week away, there is one chance left for bubble players to prove themselves to the Vikings coaching staff.
Friday’s final preseason game at Kansas City will likely clear up the team’s final roster spots, or further expose Minnesota’s need to look at the waiver wire next week.
Here are 10 players facing the most pressure against the Chiefs….
QB, JAKE BROWNING
Jake Browning has more experience than Kellen Mond. He’s been better than Mond in practice. He’s vaccinated, and Mond is not. And Browning carried the offense for several days while the unvaccinated quarterbacks missed time on the Reserve/COVID list. But Mond is a high draft pick, and therefore, he gets a free pass to the roster that Browning does not.
If the Vikings feel the need to find a veteran backup quarterback, Browning will be providing the sacrificial roster spot, but it’s not without cause. In his first two preseason games he totaled 11 of 25 passing (44%) for 113 yards (4.5 yards per attempt), zero touchdowns, one interception and two sacks.
Mike Zimmer was pretty unhappy with parts of Browning’s outing against the Colts last Saturday, but offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak insisted that Browning has shown enough in practice to suggest he’s a better football player.
“I think it’s just reps, it’s cumulative reps that will help these guys have success, and they’re going to have failures and you’ve got to learn from both,” Kubiak said. “Jake comes to mind. Jake Browning has had some really good practices, but he’s got to be better in games. But just because he hasn’t been as successful in games doesn’t mean we don’t think he can be what we see performing at his best in practices. So we’ve just got to keep coaching him and getting him better.”
This is the problem with only three preseason games for young players: There are fewer chances to rebound from a slow start, so it might be too late for Browning to redeem himself with a good performance.
G, WYATT DAVIS
The Wyatt Davis rookie training camp experience has, unfortunately for the Vikings, played out more like Dru Samia’s rookie campaign than that of a potential Week 1 starter.
Samia, the former fourth-round pick in 2019, was thought to be a contender to win a job, only to fade back to the third team. Davis was supposedly a major contender to compete for the right guard job this year, but that competition never even got off the ground as Oli Udoh moved from tackle to guard and won the job instead. Davis has been an afterthought, playing with the 3s behind Dakota Dozier.
Despite some bad early reps in his first preseason game, Davis has performed adequately in his limited preseason playing time. There’s progress being made, but is it happening fast enough for him to be a viable backup at guard?
“I think he’s progressed a lot,” Zimmer said, “but there’s still some things he needs to work on. He’s got some physicality. Obviously, he’s still learning the pro game. Good kid, fairly quiet, like most rookies are, but he’s improved.”
Expect Davis to get ample playing time on Friday. There would seemingly be little reason to play Dozier, who’s provided plenty of tape over the past couple seasons to inform the team’s decision.
WR, CHAD BEEBE
Can Chad Beebe fend off all his challengers for the WR3 job?
K.J. Osborn may still be holding a lead in this race, but Osborn also plateaued a bit once pads came on. In fairness, Osborn has been asked to play a WR1 or WR2 role for a couple weeks now in the absence of Justin Jefferson and, for a few practices, Adam Thielen.
It’s clear Osborn is making this team, and if Jefferson or Thielen missed time, he’s a better fit to be a boundary receiver than Beebe, who remains strictly a slot.
But Beebe is Mr. Consistent and has developed a reputation for making a late charge in preseason games. It’s possible he could still fulfill the third-down receiver niche better than any other pass-catcher on the roster behind Jefferson and Thielen.
“Chad Beebe, I’ve been really encouraged with what he’s doing, beating man coverage and just showing up time and again,” said Kirk Cousins on Wednesday.
CB, CAMERON DANTZLER
The decline of Cameron Dantzler is seemingly even more serious than we thought.
Since Bashaud Breeland got healthy, the former starting cornerback has fizzled. Not only has Dantzler faded into a backup role, but he was passed by Kris Boyd on last Saturday’s depth chart.
From CB2 to CB5 in a matter of weeks.
When it comes to rotational players, Zimmer has often favored those that perform best in practice, shifting his rotation around from week to week. If Week 1 was today, Kris Boyd might be the first backup off the bench instead of Dantzler.
Adam Zimmer was asked what Dantzler needed to focus on and responded with “the right technique.”
“Sometimes he gets lax in his technique,” the co-defensive coordinator said, “and sometimes we need to make sure he’s on top of the receiver consistently so he’s not in a trail position all the time. And just attention to details, making sure we’re in the right alignment and making sure we’re in the right call and doing the right things that way.”
It’s too early to start panicking about 2022, but with three starters on one-year deals, the Vikings will still need Dantzler to improve if he wants to be a piece of their future. That starts on Friday night.
LB, TROY DYE
The Vikings turned to Dye last season when Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr were hurt. With Barr currently injured again, Dye may get another chance — though it seems he may have to gain ground on Blake Lynch first. Lynch took the first team LB3 reps with Barr out last week.
At the moment he has momentum after scoring the Vikings’ lone preseason touchdown via a pick six against the Colts, and Zimmer has entrusted Dye to pick up some play-relaying duties — a role that Eric Wilson handled last year when Barr was out.
His 2020 wasn’t good, though. Out of 102 linebackers that received 200+ snaps last year, Dye graded last. His tackling remains suspect, too, which was reinforced in the first preseason game when he whiffed on Jerry Jeudy in the open field.
Dye was part of a struggling linebacker group to open training camp, but he’s improved of late.
“I think he’s got his arrows going in the right direction right now,” said Adam Zimmer. “The last two weeks he’s had a good two weeks.”
QB, Kellen Mond
Nowhere to go but up, right? After spending the entire offseason as QB3, the chances of Mond suddenly gaining the full confidence of the team as the backup QB do not seem high, even if he plays very well against the Chiefs. Might a good showing be enough to keep them from adding a veteran QB and pinning him to the third-string spot all season? In Brett Favre's words: Maybe.
In order to be trusted in real games, Mond has to show that he can completely command the offense consistently, which we haven't seen during the entirety of training camp. That means getting everyone lined up, going through reads, getting the ball out quickly to the right receiver, looking comfortable even when the pocket is muddy and making accurate throws. If that all comes together against Kansas City and Jake Browning falters, there's a chance they give the backup spot to him.
The more likely scenario seems to be that he'll remain the third quarterback. In that case, the Vikings will be looking for signs of life. This might be less about the details and more about flashing something. Quarterbacks like Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence and Trey Lance haven't put up insane preseason numbers but they've made wow-inducing downfield throws and made plays off schedule. If Mond flashes something to indicate there's a special skill in there, it would be a good night for him in KC.
TE, Zach Davidson
The fifth-round pick is graded by PFF as 32nd out of 34 Vikings offensive players that have stepped on the field during the first two preseason games. He has one reception on five attempts in his direction and scored well below average grades as a blocker.
"He’s got to continue to block better," Mike Zimmer said on Wednesday. "He’s improved some on that, but he’s got to continue to block better. He does a decent job running routes. Special teams, that’s important for a backup tight end. A backup player in general.”
Davidson is severely lacking in experience, which could make it difficult on the Vikings to pick him over Brandon Dillon. It's possible the Vikings could keep both if Tyler Conklin is going to miss any time to start the season but it's rare that any team retains more than three tight ends. Davidson is going to have to give the Vikings a reason to keep him on the roster.
DE, Jalyn Holmes
The Vikings drafted Holmes in 2018 with hopes he could move inside to defensive tackle and be a factor pressuring the quarterback. That never came to fruition so they moved him back outside to defensive end last year, where he did not register a sack and only picked up 19 pressures (per PFF) in 376 pass rush snaps. He's struggled in the first two preseason games, grading 34th of 36 players by PFF standards. The writing feels like it's on the wall but the injury to Janarius Robinson opens the door for one more D-linemen to stick around.
Zimmer was asked about Holmes's chances on Wednesday.
"Jalyn has done a good job," the Vikings' head coach said. "Sometimes it’s not about just playing one position, it’s about being able to play a couple. Can a guy help us more on third down? Can he be a swing guy to move from the outside to the inside? Who gives us the best opportunity to play the run? Who gives us the best opportunity to rush the passer? You have to factor all of those things in."
Let’s factor those things. The D-linemen who are guaranteed spots are Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson, Sheldon Richardson, DJ Wonnum and Patrick Jones. It seems very likely that Armon Watts and Stephen Weatherly will make the team. That makes nine. If they want to keep 10, the choice comes down to Holmes being able to play multiple positions, whatever pass rushing ability is there with Hercules Mata’afa, James Lynch’s newfound nose tackle job and Kenny Willekes’s late-camp charge as a pass rusher.
If the Vikings haven’t decided which one of those things they value most, the final preseason game may influence their decision.
K, Greg Joseph
Are the Vikings set with Joseph? It’s hard to say. The 27-year-old kicker has made three of four attempts in preseason action and made 7-of-11 during the Vikings’ recent “scrimmage” in practice, so there’s a case to go either way.
Without a long history of successfully kicking in the NFL, the team could wait and see if another quality veteran kicker gets cut. Joseph has one last chance to leave a final impression.
S, Cam Bynum
While Bynum’s roster spot isn’t on the chopping block, his role as the backup to Harrison Smith and Xavier Woods might be. He’s played 113 snaps, more than any other defensive player by 18, which indicates the coaches want to get him reps and take a long look at the converted cornerback.
If he shows continued development, they could stick with Bynum as the only other safety on the roster. If the staff doesn’t feel like he’s ready, they’ll need to keep another safety or add someone else who can be trusted if Smith or Woods has to miss time.
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I know adding Patrick Peterson was the talk of FA but the Breeland signing is more important than we thought
There is nothing Mond could do that should change his role this year. If he separates his shoulder doing the racist chant in KC, or if he goes 31/33 for 500 yrs and 6 tds, rushing for 80 and another score, it isn't material information. Similarly, whatever Browning shows against about-to-be-cut Chefs, his sticking around should be determined based upon what other options become available.
The only question is 2 QBs on the roster, with a vaxxed one on the PR, or 3. I really hope it's 2--there is far more value in having depth on ST or the trenches. Browning will clear waivers and has been here all off-season.
There is pressure for the bubble guys at other spots where there are actual races, but it would be terrible if QB decisions are impacted by this game.