Camp questions: Ranking the best position battles

Looking at which camp battles will carry the most intrigue heading into camp

Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings

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By Matthew Coller

There is nothing more classic than NFL training camp battles, so let’s have a look at the positions that will be up for grabs and the candidates fighting for those spots…

1 — Rotational defensive tackle

The starting defensive tackles Jonathan Allen, Harrison Phillips and Javon Hargrave all have something in common: Milage. The Vikings would likely prefer if these experienced gentlemen remain fresh for 17 games, meaning they will be looking for players with a little more tread on the tires to work into the lineup on occasion.

The candidates for rotational roles all come along with some intrigue.

Jalen Redmond is a former XFL player who burst on the scene in the middle of 2024, instantly becoming an impact player as soon as he got in the game. Over a four-game stretch from Week 13-17, he racked up nine “stops,” which are defined by PFF as tackles on unsuccessful plays by the offense. In normal football terms: Redmond proved to be a penetrating DT, especially against the run, and routinely made plays in the backfield. By the end of the year he was playing 20-40 snaps per game and pushing veteran Jerry Tillery off the field. Can Redmond carry over the strong start to his career or will he be a flash in the plan that gets passed by younger players in camp? Can he be the answer to concerns about stuffing the run with Allen and Hargrave on the field at the same time be solved by mixing in Redmond in obvious run situations?

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is a unique player at 6-foot-5, 276 pounds with NFL Combine scores that match up with any player his size in the league. What he is lacking, however, is experience. He developed on the sidelines for Georgia for several years before finally breaking through in 2024 to the tune of 536 snaps that were spread out along the spots across the defensive line. Similar to Redmond, he didn’t have crazy pass rushing numbers but he did get into the backfield a lot, registering 17 “stops” (third among Georgia D-linemen and more than top pick Mykel Williams). Could the Vikings hope Ingram-Dawkins can carve out a niche right away as a 3-4 defensive end who is trying to shoot gaps and get lined up with guards who are inferior athletes? Could they mix him in as a massive outside linebacker? He did play a 4-3 defensive end role often for the Bulldogs. Or will he fall much more into the developmental category for 2025?

Levi Drake Rodriguez became an instant fan favorite when folks read about his unique background from Texas A&M Commerce and saw his flowing long hair. In training camp, LDR made a strong first impression and even saw first-team reps filling in when Tillery was out with an injury. When the season came around, however, he was either on the sideline or in the press box rather than seeing time on the field. With another year of development, however, Rodriguez should get a legitimate shot at winning a role in the rotation. The question is: Which role? Do the Vikings see him as more of a Harrison Phillips prototype who can move guards and stuff gaps or do they look at him more as a pass rusher who can use his quickness and strength to get into the backfield? If he is a Phillips clone, he will need to prove that he can be quick enough to handle the unique assignments that Phillips takes on and strong enough to hold the point of attack against veterans like Ryan Kelly and Will Fries or the freakishly-athletic Donovan Jackson. If they want him to be an Allen/Hargrave fill-in, then he has to get in the backfield during camp/preseason to prove that he’s grown in that area.

Taki Taimani is the fire hydrant of the group at 6-foot-1, 309 pounds. He made the 53-man roster out of camp last year but got banged up and only played 70 total snaps. In his short time on the field, Taimani showed the strength and power to play a true nose tackle spot. The Vikings are otherwise lacking that type of player. Can he prove that he belongs as a regular run stuffer like Jonathan Bullard was for the Vikings over the last two years?

Other players who are fighting to make noise in camp on the D-line include: Jonathan Harris, Travis Bell, Alexander Williams and Elijah Williams.

2 — Depth wide receiver

Behind the big three — Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor — there is a fight for both roster spots and potential playing time. Veteran Rondale Moore is hoping to find his 2021 form and show that he can bring a playmaking element to the Vikings offense that was missing. Rookie Tai Felton also wants to be that guy with his sub-4.4 speed and YAC specialty in college.

Who else is going to make noise though? Could we see the undersized Silas Bolden become a short-area quickness guy in the mold of a Jarius Wright or Chad Beebe of the past? The Vikings have also kept Lucky Jackson and Thayer Thomas around over multiple years as camp bodies and practice squad players. Is this finally the year they get a chance to get a real opportunity? Where does special teams expert Tim Jones fit into the mix? Is he going to win the job that formerly belonged to Trent Sherfield?

The long shots include Jeshaun Jones, who made a bunch of plays in camp last year and eventually showed up on the PS. He was already catching passes again in minicamp. Others include: Robert Lewis, Dontae Fleming and Myles Price.

3 — TE3

It may not be the sexiest but it is the most wide open and potentially more important than it looks heading into camp. Last year, the league’s top TE3 Johnny Mundt ended up playing a ton when TJ Hockenson was out and they wanted multiple-TE personnel groupings.

So who’s the next Mundt? There are four candidates. The front runner is Gavin Bartholomew, an athletic player with good hands. He was drafted in the sixth round, giving him a leg up on the competition.

Georgia’s Ben Yurosek caught 49 passes for Stanford in 2022 but only hauled in 15 passes for the Bulldogs last season. He did have his moments though, grabbing five receptions for 51 yards versus Tennessee and nabbing five more passes during the college football playoff for 50 yards. He has an edge in size, which might help his case.

North Carolina TE Bryson Nesbit was used as a downfield threat by the Tar Heels, averaging 14.1 yards per catch over his career. He is not big enough to make an impact as a blocker, so he will have to impress with his hands and ability to make catches in traffic in order to have a shot at winning the TE3 spot.

Veteran Giovanni Ricci has been in the league since 2020 when he was signed as a UDFA by the Panthers. He made nine receptions in Carolina and played 339 total snaps, largely as a blocker. If the Vikings aren’t satisfied with the youth movement, they could put one or two TEs on the practice squad to develop and have Ricci handle the TE3 duties. That would be a disappointing result versus the young talent but might end up being necessary.

4 — Secondary depth