Friday Mailbag: Minicamp wraps

The Vikings completed minicamp on Thursday and fans have questions about where they stand

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By Matthew Coller

Happy Friday, everyone! Well, we’ve made our way through minicamp. Now there will be plenty of time to preview training camp, speculate and have some fun. So let’s get to what’s on Vikings fans’ minds…

Eldon… How shocking would it be if Max Brosmer turned into the next Taylor Heineckie and won the QB2 job out of training camp?

Taylor Heinicke did not win a QB2 job out of camp as a Viking because he decided that breaking into his own house via kicking a door was more important. I get the sense that they are really liking what they are seeing from Brosmer. Every time he gets into drills, he seems to get the ball out quickly and with pretty good velocity and accuracy. KOC said that he was farther along than most guys they bring into this type of role.

All that said, it would be pretty darn shocking if he was QB2. Sam Howell has played in the league already and shown he can have really good stretches. I’m not trying to judge anything with Howell until training camp but the fact he’s been a pro QB before means it would be very hard for anyone to knock him out of that spot unless he completely falls apart in camp/preseason. And in that case, they would go out and get somebody else like they did when they traded for Nick Mullens in 2022.

Brosmer has long-time backup written all over him though. I mean that as a really great compliment. There have been very few UDFAs that have caught my eye over the years.

Alan G…Has the NFL considered moving the trade deadline later in the season in order to make for a more exciting deadline like the NBA/NHL/MLB. It seems to be the one area where the other major sports are better than the NFL.

They did that last year. As long as I can remember it was Week 6 and nobody ever made trades because even teams that got off to bad starts thought they could turn things around. They moved in back to Week 8 a few years ago and then last year the owners approved the deadline moving back to Week 9. I think that’s the sweet spot where a player would have long enough to still impact the team so that sellers can still get something in return for a trade. I doubt there is any way to drum up as much action as MLB/NHL/NBA get just because of the nature of the game. Those sports are so much more plug-and-play and the NFL’s salary cap is so flexible that teams

Brent O… Has their been anything from Vikings leadership about a Metellus extension? Has he been sort of "holding-in" for an extension? He seems like the next leadership piece that would be looking for a new contract

We haven’t talked to Kwesi since this came up and O’Connell hasn’t been asked about it because it really isn’t a pressing situation at the moment. Metellus was in attendance and he still did the walk-through 11-on-11 stuff. I’m not even sure you can call it a “hold in” when he’s only sitting out the full speed 7-on-7s.

This one feels like a Spielman-era opening day of camp extension. Metellus wants to be here and the Vikings want him here. They just have to work through the details.

Robert S… It seems like, in your book, bringing in Jalen Ramsey would have to make our gang a very solid Super Bowl contender. So, would that bump them up to 12 regular season wins as far as your prediction?

I think what Ramsey would do is take away the question marks at that position. If I’m picking 11 wins, I’m doing it with decent confidence that they can get there. If Ramsey is here, I’d be very confident.

I like to analyze teams through the lens of their weaknesses. The secondary as it’s constituted right now has a strong case for being somewhere between solid and good but there are just too many unproven players to be sure. If Ramsey is paired with Murphy Jr., that’s one of the better starting duos in the league. Put that alongside with the nasty front seven and you’re going toe to toe with just about any other defense in the NFL on sheer talent. When you’re in Super Bowl mode, that’s what you’re aiming for. So, go for it. But I also understand if they want to see the secondary in camp before making any additions.

Kyle R… How does JJ compare to Kirk through minicamp? I know that’s a vague question, but just in terms of what your eyes see, how similar does it look in terms of where he’s at? Are there any obvious signs of things he needs to get better at, are there areas he looks better?

During the Zimmer era they were running 11-on-11s at high speeds. Now that never, ever happens. That’s the biggest difference. It’s really hard to get a sense for how a QB is going to perform when there’s no defensive line. We can see that McCarthy is throwing the ball well and the practice is moving along and we can tell when KOC and Josh McCown seem happy with something or want to stop to make some coaching points but that’s about it.

McCarthy has looked like a QB1 in the league during these practices though. There wouldn’t be any mistaking who was The Guy out there. Cousins was already so experienced that the practices (outside 2018) rolled along and he threw the ball with an extremely high level of accuracy and anticipation that McCarthy is still trying to reach.

ProFootballPiks… Which 2 teams do you expect to the surprise to the upside and the downside the most this season?

Hm. Are enough people saying Arizona that it won’t be a surprise if they’re good? If not, I’ll say Arizona. Carolina also has a chance to take a big leap forward so I’ll buy Bryce Young stock. On the down side, does Miami feel like they are poised to fall off a cliff? I could also see Denver regressing.

Anglo Vike… Any clues as to what JJ will be doing between now and when training camp starts? Is he likely to take a break or will be pushing his learning and studies ready for TC like he seemed to do last year?

JJ told us today that he’s going to get some rest in. The guy has been rehabbing and grinding to get to this point since January so it’s probably best that he’s not overdoing it. And then he said that he was going to stay in Minnesota and work out with his wide receivers. I’m sure there will be a lot of study time with the playbook in between. Dude is a football junkie.

Jason… Do you think the real reason for a hold-up on a Metellus extension is fighting over royalties on Tell Us with Metellus? In all seriousness, could they be betting on their ability to keep making mid to late round safeties work?

It’s really that he’s so unique. How do you find a comparison to a player that plays so many different positions and produces like he does? I’m sure from an agent’s perspective, they want to focus on him being one of one as a hybrid safety and the fact he’s a captain, a playmaker and has been on the field for basically every play. From the Vikings’ side, they might be saying that all of that is true but how much money would Metellus get on the free agent market? They probably feel they should get a discount because his success is so specific to this location and defense. Would anyone give Metellus $15 million per year on the open market? Maybe they would, I’m not sure though.

Other extensions that they have done with guys like Jefferson and Darrisaw had much easier numbers because there were clear comparable players.

Ben… How good do you think the revamp pass rush can be?? Felt like Grenard and Van Ginkel had to carry too much of the pass rush last season

They got nice contributions from other guys like Jones, Ward and the LBs/safeties blitzing but there’s no replacing interior pressure from DTs. It’s so valuable. In terms of something like sacks, I don’t see it getting crazy better, but I do see pressure from the DT position replacing some of the blitzes and allowing them to be more versatile on the back end. It might not be super, super obvious that the pass rush is better but not having to sacrifice coverage for the pass rush is ultimately better.

Never Played Madden… Oliver is signed thru ‘28, Hockenson thru ‘27. Do you think Hockenson gets another contract or will Oliver last longer as a Viking?

It’s so hard to look that far into the future that far. Hockenson’s contract gets a little tricky in the next few years but I could easily see an extension if he keeps putting up big numbers. He is the type of tight end that I think could have a longer prime than we usually expect from players. He isn’t quite taking the physical toll that other TEs take because he’s mostly in the receiving role. If I had to guess right now, I’d say that Hock ends up signing another deal eventually and stays here a long time. Things can change quick though.

TheDude… Has any of the relatively unknown players looked good to you (either practice or just the way they moved) and / or received high praise from the coaches (above and beyond the usual compliments). Understood no pads are on and they are not doing hardcore practice.