Training camp recap, Day 5

Was the defense ahead of the offense? You betcha

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings put on the pads on Monday. Here’s the recap of what we heard and saw…

What I heard

Edge rusher depth

Going into camp, we thought that we might be getting an Adam Schefter alert that said “the Vikings have signed pass rusher….” but so far that has not been the case.

Brian Flores said that the pads coming on represents the true test for the outside linebacker group.

“Eric [Wilson] has played on the edge, [Jake Golday] has played on the edge in the past, Ty [Ingram-Dawkins] played on the edge, [Tyler] Batty’s played on the edge, Bo Richter’s having a good camp, Chaz [Chambliss] has played [edge,] so we’ve got guys, and they’re all hungry to learn, hungry to improve,” Flores said. “So we’ll see how that plays out. We’re always having conversations about everyone on the roster. feel good about where we’re at there. These next few days will tell us a lot.”

Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel had interesting comments on Ingram-Dawkins, who has gotten the most first-team run of all the young players.

“He’s a guy that is going to take a big step forward this year,” Van Ginkel said. “I’m excited to see him play because these first three or four practices, he’s made a play every single day and he’s a guy that is another one of those guys that’s eager to learn, and he’s truly bringing it on a day-to-day basis. So I think he’s going to be a guy to watch this preseason.”

Van Ginkel was asked why he thinks Ingram-Dawkins can take the step forward from a decent start to his career in a limited role last year.

“I think it’s that second year that confidence is growing,” Van Ginkel said. “He knows it’s his time. He knows that he needs to step up, and it’s his spot. He’s got a lot to prove. He got in a little bit last year, but never really made those big splash plays. And I think that he’s determined to make an impact on this team and to be a star.”

The Vikings seem to be willing to let camp play out before they make a move, which is not unprecedented. In 2024, they did something similar with young cornerbacks and ultimately option to land Stephon Gilmore in late August.

The Texans signed top free agent Jadeveon Clowney but there are still several players who have previous OLB experience like Von Miller, Leonard Floyd and Haason Reddick.

Charles Demmings and Zemaiah Vaughn get strong reviews

On Saturday, the Vikings’ fifth-rounder from Stephen F. Austin and Vaughn, a 2025 UDFA from Utah, got a lot of work with the first team. Flores said that he met with the young defensive backs to give them some praise for their efforts thus far.

Demmings in particular has fit in with Flores well, it appears.

“Chuck D, he’s a very confident individual, high energy, great teammate, hard worker,” Flores said. “In those individual drills, you’ll see him working his footwork, hand placement and then he tries to apply those in the group setting, in the team settings. So he’s done a good job so far and just continued to improve on a daily basis.”

Veteran cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. noted Demmings’ energy inside the cornerback room, saying that he’s one of the best football player rappers he’s heard and that Demmings leads the team in prayer. But he’s also dialing into the way the DBs need to operate within the defense.

“He’s just one of the guys that come in and ask questions and all those type of things,” Murphy Jr. said.

How much can they put on Jake Golday’s plate?

During minicamp and the start of camp, second-rounder Jake Golday played with the inside linebacker unit. On Saturday, he began mixing in as an outside linebacker.

“We’ve got him bouncing quite a bit,” Flores said. “He’s got aptitude and he’s able to pick a lot of it up. I’m always conscious of a rookie’s ability to take in all that information and then apply it and still play physical and play downhill and play fast. He’s been able to do that. But now it’s like how there’s always a point when they’re overloaded and we’re kind of watching that right now.”

In college, Golday lined up all over the field, including playing as a slot defender in man-to-man situations. Flores’ comments make it sound like they would like to carve out a role for him but they are determining what that might look like.

Life without Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus taking the role

The defensive backs are in unique territory in training camp without Harrison Smith’s presence.

Murphy Jr. said that Smith was so good at identifying calls by formations and tendencies that he could call out something to the rest of the defensive backs to give them tips on what the offense might be doing on nearly every play.

Now the defense will be looking to Josh Metellus as their leader but it will be a group effort to make up for Smith’s absence.

“We got communicators like [Josh Metellus], Theo [Jackson], even the young guys stepping in,” Murphy Jr. said. “So we got guys that still are communicators of the defense who are taking in that role. So it’s been a good job to hear different guys talk. As a group, we all got to talk and communicate. But it’s good to see how different people, different guys going in and still talking to each other. So we just got to keep that communication going.”

Tai Felton on his progress

The third-rounder from 2025 has made a lot of catches so far during the opening days of camp, including a breathtaking grab in the back of the end zone on Monday.

He said after practice that he spent time this spring throwing with Kyler Murray in Dallas and working alongside Jordan Addison.

“Rookie season I felt like I got my feet wet, so I know what to expect from the coaches, know what to expect from the playbook and scenarios so my biggest thing is improving every year, no matter what I’ve done the past year,” Felton said.

What I saw

On the first day of pads, the quarterback competition was ongoing as both QBs took first and second-team reps.

Here were the results:

Here is the chart of where Kyler Murray’s plays ended up:

Murray highlights:

— Early in the practice Murray fired a pass to tight end Gavin Bartholomew for around 15 yards over the middle in between defenders.

— In the red zone, he fired a ball in a tight window to the back of the end zone to Jeshaun Jones

— Murray escaped the rush and rolled to his left, flipping the ball downfield to Justin Jefferson for a completion. The ball did require Jefferson to leap for it but it was a good play by Murray to scramble and keep his eyes downfield.