Training camp recap, Day 9

The quarterbacks didn't exactly shine and Jamal Adams talked about returning to safety

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By Matthew Coller

The Vikings held their ninth practice of the summer on Saturday. It was a lighter workout in shells as they get ready for the night practice on Sunday…

What I heard

Jamal Adams is grateful for a chance at safety

It’s been a tough couple years for Jamal Adams, who played 448 snaps as a linebacker for the Raiders last season after only seeing the field for 40 plays in 2024.

He started camp with No. 54 at the linebacker position until Kevin O’Connell informed him by calling him “3-2” that he was going to be switching to 32 and going back to play safety while Jakobe Thomas and Jay Ward miss practice.

He played box safety for the Seahawks in 2023 and hasn’t played free safety regularly since 2021.

“It feels great. You know, I was telling some people inside in the training room, just to have somebody believe in me again, that I can go back there and play the safety position,” Adams said. “I can kind of do it all in the back end. So Ijust want to be versatile and do anything I can to help the team.”

Is he going to be comfortable if Brian Flores has to move him around from safety back to linebacker if the situation arises?

“I've been kind of doing it [being versatile] for a while, that's what I pride myself on, just being able to play a little bit of everything,” Adams said. “At the end of the day, I'm just a football player.”

Adams has been working with Matt Daniels on special teams. That’s something he hasn’t done in quite a long time but he isn’t shying away from it.

“I haven't done special teams since Les Miles [at LSU] but again, man, just doing whatever they asked me to do. If they want me to run out there and play some special teams reps, I will,” Adams said. “I don't have any ego or pride in anything. So at the end of the day, it's a perspective just to get on that field and put the work in.”

Dontae Fleming will get his chance as a returner

Over the last two training camps, UDFA Dontae Fleming has flashed big-play ability at times. This year, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels wants to get him more involved in the return game.

“I’m really, really excited about Dontae Fleming,” Daniels said. “I really want to get him some opportunities back there. He’s got the speed. He has the ball catching and tracking skills….really elite speed. And he has the ability to set up blocks. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to see what he can do with the ball in his hands.”

The Vikings will very likely have Myles Price as their top returner but they will need to decide on a No. 2 returner for kicks and a backup in case Price gets hurt for punts. It sounds like Fleming will have a chance to be that guy.

Myles Price as a receiver

The coaching staff will have to make a decision about what they want to do at WR5 behind the starters and Tai Felton. Myles Price being the top returner gives him a good chance to be that guy but they may want another receiver if they aren’t excited about him playing wide receiver as well as returning.

Daniels said that he has seen enormous gains in Price’s ability as a receiver.

“If you ask the offensive guys, Year 1 Myles as a receiver versus Year 2 Myles as a receiver is day and night,” Daniels said. “He’s consistently been making plays out here from an offensive standpoint, continuing to pick up the playbook as that F position. And, I’m sure those guys will utilize him from an offensive standpoint.”

From a returning standpoint, improving on his raw skills that showed up last year is all about protecting the football and making good choices.

“Tracking it, catching it, being a great decision maker back there,” Daniels said. “We all know Miles is a very aggressive. when it turns to returning balls, but we just have to make sure that those aggressive decisions don’t lead to reckless actions afterwards.”

Punter Brett Thorson has a big leg but it’s about command

We got our first look in team drills at rookie punter Brett Thorson this week and he boomed the heck out of the football.

Daniels explained that blasting it as far as possible isn’t the entire game in the NFL.

“Are we looking to deny an elite returner from actually having the ability to return the football so we’re not looking for a 60-yard ball with a five-second hang?” Daniels said. “Maybe we want something more along those lines of a... 45-yard ball where we can force a fair catch. Is it backed up? Are they rushing? Is it a hold-up game? The football IQ that goes into it is very heavily weighted.”

“It’s a big-time learning curve. coming from the collegiate over into the professionals.”

Thorson is also getting the hang of holding fore Will Reichard.

“It’s been going really, really well. And Johnny’s been a great mentor to him as well, just in terms of helping him understand the nuances of it, hand placement, where to catch the football at, laces, turning the laces,” Daniels said.

We will get a real look at where Thorson stands in comparison to the veteran Johnny Hekker when the preseason games roll around.

The rookie class contributing on special teams

Last year, Daniels had a difficult task of getting a bunch of UDFAs to quickly adapt to special teams. This time around, he has a rookie class that includes multiple players like Jake Golday, Jakobe Thomas, Max Bredeson and Charles Demmings will could all be significant players on ‘teams.

He seems pretty pumped about that.

“Not only are these guys fast, but they’re a lot bigger from a length standpoint that we had previously,” Daniels said. “Special teams is always a one-on-one matchup game. And so it’s my job to make sure I’m matching these guys up on the right people. But the beauty is is that a lot of these guys, you know, whether I’m a – bigger body like Golday. I can go really match up on a possible safety just because I do have the length, speed, power combination to be able to go out and do it.”

What I saw

Saturday afternoon’s practice was a light one with the night practice on the way so the team was in shells and neither quarterback had a heavy workload. The two QBs split the first-team reps. It was probably the ugliest day of the year on the whole.

Here’s how both threw the ball overall:

Here’s Murray’s chart of where his passes were located: