Vikings Camp Journal: Day 11

KOC talked about Jordan Addison's suspension and JJ McCarthy had an improved day

Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings got back on the field after a day off Tuesday. Let’s have a look at all the takeaways…

What I heard

On Tuesday, the NFL announced that Jordan Addison will be suspended for the first three games of the season. On Wednesday, head coach Kevin O’Connell talked at length about what the suspension means for the team and Addison.

Beginning with Addison, who has grown over the last two years into a vital part of the offense alongside Justin Jefferson, O’Connell said that most of the conversations regarding his DUI citation were addressed between the two right after it happened rather than waiting until the suspension one year later. The head coach has been pleased with the way he responded in the time since last summer’s incident.

“He's done a phenomenal job not only this camp, but before that… he's taken full accountability with that suspension becoming official,” O’Connell said. “Jordan's daily, weekly and continued presence in our organization is a very positive one, and he knows that that's my expectation, and our relationship is something we talk about a lot, how much I view him as an ascending player with great leadership traits to help set the standard for players coming behind him.”

In terms of how the team will deal with Addison’s suspension, KOC noted that they have been aware of the potential punishment for quite some time and have planned for it.

“We've had a competitive camp in place for the rest of the depth of that room,” he said. “I've talked about the depth in that room, but at the same time, having lived two-and-a-half games to start last year without Jordan [Addison] and T.J. Hockenson at the same time… We will be answering some of those questions….as far as down the depth chart.”

While Lucky Jackson has taken the majority of snaps during Justin Jefferson’s absence, the preseason could tell us more about which receivers (i.e. Rondale Moore, Tai Felton, Thayer Thomas etc.) are most likely to step into a role when Addison is sidelined by his suspension.

Addison told the media after practice that he will not appeal the suspension.

Speaking of Jefferson, O’Connell did not put a specific timeline on his return and noted that Jefferson quickly jumped into the NFL during his rookie year despite a shortened camp. A better example of Jefferson needing very little in terms of training camp action might be 2021 when he missed a big chunk of practices with a shoulder injury and then caught 41 passes in the first six games of the season and finished with over 100 catches and over 1,600 yards.

This year is a little different. Jefferson’s health is certainly the biggest priority but he is working with a new quarterback who isn’t anywhere near as experienced as Kirk Cousins. But it doesn’t sound like the chemistry between No. 9 and No. 18 is concerning to KOC.

“He's been able to get himself ready for seasons despite maybe not having the same ramp up in some of these competitive situations as other folks,” O’Connell said. “And it's also about my trust in Justin to be ready to go… we want to make sure we're as healthy as possible, knowing we're going to be without Jordan there for not only the opener, but the first three.”

In terms of McCarthy, O’Connell announced on Monday night that he will be starting the preseason game on Saturday. KOC talked more in depth about what he wants to see from QB1 in preseason action.

“It’s a chance to wake up on Saturday morning and get in your car and drive to U.S. Bank Stadium, go through the pre-game warmups and build up to the ball getting kicked off,” O’Connell said. “You run out there and lead a unit and try to put together some successful sequences of plays. Then, there's going to be a bunch of things that he will personally feel that we can build upon.”

Following practice, McCarthy talked at the podium about how he’s approaching Saturday’s game. He said that he was “fired up” to find out that he was going to play and that he’s focused mainly on the operation of the offense.

“I would say is just the overall choreography of the offense and making those right decisions and being able to function as one unit, one heartbeat, and be all on the same page, execute, and just fall on our football philosophy and have it come to life,” McCarthy said.

It will be a big moment in McCarthy’s recovery as the first time he’s back on a real football field since suffering a season-ending injury last year in the preseason opener.

“Everyone throughout that journey has just been amazing, and I think it did a lot more good for me than bad, and just being out there again is going to be really special, and I can't wait to go do it,” McCarthy said.

What I saw

TJ Hockeson was back at practice on Wednesday, though Ryan Kelly and Josh Metellus were still sidelined. Neither Kelly nor Metellus is long term, per KOC.

Javon Hargrave also did not participate for the second straight practice. In his place, we saw a lot of Levi Drake Rodriguez. The 2025 seventh-rounder has looked like he is on a mission this summer. He looks like he has gained strength and explosiveness since last year and has found his way into the backfield repeatedly during practice. It would not be a surprise if he and Jalen Redmond were both used often alongside the starting three DTs.

As far as McCarthy’s practice, it was a big improvement from Monday night. He opened with a sharp throw to Addison over the middle and had two other impressive throws in Addison’s direction, including a well-timed out-breaking route.

McCarthy worked the ball to some other receivers that he might play with on Saturday, including Thayer Thomas and Rondale Moore. Both receivers had good practices with Moore catching a touchdown from Sam Howell in which he blew away Dwight McGlothern off the line of scrimmage and Thomas jumped over a defensive back to bring in a contested catch. Both had multiple grabs on the day.

The downside of McCarthy’s day came in the red zone. A long drive was sullied by an ugly interception thrown to linebacker Blake Cashman. It was typical of the miscues that McCarthy has had during camp. He was moving out of the pocket and tried to make a play in the middle of the field and missed Addison.