Vikings Camp Journal: Day 17, players under pressure

Photo courtesy Minnesota Vikings

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN —

What I heard

On Friday night, Brian Flores will get one more opportunity to look at his defense before some difficult decisions have to be made on the 53-man roster. The position that might be keeping him up at night is along the defensive line where the Vikings have had a number of strong camp performances from players down the depth chart.

“I'm really proud of that group. I've walked in there probably two weeks ago and said that each one of you guys can play,” Flores said of the D-line unit. “Don't worry about the decisions we make. Just worry about getting better every day and putting it on tape. They've all done that.”

One player in particular that has done everything to make the Vikings put him on the 53-man roster is Morgan State UDFA Elijah Williams, who is the highest PFF graded player on the Vikings’ defense through two preseason games.

“He's done a lot of nice things,” Flores said. “He's a great kid, he works hard, he's smart, and he's talented. And that's showing up on tape…Those guys are making it hard, and he's certainly one of them.”

Last year the Vikings kept six defensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster. If they kept the same this time around, the most obvious candidates would be Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Harrison Phillips, Jalen Redmond, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Levi Drake Rodriguez. They could use the extra spot on the roster created by Jordan Addison’s suspension to keep Williams. It’s possible the final preseason game will be influential in the decision, though LDR has missed multiple practices going back to last week and is unlikely to play in the game.

Another young player that has caught Flores’ attention is linebacker Kobe King. The rookie’s performance seemingly allowed them to cut Brian Asamoah. He has taken all the second-team reps alongside Eric Wilson during practice and played 84 snaps on defense during the preseason

“He's a downhill linebacker, kind of an old school backer, big physical, I think a Pepper Johnson when I watch him play,” Flores said. “Very good in the run game but he's still learning, he's still getting better as a rusher with pressure and coverage, but all the young players are still learning and we've seen improvement in all those areas and we just need to continue to improve…I think he's somebody who's got a bright future.”

For those under 40, Pepper Johnson played 13 years in the NFL for the Giants, Browns, Lions and Jets and was the definition of a mid-80s to mid-90s linebacker with huge shoulder pads and a very physical style of play.

Another guy fighting for a spot is versatile defensive back Kahlef Hailassie. He has played both cornerback and safety during camp/preseason and had two interceptions against the Texans in the opener. The Vikings may be able to squeeze one more DB into the room if they are interested in Hailassie’s versatility.

“When I first got here, I thought I was going to play corner,” Hailassie said. “I’m playing all types of different roles but my hard work hasn’t changed and the way I treat practice and the games.”

On the other side of the ball, Brett Rypien is in an interesting spot. He has been with the Vikings for a year and been repeatedly praised by Kevin O’Connell for his knowledge of the offense. In training camp he has occasionally mixed in with the second unit and he is 8-for-15 for 89 yards in two preseason games. The question is whether a big final appearance in Friday night’s game against the Titans can move the needle in his favor or not. He doesn’t look like QB2 and he doesn’t have the upside/intrigue of rookie Max Brosmer.

So how is Rypien approaching the final preseason contest?

“You just look at it like another game,” Rypien said. “This is my seventh year doing this now and you never know what the opportunity is going to look like and you never know how many reps you’re going to get so you just take advantage of the ones you get.”

“It’s easy to try to get ahead of yourself and see how things are going on the outside and try to get other people’s opinions but all you can do is control what you can control and I feel like I’ve done a good job of that over my career,” Rypien added.

What I saw

Not much. For the second straight day, the Vikings did not turn up the heat on practice. They mostly had a walk through on Tuesday, only participating in one 11-on-11 two-minute drive with Max Brosmer at the helm. He led a touchdown drive capped by a TD reception by Myles Price. JJ McCarthy only had a couple 11-on-11 red zone throws, one of which turned into a touchdown pass to Thayer Thomas and another was a touch throw to the back of the end zone that Lucky Jackson couldn’t quite haul in.

And that was that.

Jalen Nailor, Andrew Van Ginkel, Harrison Smith, CJ Ham, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Blake Cashman were notable players who did not practice.

What I thought

Just when you thought list season was over, here’s a list of the players I think are under the most pressure going into the final preseason game:

Receivers: Tim Jones, Lucky Jackson, Thayer Thomas, Tai Felton and Myles Price

After playing on the third team for most of camp, Jones suddenly is appearing in reps with McCarthy. He caught five passes in the second preseason game and has the most experience of the group (17 career catches).

Jackson has been with the first team all summer since Justin Jefferson went down but has recently battled drops in practice/preseason. He probably has the best handle of the offense of any of the receivers jockeying for position.

Thomas has quietly built chemistry with McCarthy, making several grabs during the joint practices.

Felton doesn’t seem to be in the discussion as he has rarely seen any reps with McCarthy. That doesn’t mean that he isn’t under pressure though because he is set to be the team’s starting kick returner. With kick returns suddenly turning into a game of pinball, he needs to give the team confidence in him back there.