Vikings Camp Journal: Day 2

Justin Jefferson had 'tightness,' which opened the door for other receivers to take reps on Thursday

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings were back on the field at TCO Performance Center for Day 2 of training camp. Let’s dive into the recap…

What I heard

Justin Jefferson sat out for the second half of Thursday’s practice after making a contested catch along the sidelines. He didn’t leave the field at all and spoke with the media after practice.

“Just having a little bit of tightness,” Jefferson said. “With past injuries and stuff that I’d gone through before, just taking precaution and understanding that it’s the second day of camp not the 30th, making sure I’m fully healthy.”

He clarified that it was tightness in his leg(s) that caused him to be sidelined. The Vikings handled Jefferson cautiously in training camp last year as well because in 2023 he missed seven games with a hamstring injury. He is looking to avoid having that happen again.

The superstar wide receiver is adjusting to his third QB1 in three seasons. This time it’s an inexperienced quarterback in JJ McCarthy rather than veterans Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. Jefferson said that defensive coordinator Brian Flores is preparing McCarthy for what he’s going to see in terms of the unique coverages for Jefferson on a week-to-week basis.

“Coach [Flores] is definitely doing a great job giving [McCarthy] different looks,” Jefferson said. “I feel like coach Flores has one of the best defenses at disguising and not allowing the quarterback to read coverages…they double team me out here too. Definitely getting the different looks we are going to get throughout the season and that’s good for him.”

Every time Jefferson has talked this offseason, he has emphasized one key thing about building chemistry with McCarthy: Trust him. Jefferson has the numbers to back up the idea that he’s open even when he’s not technically open. Per PFF, he has caught 52% of contested catches over his career.

“He has his head on straight and he has that confidence to go out there and perform every single week, I’m just trying to get him more confident to give me those throws where it’s double coverage and I might not look totally open,” Jefferson said.

Dallas Turner talked with Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer and Purple Insider off to the side on Thursday about his offseason. The 2024 first-rounder has made noticeable gains in terms of his physique in comparison to last year when he arrived in Minnesota.

That began quickly after the Vikings were eliminated in the playoffs as Turner spent time right after the season ended working out with star pass rusher Jonathan Greenard.

“Right after the season… we were hitting it strong in the weight room, watching film, picking each other’s brain,” Turner said. “He has a lot of knowledge. He’s one of the best vets on the team…it was a good opportunity to be around him and spend time with him and see how he got to this point in his career.”

In terms of where Turner stands mentally, he said that identifying things that the offense is doing can help him be more instinctual.

“Getting familiar with offensive recognition, formations, plays, different types of shifts,” Turner said. “Playing faster, I feel like that’s something I could have done a lot more last season and not being afraid to make mistakes.

So far Turner has been mixing in on both sides of the D-line in practice and taking 7-on-7 reps with the linebackers, indicating that they will want him in coverage.

Jonathan Greenard has been banging the drum that Turner has what it takes to have a breakout year.

“He’s gotten bigger, stronger, faster, he looks way different than last year,”Greenard said. “His mindset, he’s locked in, he’s receiving coaching a lot better. I’m just ready to see what he can do. I worked with him all offseason and to see it translate out on the field, I’m excited to see what he can do.”

Greenard is making an adjustment to playing with two new defensive tackles in Jonathan Hargrave and Jonathan Allen versus very different types of players that the Vikings had at DT last year.

“JA is a dog when it comes to pushing that pocket, winning his matchups and being a disruptive force,” Greenard said. “Hargrave — Grave Digger we call him — I’ve been watching him since he’s been in Philly so I just know all about his game, there’s no flaw at all… and they’re great dudes. It’s so easy to play with guys like that who understand football and what we’re trying to achieve here and understand that they can be themselves.”

Speaking of players talking about new additions, Byron Murphy Jr. talked after practice about what he’s seen from Isaiah Rodgers, who appears to be off to a strong start at camp.

“Footwork, speed, he can run with anybody and ball skills, he can go up and get interceptions,” Murphy Jr. said. “Coach [Matt Daniels] said, ‘he might have more ball skills than you,’ so I have to compete with him on that. He’s an all-around corner who can do anything.”

With the Vikings hoping that Jeff Okudah finds comfort in Flores’ system and finds the potential that he’s had since being picked third overall in 2020, I asked Murphy Jr. why this defense tends to elevate defensive backs.

“Definitely the culture, the locker room number one because you have guys here who are going to push you every single day,” Murphy Jr. said.

It has been noticeable in the secondary that UDFA rookie Zemaiah Vaughn has been getting a lot of run with the second team. I asked Flores what he saw in Vaughn coming out of college.

“Size, obviously you guys walk on the field and see a guy with six-two long arms, a corner can run, so the measurables are there,” Flores said. “We brought him in on a [pre-draft visit] and he was really very good just from a mental standpoint, acumen standpoint. He works hard. It's important to him.”

It seems that Vaughn is going to get a legitimate chance to make the roster. Obviously there is a long way to go.

One of the big takeaways about the secondary from Day 1 of camp was Josh Metellus being a full participant and playing alongside Harrison Smith rather than in his typical hybrid role. On Thursday he did not practice with an ankle injury, which could be because a new extension is imminent or it could be a TJ Hockenson-like play from 2023 camp when he was negotiating a new deal or it could just be an ankle injury.

We’ll have to see about that. But when it comes to his role, Flores was asked about Metellus playing a “traditional” safety spot. The DC pushed back on that idea.

“That word [traditional], I don't know if that really fits me,” Flores said. “We try to be creative. And we've done that with Josh…he'll play some traditional safety. He'll play some nickel. He'll play some linebacker. He'll be on a D -line. He'll play all over the place like he has in the last few years. Because he's done a good job at that.”

What I saw