Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings announced a couple of roster moves on Sunday.

They have signed cornerback Jarod Washington. Running back Kejon Owens was waived to create room for Washington on their 90-man roster.

Washington went undrafted out of South Carolina State earlier this year. He attended rookie minicamps for the Chiefs and Buccaneers, but did not sign with either club.

Washington had 33 tackles, a tackle for loss, two interceptions, 22 passes defensed and a forced fumble last season.

Owens signed with Minnesota after going undrafted out of FIU. He was placed on the non-football illness list at the start of training camp.

We’ve been watching, but not saying much about, the drip-drip of the quarterback competition in Minnesota. Much of the evidence based on completion percentages and interceptions can be misleading, for various reasons.

First, the quarterback of the starting offense will usually face the starting defense. The player running with the twos will be facing the second-string defense. Two, plays can be “scripted for success,” aimed at making the player look better by dialing up a specific play against a defense the play is designed to beat.

Three, it’s not live football. The quarterback can’t get hit. That introduces a real difference to the stress the player is feeling as the walls close in.

That said, all online indications based on Saturday’s practice are that Kyler Murray has begun to assert himself. Which makes sense. He’s objectively more talented than J.J. McCarthy. If it was close at first, Murray’s lack of knowledge and experience in the offense was a factor.

Murray’s speed and elusiveness have yet to move to the forefront. That gives him a clear advantage when it’s time to play, since the threat of Murray running will keep defenses honest. Which could open up passing lanes that, in practice, defenses aren’t going to abandon as quickly.

The Vikings, who passed on keeping Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones a year ago in lieu of giving McCarthy a full season as QB1, didn’t sign Murray to ride the bench. If he was going to be the backup, he likely would have cast his lot with the Rams, who wanted him to be the understudy to Matthew Stafford.

Consider the comments of Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown regarding the extra dynamic Murray brings to the position.

“We’ve all seen SportsCenter, the stuff that he does with his legs — so you can’t discount that,” McCown said, via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. “We want to coach him and kind of ask him, to a degree, to operate in our offense and then add his touch to it within that as those plays. The game gives you those opportunities. You don’t know when it’s going to happen, but those plays come up. And so we’re hoping that that’ll be a positive for us if/when that does happen. But it’s coaching him as if he’s just another Vikings quarterback that’s in our system, learning our system, trying to grow him in our system the right way. And then again, letting his God-given ability and skill set take over when he plays.”

Through all of the clips and snippets and quotes and scorecards from the first week of camp, the one thing that resonates the most for us came from an unnamed Cardinals coach, who gave this candid and telling comment to Alec Lewis of The Athletic: “I think you’re about to see the best version of Kyler Murray. And I’m fucking pissed that I’m not going to get to be a part of it. I’m going to be jealous when he’s in a good environment, his headspace is good, and he shows people who the fuck he is.”

So, yes, it’s a competition. But it would be a surprise if Murray doesn’t win it. Especially since he brings to Minnesota’s offense something it hasn’t had since the days of Daunte Culpepper — a quarterback who is a real threat to tuck the ball and run to daylight.

As NFL teams continue through the early days of training camp, August 1 provides an annual reminder of the risks of intense football practice in high temperatures and humidity.

Twenty-five years ago today, Vikings tackle Korey Stringer died from complications of heatstroke in the hours after practicing in extreme heat.

After struggling in warm temperatures on July 30, Stringer was one of six players who emerged from a 90-degree July 31 session with some form of heat-related illness. For Stringer, the situation spiraled out of control, culminating in his passing in the early hours of the next day.

Stringer’s death provided a reckoning for football at all levels, creating fresh sensitivity to the issues that can arise when players in full pads are exerting themselves under hothouse conditions.

Five years ago, Kevin Seifert of ESPN took a close look at the adjustments Stringer’s passing prompted. The culture changed. Teams moved practices away from the hottest hours of the day. Trainers and doctors became more sensitive to spotting and treating the signs of heatstroke.

In 2011, the Collective Bargaining Agreement made training camp less demanding than it used to be, with the days of double sessions in full pads gone for good. Still, teams are far more sensitive to spotting potential trouble from practicing in the heat, with efforts to ensure good hydration of players and to ensure that quick action is taken if any player seems to be having an issue.

Stringer’s former teammate, Todd Steussie, had left the Vikings for the Panthers in free agency. Steussie was still haunted by the incident when he spoke to Seifert in 2021.

“If you throw him in an ice tub, Korey is alive today,” Steussie said at the time. “It’s that simple, and that makes it so hard to think about.”

While it often takes a tragedy to fully open eyes about the extent of a given risk, the best outcome is to spot the issues and come up with a plan before the worst-case scenario unfolds. Most people, however, don’t fully appreciate the risk until there’s a tangible example that sends an unmistakable message.

Be proactive, not reactive. It’s always the ideal approach. And that’s the best culture change for any organization — a willingness to make changes before the need for change becomes obvious after a tragedy.

Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are competing for the starting quarterback job in Minnesota. Justin Jefferson doesn’t have a favorite for the job, wanting only for the best man to win it.

“Right now, we don’t know who’s the number one,” Jefferson said, via Will Ragatz of Bring Me The Sports. “It’s all about having communication and connection with both of the guys until further notice. Coming out here and getting work with both of them, talking to both of them, making sure we all understand and [are] on the same page.

“It’s a competition. It’s all on who comes to practice and who’s the better guy. At this point, it’s still early in training camp for any of us to understand or know who’s the number one guy. It’s all about pouring into both of them and making sure that, whoever’s the guy at the end of the day, we’re not starting over or starting fresh.”

Jefferson is doing all he can to build a connection with both quarterbacks. If he has a favorite, he isn’t saying.

“I love a competition,” Jefferson said. “I always love a competition. I feel like a competition brings out the true dog in you, that true player within you. It’s all about who’s coming every single day with that fresh mentality, that every single day is a new day. Not dwelling on a past day, if it’s a great day or not. Moving on and stacking those days and being consistent.”

Murray, who turns 29 in August, gets a second chance after going 38-48-1 in seven seasons in Arizona, with 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions. McCarthy, 23, has made only 10 starts in two seasons since the Vikings made him a first-round pick, and he threw 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.

Veteran defender Jamal Adams joined the Vikings not long before the opening of training camp. On Wednesday, he spoke to Minnesota reporters for the first time.

Adams said he was attracted to Minnesota by the presence of G.M. Nolan Teasley and defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Adams spent time with Teasley in Seattle, and he has always respected Flores from afar.

“There’s certain DCs in the league that you pray that you could play for him one day, and, you know, he fits me, man, and we fit each other,” Adams said, via Darren Wolfson of KSTP.

Now that Adams is in Minnesota, where can his career go in his tenth NFL season?

“I mean, the sky’s the limit, man. I just have to get back healthy,” Adams said.

Adams explained the difficulty in fully recovering the quad tendon tear he suffered in Week 1 of the 2022 season.

“You know, when you tear your tendon, it takes time,” Adams said. “It takes years to really get it back to yourself. You might heal, but you’re not back to yourself, mentally and physically. So I just had to get back healthy and, clearly, I just — I know what I can do. I know what I can bring to the table, just got to be out there, you know, fully locked and loaded.”

He said the effort to overcome the injury made it hard for him to perform at a high level, even though he was able to return to action in 2023.

“I wasn’t confident,” Adams said. “I knew my knee wasn’t, you know, fully back yet. But I knew I was on contract. I had to get out there and go out there and sacrifice. I wanted to play with my guys. I went out there, did what I could, but my knee just never could give it to me each and every week, as far as practicing. I’m a practice player. I love to practice. I couldn’t practice full speed, so when you don’t practice full speed, it’s hard to kind of go to the game and transition to full speed. So it took time, but I definitely had a lot of doubt, man, and went through a lot of adversity, but I came out on top, and it made me stronger.”

For now, he’s learning the terminology of the Minnesota defense. And he believes he can eventually be extremely flexible as to where he lines up, even if he’s officially listed as a linebacker.

“I can play linebacker, safety, corner, nose tackle, D-end, kicker,” Adams said. “It don’t even matter. Whatever you want me to play, I play. You want me to walk the dog? I’ll walk the dog.”

His approach is basic. As he said, it’s “see ball, get ball.”

When he was healthy, he was one of the best at doing that. Nearly four years removed from the injury, who knows what’ll happen when he’s added to a defense that can take full advantage of a player who can do a lot of different things?

The Vikings kicked off training camp on Wednesday and that also served as the kickoff for the final stage of their quarterback competition.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell said on Tuesday that Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy will both work with the first team as he makes his decision about who will be under center for Week 1. That approach means there will be plenty of attention paid to who gets what repetitions and the first day saw Murray in the lead spot.

Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports reports that Murray was the first man up when the Vikings moved into 11-on-11 work and that he hit wide receiver Jordan Addison for a 30-yard gain.

“I’m not really too focused on the long-term vision of it,” Murray said before practice. “I’m focused on the process and that’s day to day, coming out here with this walkthrough and then practice later. . . . Prove to the coaches and guys what I’m capable of.”

McCarthy will get his chances to prove the same point as well and all of the developments on the field in Minnesota will be closely followed until O’Connell makes his call.

Kyler Murray doesn’t know yet if he’ll be the Vikings’ No. 1 quarterback. But if he is, he knows Justin Jefferson will be his No. 1 receiver. And he’s grateful for that.

“I think it’s greatness,” Murray said when asked about Jefferson. “Not only does he believe he’s the best receiver in the league, he wants to be. From what I’ve seen out here, he’s proved it every single day. Those are the guys you want to be around. It’s few and far between having guys like that, but when you get around one, you see why. I’m just grateful I get to throw him the ball.”

Murray, in his first training camp with the Vikings, said there’s nothing better than the start of a new season.

“It’s the best time of the year,” Murray said. “The best time of the year. Grass is green, sun is out, the trees — beautiful scenery. Just getting to touch the field again with the guys, getting to play the game that I love to play. Best time of the year.”

Murray said the top priority in camp is getting accustomed to running the Vikings’ offense.

“It’s a reps thing,” Murray said. “Continue to do it over and over again, say it over and over again. The more you do it, the more you say it, the more it comes natural, the more it comes easier. I think that’s really the process for me. Once all that settles down, for me it’s just playing football.”

Murray hopes to be playing football in September, and throwing a lot of footballs to Jefferson.

The Vikings’ quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy is about to heat up.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Murray and McCarthy will each take reps with the club’s first-team and second-team offense to begin training camp. O’Connell also noted that Minnesota has a date in mind to choose the QB1, though he did not disclose it.

“I met with all those guys, really, on an individual basis over the last day or so. And really, just want to be able to articulate the vision and the plan,” O’Connell said. “I feel very good about our plan. Both Kyler and J.J. will take reps with the first team. They’ll also take reps with the second group, and I think that gives different layers to the evaluation as well.

“We want an elevator at the quarterback position. And in many ways, doing that in this system is kind of a ‘do-your-job mentality,’ which is running the show, throwing completions, and just showing the ability to execute our offense with comfort. That offense is an evolving thing, and we’re excited about what this year’s offense could look like. But we do want to be thorough, we want to be comprehensive with this. But at the same time, I think it’s important, when we feel good about a decision as a group and we’re ready to move forward, it’ll be good to do that so we can prepare that player for the season.”

O’Connell mentioned being “transparent” about the decision, which the club plans to announce when one has been made. But the process could take a little time.

“I think there’s an ideal date based upon training camp to make sure we check a lot of boxes for our team, but also for not only that player, but our entire offense,” O’Connell said. “So, yeah, there’s absolutely a date in mind — subject to what we think is best. If we feel like we can make the decision before that date, we will. If we feel like we need a little bit more time, we’ll take it.

“And, ultimately, a lot of work’s been done to this point, been evaluated — both on the field, where we think guys are at from their understanding and comfort of our offense. And now, we can apply it and really try to push this thing to the point where I think it’s going to enhance both players. And I think it’s going to give us clarity on where we need to go for this year.”

The Vikings and right tackle Brian O’Neill have struck a deal.

The team announced on Tuesday that O’Neill has signed a four-year contract extension. O’Neill is now tied to the Vikings through the 2030 season.

Minnesota did not reveal any financial terms of the deal, but Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the deal is worth $96 million.

O’Neill joined the Vikings as a 2018 second-round pick. He became a starter during his rookie season and has started 120 of the 124 games he’s played for the team since being drafted.

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw is under contract through 2029, so the Vikings are set at both of their tackle spots for several years.

The Vikings will be without defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander for the next few weeks.

The team announced on Tuesday that Alexander has been suspended three weeks after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated earlier this month. Alexander was arrested in April and his suspension, which began on July 24, will run through August 13.

“Following Gerald’s arrest earlier this spring, we remained in communication with the NFL while awaiting the outcome of the legal process,” the team said in a statement. “We take these situations seriously and believe this disciplinary action is appropriate.”

Alexander also released a statement through the team.

“I take full responsibility for the situation I put myself in and apologize for not meeting the mark,” Alexander said. “I know it’s unacceptable. I understand the suspension and am committed to learning from the matter and ensuring I come back a better version of myself.”

The Vikings hired Alexander this offseason. He worked on the same staff as Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores in Miami and Pittsburgh.