Albert Breer Empties His Vikings Notebook From Training Camp

EAGAN, Minn. — And now I’ve hit half the league. Here’s more from my 16th training camp stop, checking in with the Vikings.

• My timing was good, with this being the day that the Vikings named Kyler Murray the team’s quarterback. So what pushed it over the top? Murray, through camp, showed accuracy and an improved ability to play with rhythm and timing. His athleticism was also a factor in how he’ll impact coverage, changing the math by forcing teams to either spy him or play a lot of zone coverage against a dangerous group of Minnesota receivers. There are also a ton of possibilities for what the offense will do for Murray. From there, the decision came down to what was best for the Vikings in 2026, and coach Kevin O’Connell has emphasized that would be the case all along. After last year, he felt like he owed it to his veteran team to give answers at the most important position in the league, and then pick the best player for the position. In this case, it was Murray. As for J.J. McCarthy, I will say folks here have lauded his handling of the competition, and the receiving the news this morning. He’s taken jumps fundamentally and technique-wise, and the hope is he keeps developing behind the scenes and plays a little faster and with more accuracy, which can come with time. Another thing to consider here is that had McCarthy won the job, it’d probably have taken only about a handful of off-target throws for things to get really noisy about his job security. This result means that won’t be happening. And the best way to look at this now, with a proven commodity at quarterback (and 514 practice snaps in camp in the bank), the Vikings can project, rather than just hope.

• If there’s an area on offense where there’ll be a lot of progress, I’d say it’s the run game, with ex-Dolphins OC Frank Smith helping build it after spending the past four years in Miami. He has veteran backs Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, and a rugged, experienced line bookended by Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. It’s also worth noting the difference Murray should make in that area, both in the keeper game and stretching the defense on the scheme’s signature wide-zone concepts. If it all comes together, it’s going to be even more difficult to keep up with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison & Co. down the field.

• There was plenty of introspection coming out of last year, and it wasn’t limited to rebuilding the quarterback room. One piece of it for O’Connell and a reworked front office (before new GM Nolan Teasley arrived after the draft) was doubling down on the culture that O’Connell worked so hard to build from 2022 to ’24. So that meant moving some older guys out, and empowering other vets such as Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel, Josh Metellus, Darrisaw and O’Neill—all of whom have work ethic beyond reproach. Those were the guys that kept the team locked in when things were bleakest last year, at 4–8. The Vikings won five consecutive games to finish the year when they didn’t have much to play for. That kind of commitment has to come from the locker room, and in that case, it did.

• The pass rush would be another area where I’d bet on there being improvement, even with Jonathan Greenard, who backslid last year a bit from where he was in 2024, gone. Van Ginkel is certainly a key part. However, the bigger piece might be 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner, who’s had a monster offseason and seems to be starting to realize the enormous amount of talent he’s always had. Tyler Batty has had a nice start to camp, and he’ll help in that area, along with second-round pick Jake Golday, who has the versatility and athleticism to play on and off the line.

• Finally, there’s no question that the roster needed an infusion of young talent, and the rookie class that was drafted while the team was between GMs has been really promising. Golday’s versatility is a great fit in Brian Flores’s defense. Third-rounder Domonique Orange has developed quickly under defensive run-game coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Fifth-rounder Charles Demmings is pushing for playing time at corner. And first-rounder Caleb Banks, who’s knocking some rust off after missing a lot of time in 2025 at Florida, then having surgery earlier this year, has looked good. Plus, two selections from the ’25 draft have looked promising. Fifth-rounder Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins will be in the mix on the interior of the defensive line with Orange. And if you’re looking for a young offensive guy who could break through, third-rounder Tai Felton could be your guy. He’s a burner, was a good special-teamer as a rookie and has made major strides as a route-runner working with receivers coach Keenan McCardell.

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