3 Winners and 1 Loser From Vikings Camp 8/7: J.J. McCarthy Bounces Back

EAGAN, MN — Friday’s practice at TCO Performance Center was certainly something to witness. After a rainy day threatened to move practice to the team’s indoor facility, fans packed the damp stands for an on-time kickoff.

The field closest to the stands was unused, possibly due to a turf issue related to the storms earlier in the day. Fans and onlookers needed a keen eye to catch much of the day’s action, which was largely focused around special teams to start the day.

Even the earliest portion of Friday's QB battle was based in fire drills where the QBs alternated simulated third-downs, followed by a rapid run on by the punt or field goal units. The last chunk of practice followed a more traditional pattern.

Still, some players stood out, and one in particular continues to raise questions. Here are three winners and one loser from a wet day in Eagan.

Winner: Dontae Fleming

While Fleming has not had the explosive camp of fellow receiver Tai Felton, he has made an impression every single day so far. Friday, he had an impressive catch on a high throw from J.J. McCarthy. Fleming also had a chunk gain from Kyler Murray as the QBs alternated between first- and second-team wideouts.

It seems like each day of camp so far has featured Fleming turning imperfect throws from his QBs into key gains. Fleming will have a lot to prove in preseason games to continue building separation from other WRs Jeshaun Jones and Dillon Bell, but he looks determined and able to do so.

I’ll be putting together my initial 53-man roster prediction this week, and if trends continue this weekend, Fleming will be my pick for WR6.

JJ McCarthy whips it to Dontae Fleming.

(Via Vikings IG) pic.twitter.com/NO0JpLqkfe
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) August 8, 2026

Winner: Jordan Mason

Friday’s practice may have had a slow pace, but nobody told Jordan Mason. Mason was running with purpose.

He lowered his shoulder in runs up the middle and hit the edge with impressive speed and vision on outside runs. Two runs to the left side stood out in particular. In game action, these would have been chunk gains of 20-30 yards. He was even catching passes, including a touchdown in red-zone work.

Mason will likely split carries fairly evenly with Aaron Jones to start the season. Still, the running back depth chart will be something to monitor throughout the season as the team’s run game continues to evolve. Jones has been impressive through one week of camp, but Friday showed that the younger back, mostly known for his power, is no slouch either.

Winner: J.J. McCarthy

The 2024 first-round pick had one of his better days of camp so far on Friday. His processing was mostly on point, he was accurate, and had impressive ball placement several times. He was starting to push the ball downfield more than we have seen over the first week of camp, completing several intermediate throws.

We’ve yet to see many true deep shots from McCarthy in this year’s camp, similar to those we saw in the early parts of last August, but Friday was a step in the right direction.

McCarthy will need to prove he can make the deep passes that KOC’s offense often demands of its QBs. The gap between Murray and McCarthy still looks wide, and it will take everything McCarthy has to secure the starting job. If he can build on what he did Friday, things might get more interesting between him and Murray, especially if Murray struggles to show consistency.

Speaking of which…

Loser: Kyler Murray

I’ll get this out of the way quickly: Kyler Murray was not bad on Friday, but he was certainly far from great. It feels strange to place Murray here after singing his praises on Wednesday. Yet, he once again failed to prove he can stack successful days.

Murray was on fire for most of Wednesday’s practice and proved why fans were so impressed by his other stellar day on Saturday. But it's the days that follow his best practices that keep catching up to Murray.

His accuracy and decision-making were inconsistent, to say the least, on Friday afternoon. He overthrew TE Ben Yurosek, took a sack on the first play of red-zone work, and threw an interception to Byron Murphy Jr.

His two best plays both came on touchdowns to Tai Felton, one on a deep throw where Felton had no one within a mile of him, and another where Kyler stayed patient in the red zone before finding Felton alone in the back of the end zone. It was clear, though, that Murray was hoping for much more.

Friday was Murray’s 29th birthday, but his body language indicated he was not in a celebratory mood. It was the first time the former No. 1 overall pick had shown clear frustration about his performance since the beginning of camp. Hopefully for Murray, Saturday and Sunday’s practices are happier occasions.

8/7 Vikings camp summary. pic.twitter.com/CsKdEj6Bxn
— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) August 7, 2026

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