10 Things to Watch for in The Vikings First Preseason Game
K. Joudry
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The Vikings play their first preseason game tomorrow. For many of us, it’ll be our first chance to form a more concrete opinion on this version of the Vikings.
As a result, I’m offering up a humble list of 10 items that Vikings fans can monitor. By no means is this an exhaustive list. Rather, it’s a mere offering of things to keep an eye on as a way to help guide the viewing.
- The Offensive Line’s Pass Pro: Like many of you, I’m especially interested in seeing how Garrett Bradbury does. His starting job is no longer secure. How he performs in these games will be crucial for his chances to maintain the C1 spot.
- The TE2 Spot: Unfortunately, what we all feared has come to pass: Irv Smith Jr. has another injury. As a result, one of the depth tight ends needs to step up. Zach Davidson – who has shown some positive growth – will get his chance to show he belongs. Johnny Mundt is another player to watch.
- The Running Back Rotation: I don’t think the earlier chatter about moving on from Alexander Mattison will amount to very much. I think he will have an important job in this offense. I’m also curious to see if Kene Nwangwu gets integrated into the offense more.
- K.J. Osborn’s Role: Justin Jefferson feels like a lock to get to 1000 yards receiving. Adam Thielen’s chances seem health dependent. Osborn has the capacity to get there if he continues his ascent.
- Christian Darrisaw’s Growth: There has been a lot of optimism about the sophomore. I’m among the majority of Vikings fans insofar as I believe he can become great. The Raiders have Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby as their starting edge rushers.
- The Fearsome Duo at EDGE: I don’t think they should have very many snaps, but Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith may get in for a bit. The combo should complement each other well. Also, how do the depth edge rushers perform?
- Cameron Dantzler, CB2: He has been named as the team’s “secret superstar.” Like with Darrisaw, Dantzler has gotten a fair bit of attention this offseason. I think he’ll be a great fit in the Ed Donatell defense, largely because of his abilities as a tackler. I’m expecting a lot from Dantzler.
- Camryn Bynum or Lewis Cine: Or, perhaps, both. How does the safety rotation work out? It’s something that I’m monitoring because the first ever draft pick of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era was used on Cine. What kind of responsibilities are each tasked with? We’ll soon find out.
- Brian Asamoah’s Size and Speed: He’s very small for a linebacker, but the hope is for him to make up for that lack of size with above average speed. It ought to also help him to keep up with running backs and tight ends in coverage.
- Greg Joseph’s Kicking: It has been all positive on the kicking front throughout training camp. Frankly, I’ll take all the positive reports I can get when it comes to Vikings kickers. Of course, all that really matters is what happens with field goals in an actual game. Making all the kicks in practice means very little if one misses all the kicks in the game. I’m a believer in Joseph, so I’m excited to see how he does on Sunday.
Enjoy the game, Vikings fans.
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