The Day Has Come: Vikings Veterans Report to Training Camp Today
Josh Frey
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It’s official, folks. The Minnesota Vikings are set to have their entire roster take the field on Tuesday as the Vikings veterans finally report to training camp today.
This offseason has brought a lot of change to the Vikings roster and coaching staff. First and foremost, the Vikings are completely changing things on defense once again after they fired Ed Donatell and brought in Brian Flores to be their new defensive coordinator.
The hope is that with Flores, along with some faster, younger personnel on the defense, Minnesota will be able to run a high-flying, aggressive unit in 2023. This hope is reflected in all the roster changes. Take a look at some of the veterans who exited the team this spring:
- EDGE Za’Darius Smith
- DT Dalvin Tomlinson
- LB Eric Kendricks
- CB Patrick Peterson
- CB Cam Dantzler
- CB Duke Shelley
- CB Chandon Sullivan
While some of the holes left by these exits are hoped to be filled by a few of Minnesota’s six draft selections, the Vikings were also active in free agency this year. Take a look at some of the signings made by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah this spring:
- EDGE Marcus Davenport
- DL Dean Lowry
- LB Troy Reeder
- CB Byron Murphy
- CB Joejuan Williams
However, it isn’t just the defense that saw a few major changes this offseason. The offense saw the departures of a few longtime veterans, such as RB Dalvin Cook and WR Adam Thielen. Minnesota hopes to have a direct replacement for Thielen in the form of first-round pick Jordan Addison, but at running back, things aren’t quite as clear-cut.
Alexander Mattison is back on a new two-year contract, meaning he likely takes over as the RB1 of the team. However, what does that look like in 2023? Will he be a bell-cow back similar to Cook and Adrian Peterson before him, or will the Vikings use more of a “running back by committee” approach, mixing in Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, and seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride?
The answers to many of the remaining questions, such as the running back room as well as who plays at cornerback, will be answered in short time now that training camp is officially underway.
In all, the Vikings finished Kevin O’Connell’s first season as head coach with a stellar 13-4 record. However, many doubt that they will be able to repeat such success due to their 11-0 record in one-possession games last year. Training camp officially begins Minnesota’s journey towards proving the detractors wrong.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.