Kevin O’Connell Is Bringing a Heavyweight to Vikings Camp
The NFL season is still nearly four months away, but that’s actually a lot closer than it seems. Next week, Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings will kick off their OTAs, followed by mandatory minicamp next month and in roughly two months, training camp will begin.
In training camp, the Vikings offense will compete against its own defense and vice versa. There will be a two-day stretch where the purple squad will meet another purple squad. The Baltimore Ravens will visit Vikings camp in August.
The Vikings announced on the team’s website, “There will be purple on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The Minnesota Vikings will host the Baltimore Ravens for two days of scheduled joint practices during 2026 Training Camp, the teams announced Monday. Details for timing and ticketing will be announced later, but the joint practices are planned for Wednesday, Aug. 19 and Thursday, Aug. 20.”
Joint practices have been a staple under Kevin O’Connell, who prefers the controlled environment over preseason games. That’s why starters or key backups rarely see the field in August, while the coach mentions the importance of joint practices throughout the summer.
The Vikings will have two days of intense practices against the Ravens, followed by a preseason game on August 22.
Last year, the Vikings hosted the New England Patriots, the eventual Super Bowl champions. Though all reports suggested that the Vikings looked like the better football team that day, the Patriots had a successful campaign, and the Vikings did not.
Either way, the Ravens will test the Vikings. They will have elite quarterback Lamar Jackson under center, a player that Brian Flores has had success against over the years. It will be a good test regardless. The Ravens will also have a new head coach on the sidelines, as they said goodbye to John Harbaugh, going with Jesse Minter, who was the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Vikings’ training camp will have one primary theme and that’s the so-called quarterback competition that every reporter and the head coach is teasing. Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy will square off in training camp to determine the Week 1 starter.
The betting favorite is veteran Murray, who signed in March for the veteran minimum salary to revive his struggling career. His two Pro Bowl nominations are years away and injuries and inconsistent play have derailed his recent years.
McCarthy, meanwhile, is coming off an uneven season in his own right, failing to prove the long-term franchise quarterback expectations right. Injuries are piling up. In only two seasons, four separate injuries have forced him to miss games and when he has been available, his play has been up-and-down. He wouldn’t be the first quarterback to grow after putting in some work in the offseason, though.
Other training camp questions will be whether first-round draft pick Caleb Banks returns in time from his foot injury and is ready to compete against his peers.
With defensive leader Jonathan Greenard traded to Philadelphia, the Vikings also need a new vocal leader on the defensive side of the ball. He was an unstoppable force in last year’s camp. Replacement Dallas Turner could make his presence felt in the backfield in August.
The Ravens won’t just provide another preseason opponent — they’ll offer a measuring stick. Baltimore has been one of the NFL’s premier organizations for years, consistently fielding physical, disciplined football teams. If the Vikings want to be viewed as true contenders again, those August practices will be an early chance to prove they belong in that conversation.
And for a roster with quarterback uncertainty, new defensive pieces, and several young players expected to take major leaps, there may not be a better test before the regular season begins.