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It was great to see the team play and “evaluate” the players in order to come up with a projected 53 man roster. Of course, I do not do that because I spend my time doing mock drafts prematurely. There were some good positives from the game IMHO. JJ McCarthy looked good. He has a real chance to be the QBOTF that this team has needed and deserves. I really liked the way he moved around the pocket, scrambled, and hit the shots that needed to be hit. Sure he threw one pick and some other throws were off but that is going to happen.
Jalen Nailor looked very good and the “others” like Trishton Jackson looked good too. I wonder if playing alongside Jets helps these other receivers play the position better? I have to imagine it would. When you see what JJ is able to do to get open then you more than likely want to emulate him as much as possible. Add in Addison and the talent above the others is very beneficial to have and be able to see everyday.
I liked what I saw from Levi Drake Rodriguez and Bo Richter. Jihad Ward is bigger (thicker) than I thought. The defensive backs are a bit worrisome though. I suppose that is why the team brought in Stephon Gilmore for a visit.
As the links below describe, Gilmore left town without signing and may have other suitors with a more legitimate shot at competing for a title. If the money is the same then I would not be mad at him for choosing somewhere else. There is still time to pick someone up and they could do it when roster cuts are going to be made. I expect a few trades around final cut down time from teams across the league. Maybe not the Vikings but I believe teams want to see if they can get something before letting a player go.
The JJ news about his sore knee brings more worry but what can you do? Better to be safe than sorry.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Free agent CB Stephon Gilmore leaves Vikings visit without a deal
Free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore visited the Vikings on Monday and left without a contract. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said it was a “really positive” visit that allowed Gilmore to get a sense of the Vikings’ culture.
“Had a great visit with him,” O’Connell said. “Similar to some of the visits in years past, I would say it was really good dialogue amongst Stephon, myself, other coaches, getting to know him personally. Flo (Brian Flores) obviously has a relationship with him from the past and (DBs coach) Daronte (Jones) wanted to spend some time with him as well.”
“We’re very proud of the atmosphere, we’re very proud of our locker room, our players, so I just think it’s a positive when we can allow guys to get a little sneak preview, sneak peek at what they may be joining if all things work out,” O’Connell said. “As far as where we’re at right now, nothing to update there other than it was a really positive visit.”
Ravens, Chiefs Could Battle for Two-Time All-Pro With Vikings
The Ravens still need a cornerback this offseason after Nate Wiggins suffered an injury in the past preseason game. However, reports say that Wiggins’ injury isn’t serious but the Ravens should play the safe game to bring in someone to complement Marlon Humphrey so he isn’t alone in the secondary. Baltimore is probably one injury away from disaster in that part of the defense so Gilmore’s addition would be solid for this group. The Ravens have one of the best defenses in the league and one disaster could lead to another if the secondary cracks.
Gilmore didn’t say he’s looking for the highest money but for the right opportunity and that could be in Kansas City. After losing L’Jarius Sneed, they need someone with star power to rekindle this secondary again to be great. Trent McDuffie has huge shoes to fill so having someone like Gilmore to be a mentor like he was with DaRon Bland would probably be helpful.
Vikings Floated as Destination for $90 Million CB, 4-Time Pro Bowler
Dan Graziano of ESPN visited Vikings training camp in early August and broke down the situation in the defensive backfield before offering a couple of splashy free agents who might be on the team’s radar in the coming days.
“There are still a few free agent veterans who haven’t signed yet, and a couple of those — most notably Stephon Gilmore and Xavien Howard — have experience playing in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system,” Graziano wrote on August 9. “So watch for the Vikings to possibly be in play on guys like that when they decide it’s time to sign somewhere.”
Howard will play the upcoming season at 31 years old and struggled with injury issues that kept him off the field for four of the Dolphins’ 17 regular-season contests last year. So while he probably isn’t a long-term solution in Minnesota, Howard can slot in as a one- or two-year fix in a secondary he would undoubtedly improve from Day 1.
Who were Vikings’ highest-graded players in preseason win over Raiders?
Nailor and Jackson were the Vikings’ two highest-graded players in their first preseason action, receiving grades of 85.0 and 81.9, respectively, from Pro Football Focus.
J.J. McCarthy, who was the Vikings’ third highest-graded player, receiving an 81.5 grade from PFF.
Dallas Gant, an undrafted free agent linebacker out of Toledo, was the Vikings’ fourth-highest graded player — and highest-graded defensive player — getting an 81.3 mark from PFF. Another undrafted rookie — Air Force edge rusher Bo Richter — rounded out the top five, garnering a 79.7 grade.
Lewis Cine, the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2022 who’s had a difficult and shaky start to his NFL career, was notably their highest-graded special teams player at a 78.4 grade.
New intel on Vikings QB situation after insider spends time with team
According to Breer, who spent the last half of last week with the Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell says both Darnold and McCarthy “are further along than I probably thought they would be at this point” — but the key to winning the starting job may very well be how comfortable they make the other 10 guys in the huddle.
While both quarterbacks looked good — Darnold led one drive that stalled inside the Raiders 5-yard line — O’Connell explained to Breer that what fans are seeing in the stands or on the TV screen is different from what he sees on the sidelines.
“What we’ve got to avoid is the illusion of quarterback play,” O’Connell told Breer. “It might be something as simple as, That might have been your best throw of the day, but was it really real? You get a top-10 pass rush in this league, and you took the wrong drop. You started your eyes in the wrong spot, and you fell into a completion where somebody watching practice may say, This guy’s ready to go.”
“I know what I called,” O’Connell explained to Breer. “I know what you did, every single snap. I also know what was not exactly right, what was a little shaky. It might be little things. It might be calling plays in the huddle. It might be cadence at the line of scrimmage, remembering to send your motion. Every single time one of those things happens, that has nothing to do with your ability to play the position.
“That’s purely the comfort of making sure that 10 other guys in that huddle can break the huddle and run the play and be held accountable for the details of their job because I can do the baseline of mine, long before you have a ball leave your hands or make a check or an audible. That’s where I’ve seen the growth and development with J.J. He is getting better at that. Sam’s comfort of the system is growing on a minute-to-minute basis.”
Vikings night practice recap: Not much excitement with McCarthy sidelined
In a small sample size, Sam Darnold wasn’t particularly sharp. The highlight of the practice came when Andrew Van Ginkel leapt up and picked off Darnold from close range on a pass intended for Justin Jefferson. Van Ginkel returned it for a “touchdown” — Jefferson would’ve tackled him in a real game scenario — with an escort from his defensive teammates, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Darnold also underthrew Johnny Mundt on a deep ball at one point. His two best throws were a dime to Josh Oliver in red zone 7-on-7s and a strike to Brandon Powell on a deep crosser in a situational 11-on-11 period. Earlier in the evening, Kevin O’Connell spoke very highly of Darnold’s play in the opening series of Saturday’s preseason game against the Raiders.
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