Vikings Training Camp Takeaways: Sam Darnold Is Honing in on Starting QB Job

The former first-round pick and NFL journeyman looks like a new player so far with Minnesota, and could buy time for rookie J.J. McCarthy to get acclimated.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold warms up during practice at Vikings training camp in Eagan, MN. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

EAGEN, Minn.—What a beautiful day in Minnesota. Blue skies, brisk, and bright sunshine for the 17th and final stop of my initial training camp swing. Here’s what I saw with the Vikings …

• My sense is Sam Darnold is going to be the starting quarterback, for a few reasons. The first is that he’s really improved. He’s playing faster than he did earlier in his career, and the progress was evident to the Vikings going from his late 2022 tape in Carolina, to last year’s preseason with the 49ers, to the Christmas night cameo in Baltimore’s blowout of San Francisco (go back and watch that one). Playing for Ben McAdoo and Kyle Shanahan also gave Darnold a really good baseline for the transition to Kevin O’Connell’s system, and the decisiveness with which he’s playing now make that evident. The second reason? While J.J. McCarthy’s arm talent, athleticism and intangibles have come as advertised, I believe O’Connell is going to be very disciplined about actually putting the rookie out there—this won’t be one of those situations where the team has a couple tough weeks, and they put him out there to try and create a spark. I also believe McCarthy, who’s reworking some things fundamentally (he’s cleaned up stuff with footwork), will benefit greatly from having a coach who’s prioritizing his development.

• Two questions are being answered in camp at the skill spots—who will be the third receiver, and how will the running back situation play out. On the first one, the Vikings are sure hoping that Jalen Nailor is the answer. The 2022 sixth-rounder is shining in camp for a third straight year. What’s felled him in the past is his inability to stay healthy. With some luck, the Vikings see him developing into an ideal complement to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Their reason for optimism on that? He has inside/outside flexibility, which is essential given how much the Vikings move Jefferson and Addison around, and has shown he can consistently win his one-on-ones. On the second question, Aaron Jones has fit in perfectly, and Minnesota is set to platoon him with Ty Chandler, which, the Vikings think, will be an upgrade from where they were last year at the position.

• Under-the-radar star of camp: Blake Brandel. The big, strong, athletic five-year vet got a three-year extension from the Vikings in March, largely on the versatility he showed the last few years in backing up several spots on the line (he actually started at left tackle for an injured Christian Darrisaw for a few weeks in 2022). That said, the coaches felt like he might benefit from being able to focus on playing one spot, and that’s proven correct in slotting him in this summer at left guard. He, Ed Ingram and Dalton Risner are still battling for the two guard spots, but I’d bet on Brandel sticking as the starting left guard.

The Vikings selected Turner, the SEC's co-defensive player of the year in 2023, with the No. 17 pick in this year's draft. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

• The edge spot’s in good shape in the Vikings’ first year post-Danielle Hunter. Jonathan Greenard’s athleticism and length is showing up on the practice field, and his leadership has been key elsewhere, which is a bit of a departure from what they had in the stoic Hunter.  That’s really helped first-round pick Dallas Turner, whose development in Brian Flores’s attacking system will be interesting. And Minnesota’s got depth there too, with versatile playmaker Andrew Van Ginkel (who played for Flores in Miami) and camp surprise Patrick Jones II stepping up. It’s fair to say you’ll probably see the four of these guys on the field together on some passing downs.

• Safety might be the deepest position on the roster. The Vikings feel great about where they’re at with Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus—all three of those guys have well-defined roles. Third-year man Theo Jackson, who’s bounced around a bit, has emerged as a darkhorse to earn a role, too. That stability is good, given that the Vikings have some moving pieces at corner to work through beyond veterans Shaq Griffin and Byron Murphy Jr., with Fabian Moreau, Akayleb Evans and Dwight McGlothern battling for reps in a competition that could carry well into the season.