Vikings Training Camp Recap, Day 5: Defense Ahead Early, Osborn Scores Late

The Vikings' defense looked sharp on the first day with pads, but the offense got it together late.

There was an extra level of energy to the fifth practice of Vikings training camp, and for good reason: this was the first day with pads on. Players still aren't fully tackling — the main goal is to keep everyone healthy — but the pads bring a level of physicality and intensity that otherwise isn't present.

“It’s the next phase of our evaluation when we put the pads on," defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said. "Really, we want to see the strength and power in our players. We also want to see the run-pass conflicts that show up as defensive players — the play-actions, the boots, and so forth. So we’re building reaction, and now we want to see what it looks like when they have to read pad level."

"We’re not taking anybody to the ground," he said. "So just be a little closer to them, a little thud with the pads, the guys feel it, guys be working the football. That’s really the only difference. Get a little closer, just a little more ‘pop’ in there."

There was plenty of pad-popping and punching at the football going on during Monday's practice. The pads being on also allows for the evaluation of offensive and defensive linemen to begin, both during 1-on-1 drills and team periods.

Tight end Irv Smith Jr. left today's practice, walking off the field without assistance before returning to the sidelines but not rejoining practice, likely for precautionary reasons. It doesn't appear to be serious. Cornerback Nate Hairston was activated off the Non-Football Injury list and practiced for the first time during camp. Running back Kene Nwangwu didn't participate.

Let's get to the takeaways.

Defense owns (most of) the day

My overarching observation from watching the first padded full-team reps of this year's training camp was that the defense appears to be ahead of the offense, particularly up front. The first-team defensive line of Danielle Hunter, Za'Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, and Dalvin Tomlinson (and sometimes Armon Watts, too) looked very strong. There were a few plays where the pocket closed down quickly on Kirk Cousins and he had to get rid of the ball or pull it down and take off. If this were real football, several of those would've resulted in sacks.

It was a similar story in the running game. Whether it was the 1s or the 2s, running lanes seemed to close up quickly. The D-line played a big role in that, as did linebackers Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks. There were also a few strips by the defense on Monday, although it's sometimes hard to tell if the ballcarrier is still fully engaged when those happen.

Of course, there were some big plays by the offense. Dalvin Cook broke a big run at one point and Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen made plenty of catches, as always. With the second-team, Ihmir Smith-Marsette had a big gain on a screen pass. 

But for the most part, the offense struggled to get things done early on. The biggest defensive highlight was Kendricks making an athletic interception against Cousins on a short pass. Cousins and Cook failed to connect on a pitch at one point, and Cousins had several throws that were slightly off.

However...

Offense gets going late

When the Vikings went into 2-minute drills and red zone work at the end of practice, the offense got it done at a high level.

First, in red zone action, Cousins turned it on with a couple nice throws. He stepped up in the pocket to find Thielen for a touchdown, then hit a diving K.J. Osborn right past the pylon.

In the 2-minute drill, the first-team offense moved the ball efficiently with some short passing. TE Zach Davidson got a chance to run with the 1s because of Smith's absence, and he made three catches during that period. Cousins then hit Bisi Johnson for a decent gain up the sideline before delivering a perfect throw to Osborn for a 20-yard touchdown. In this hypothetical scenario, it was a game-tying drive. Cameron Dantzler was in decent coverage on both of the final two completions, but Cousins delivered a pair of pinpoint throws.

Garrett Bradbury's big weakness is still present

The No. 1 thing that has prevented Garrett Bradbury from playing at a high level during his first three NFL seasons is pass protection, and more specifically, anchoring against the bull rushes of powerful defensive tackles. If Monday was any indication, that issue hasn't gone away despite Bradbury adding some weight over the offseason.

During 1-on-1 O-line vs. D-line reps, Bradbury twice was manhandled by defensive tackle Harrison Phillips. On one of the reps, Phillips simply ran him over and ended up on top of him in the backfield. Phillips is a very strong, powerful player, but Bradbury has to find a way to hold his own against players of his caliber.

If he can't do that, the Vikings may need to explore other options at center. They can't afford to have their offense tanked by a center who can't pass block.

Other notes

• I've talked about rookie cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. multiples times already in these recaps, but he continues to stand out with his play and his attitude. Booth had a nice pass breakup against fellow rookie Jalen Nailor in WR/DB 1-on-1s, but even more notably, he didn't back down from anyone. Booth and Jefferson were yapping at each other back and forth after a rep, and Booth had to be separated from Bisi Johnson after another rep because the two were getting heated. He's a confident dude.
• Smith-Marsette looks like the favorite to be the No. 4 receiver. In addition to his big gain on a screen pass in 11s, he beat Nate Hairston on an impressive route in individuals.
• Rookie corner Akayleb Evans had a nice pass breakup against Osborn during 1-on-1 drills. He's raw but has a ton of upside with his physical tools.
• Patrick Peterson had a solid day, picking up a forced fumble after a catch and holding his own against Jefferson on a few reps.
• The OL/DL 1-on-1s are fun to watch, particularly the matchups that consist of Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith vs. Brian O'Neill and Christian Darrisaw. Both of the tackles held their own at times and got beaten at times, which is understandable against edge rushers who are that good.
• Rookie tackle Vederian Lowe had a couple nice reps against Janarius Robinson, showing off good footwork and hand placement.

That's all for today. No pads on Tuesday, then pads come back on for Wednesday's practice before a day off on Thursday.

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