At long last, football returns to U.S. Bank Stadium this weekend. Not regular season football just yet, but football nonetheless.
The Vikings are all set to kick off their three-game preseason slate against the Texans at 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday afternoon (NFL Network, FOX 9). If you want a chance to catch J.J. McCarthy and some other Minnesota starters in action before the real thing begins on September 8, this is almost certainly the only chance to do it.
Let’s take a look at some players to watch on Saturday, starting with the obvious one.
All eyes will be on McCarthy, who will probably play anywhere from one single series to an entire half. Kevin O’Connell hasn’t revealed any specifics about the plan there, and it may depend on how things play out. McCarthy hasn’t suited up for an NFL game of any sort since last year’s preseason opener, when he bounced back from an early interception and lit up the Raiders for 188 yards and two touchdowns (but tore his meniscus in the process). He’s excited about the opportunity to be back on the field in a game setting.
“Just to be out there with the guys again and see those live bullets before Monday night (in Week 1), it’s extremely huge,” McCarthy said. “Absolutely fired up for it.”
McCarthy’s training camp has mostly lived up to expectations. There’s been more good than bad, but it’s been a rollercoaster at times. That’s going to happen when you’re a 22-year-old quarterback going against Brian Flores and one of the best defenses in the league. Now he gets to put his development to the test against a different defense for the first time this year. Let’s get ready to overreact to a handful of throws.
The Vikings’ backup quarterback has had a shaky camp, although he was better in the final tune-up practice on Thursday. Howell could definitely use a strong performance in his Vikings preseason debut to help make the case that he deserves the No. 2 role heading into the regular season.
Scott has been an intriguing player over the course of this camp. The former practice squad pickup has run the ball well and looks natural as a receiver out of the backfield. He could push for Ty Chandler’s RB3 role and roster spot if he continues this momentum.
Felton, like Howell, is a guy I put in the “fallers” section of my recent training camp risers and fallers article. The third-round pick hasn’t been overly impressive in camp, but he should receive plenty of opportunities to change the narrative over the course of the preseason. It’ll also be interesting to see if he gets any work as a returner on special teams.
I could put a bunch of wide receivers here. Jones, in particular, is someone who has stood out at practices since last year, when he was an undrafted rookie. He feels like a guy who could shine in the preseason.
Due to Gavin Bartholomew’s injury, Yurosek might just be the favorite for the TE3 job in Minnesota, though he’ll have to hold off recently-added veteran Nick Vannett, among others. Yurosek has some real athletic juice that he’ll look to show off in game action this month.
Even if he doesn’t play a ton, there will be plenty of attention on the Vikings’ first-round pick in his (semi-real) NFL debut. We haven’t said Jackson’s name a lot over the course of training camp, which is a good thing for an offensive lineman. He’ll look to keep it that way on Saturday.
A seventh-round pick last year, Jurgens is the Vikings’ backup center behind Ryan Kelly. With Kelly banged up, Jurgens might play a good amount on Saturday. Will he hold up in pass protection?
The Vikings’ other 2024 seventh-rounder is LDR, who has been a wrecking ball at times in camp. I’m excited to see him unleashed against other offensive linemen in a live setting. The same goes for Jalen Redmond and rookie Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who will be putting on a Vikings uniform for the first time.
One of the Vikings’ more intriguing undrafted rookies, Batty is a 26-year-old out of BYU who brings size, strength, and a relentless motor to the table. He set off a bit of a skirmish this past weekend when he leveled Aaron Jones in the backfield. In actual games, that’s allowed!
One of the Vikings’ few draft picks this year, King is intriguing as an old-school linebacker who loves to play downhill against the run. You might just see him light up a running back or two.
Ward, now in his third season, has had a strong training camp. He seems to really be comfortable in Flores’ defense, and the playmaking ability is there. He might be one of the top candidates to snag an interception at some point in the preseason (he got one last year).
Do the Vikings have something in McGlothern? The second-year undrafted free agent had a stretch in camp where he picked off a pass three days in a row. Last preseason, he caught a pick and ran it back 91 yards. He’s got ball skills, but can he be consistently sticky in coverage?
There are a bunch of interesting undrafted rookies to watch this month, and Vaughn is near the top of that list. He’s a lanky corner who seems to always be around the ball. These games will be an important part of his push for a roster spot.
Kicker Will Reichard will be worth watching due to his slightly shaky camp, but his job still seems very safe. Wright actually has competition in the form of Australian rookie Oscar Chapman. Yes, I’m telling you to keep an eye on the punters on Saturday.
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