EAGAN, Minn. — This Vikings continued preparation for their third preseason game by holding practice on Tuesday.
Minnesota practiced in full pads for just under two hours on an overcast and windy day at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.
The Vikings are on a short week before their third preseason game, which is at U.S. Bank Stadium at 7 p.m. (CT) Friday against the Seahawks.
Here are three observations from Tuesday's session:
1. Lots of options
When the Vikings first unit lined up in team drills, the offensive line consisted of left tackle Riley Reiff, left guard Tom Compton, center Cornelius Edison, right guard Mike Remmers and right tackle Rashod Hill.
Guard Danny Isidora and tackle Brian O'Neill soon came on to replace Remmers and Hill, respectively, as that pair has missed some practices of late due to injuries. The Vikings later gave Reiff a breather as Storm Norton worked at left tackle.
Norton also ran with the second-team offensive line at left tackle, and was joined by left guard Colby Gossett, center J.P. Quinn, Isidora and O'Neill.
Minnesota later mixed things up by moving Gossett to right guard and putting Kaleb Johnson at left guard. Dieugot Joseph later played right tackle with the second-team offense.
Josh Andrews and Pat Elflein (PUP) did not practice. Aviante Collins watched the majority of practice after getting banged up early on in the session.
2. Beebe's versatility stands out
Chad Beebe was everywhere you looked on Tuesday.
The undrafted free agent wide receiver showed off his versatility on offense and special teams, downing a pair of punts inside the 10-yard line during a punting drill.
Beebe was later a favorite target of Trevor Siemian in a 7-on-7 drill as the quarterback hit him for a pair of passes during the session. Siemian connected with Beebe on two passes in a simulated situation at the end of practice (see below).
Beebe has four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown in two preseason games.
3. Defensive duel
There was quite the defensive stalemate at Tuesday's practice.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer put the offense and defense against each other with the mock game tied at 17 with five minutes remaining.
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings first-team offense started with the ball on their own 25-yard line, picking up two first downs in four plays thanks to a pair of Dalvin Cook runs and passes by Cousins to Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudolph.
But the offense faced trouble on third-and-5 from their own 46-yard line as they were called for a false start before Cousins was "sacked" for an 8-yard loss.
The second-team offense took over on its own 20-yard line after Ryan Quigley's punt. Siemian found Beebe for back-to-back first downs before the drive stalled.
The offense was called for a false start on third-and-7 from its own 45-yard line before they were forced to punt it away with just under a minute left.
Zimmer then ended the drill, and the Vikings worked on special teams for the remainder of practice.
