EAGAN, Minn. — Head Coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday he is opening 2024 Vikings Training Camp without a preconceived depth chart.
O'Connell addressed media at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center for the first time since summer break and picked up where his comments left off in spring regarding the quarterback position.
For the first time since 2018, the Vikings will have a new Week 1 starting quarterback when they open at the New York Giants.
The Vikings signed veteran Sam Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, and drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall selection this spring.
O'Connell said Darnold, who had a great spring, will take the majority of first-team reps in camp, but he thinks McCarthy will see some work with that group, too, adding the rookie had a "really productive spring."
"I also don't want J.J. to feel like he's got any kind of preset ceiling or floor to where he's at," O'Connell said. "We get a whole lot of time on the grass ... to really work through where each individual guy is."
Like the rest of the roster, there's an individualized plan for each quarterback.
"My message to those guys is I want a really competitive situation," said O'Connell, adding the quality of reps is just as important as the volume to "holistically attack" the development of Minnesota's players.
O'Connell pointed out Nick Mullens' experience in this system, in which he passed for 1,306 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in three starts and five games overall in 2023, makes it possible for him to have fewer reps in camp yet still be prepared if called upon.
"I wouldn't discount [Mullens'] experience in our system over these last couple of years to maybe where he doesn't quite necessarily need the volume of work to still be ready to go if called upon during the season," O'Connell said. "So, I think that's the way we've kind of philosophically put together the room knowing how important J.J.'s development plan is and how he's attacked it."
Here are four other takeaways from the media session with O'Connell and General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah:
1. Former QB in O'Connell is good thing for McCarthy
Vikings leadership is self-aware: O'Connell and Adofo-Mensah are entering Year 3 of four-year contracts with a cloud of uncertainty at the most impactful position on the field – and they recently selected a quarterback in the top 10 for the first time in franchise history. Talk about pressure to perform, right?
But that pressure is always there. The goal is always to win championships.
Now, O'Connell, himself a quarterback drafted into the NFL (third round, 2008), who has closely worked with the position his entire coaching career, has the chance to help McCarthy's skills reach the next level.
"You've been through some circumstances where some things are out of our control sometimes but that is one thing that we are in control of in our decisions that Kwesi and I talked through, and our decision to bring J.J. here was all really, you know, out of the belief that we feel that we can put together a plan that helps him become the best player and best quarterback that hopefully he can become," O'Connell said.
And he's not going to rush it.
"I don't know if it's the former quarterback in me, but I will not allow any factors outside of what's best for J.J. and what's best to help the Minnesota Vikings win [influence a change]," O'Connell said.
Adofo-Mensah expanded on the topic, highlighting what guides his logic.
"When we get hired to do these jobs, they ask us to do them a certain way at a certain level. They ask us to try to win championships, and that's the question Kevin and I always ask ourselves, 'Are we setting the team up to do that?' It's not 'Can we win a championship with [me] as the GM?' Obviously, that would be nice, but our sole focus is that. Otherwise, we wouldn't be genuine or truthful to the team that we oversee. … I'm never going to sit on the couch when it's all said and done – good or bad – and regret doing the right thing by J.J., doing the right thing by this team, even if it comes with consequences."
To summarize, there won't be temptation to flip from Darnold (or Mullens) to McCarthy at the sacrifice of the rookie quarterback's development track.
2. T.J. Hockenson will begin season on PUP
Two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson tore his ACL against Detroit on Dec. 24 and will start 2024 training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, according to O'Connell.
But all signs are pointing to an early season comeback, thanks to Hockenson's commitment.
"He's well ahead of schedule from a standpoint of some of the benchmarks throughout his rehab," O'Connell said. "[T.J] was here every single day [in the spring] and that continued through the summer."
The other players in Minnesota's tight ends room are Johnny Mundt, Josh Oliver, Nick Muse, Robert Tonyan and Trey Knox, who have combined for 243 catches, 2,419 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Hockenson has 155 receptions, 1,479 yards and eight scores through his first 25 games with Minnesota.
"He's such a significant part of our organization moving forward," O'Connell said.
In other injury news, outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who inked a two-year deal this offseason and has been recovering from a foot injury suffered in January, is expected to ramp up to a "regular workload" in training camp. Van Ginkel started 11 of 17 games with six sacks for Miami in 2023.
3. Competitive spring leads into 'critical' camp
With several players working back into the mix, there's a window for youngsters to make an impression.
"I look at the starting 11 on either side … and it gets me really excited," O'Connell said after sharing his confidence in the entire roster. "But at the same time, I feel there's some really good ascending young players on our team that are going to push hard to have a say in who's ultimately on the field."
Some of those up-and-comers include draft picks such as McCarthy and fellow first-round choice Dallas Turner. Later selections and undrafted players also will put their best feet forward.
Training camp is the perfect proving ground for the new crop of Vikings to elevate their status.
4. Adofo-Mensah evolving as leader
Adofo-Mensah humbly brushed off the idea that his fingerprints are all over the Vikings, but the roster has significantly changed over the past three years since he and O'Connell were hired in 2022.
Asked what he's learned in his role, Adofo-Mensah described adjusting to the balance of duties.
"The workload between leader and worker – just the dichotomy of that role – it's something you just kind of grow and evolve in," Adofo-Mensah said, noting, "A lot of things are needed from you in a leadership standpoint just outside of that role that I've kind of had to grow and adjust and [adapt] to.
"If you're not growing, you're probably going the other way," he added.
