From May 26-27, the Minnesota Vikings will hold their first Organized Team Activities (OTAs), meaning that most of the team will be back practicing together for the first time this season. OTAs are typically not very intense, and that’s especially been the case under Kevin O’Connell’s watch, but there are still some storylines. Reporters will provide minor updates and glimpses into things that could have greater implications later in the offseason. Hardcore fans will want to pay attention to some of the following factors when following this year’s OTA practices.
Defensive Back Depth
While Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers have their positions as starting cornerbacks pretty much locked up, there are still a lot of dominoes left to fall in the DB room. Will Harrison Smith play this year? We still haven’t gotten a confirmation either way, so his status is something to pay attention to as the offseason progresses. What about Jakobe Thomas’ role in the safety room? He’ll get plenty of opportunity to prove himself, but he’ll still have to beat out Theo Jackson for playing time. Deeper on the cornerback roster, we also have the newly signed James Pierre, who could see himself competing against players like Dwight McGlothern and Charles Demmings for a depth chart position. It may seem trivial with many of the starters being set in stone, but I’m intrigued to see how the rest of the corners/safeties perform during this OTA period.
Will Reichard
This isn’t really something to watch unless you’re a reporter at OTAs, but Will Reichard has been known to put on a show during his OTA appearances. We’ve seen him hit clutch kicks in game, and he apparently very much practices how he plays. Obviously, Reichard doesn’t have any competition for the starting kicker job. Some will watch Will Reichard just for the thrill of seeing Will Reichard, and that’s perfectly ok.
Quarterback Competition
Of all the storylines, this is the one that will be discussed the most during the offseason. Kyler Murray is the favorite to win the starting quarterback job, but J.J. McCarthy still could see some time this season. The narrative coming out of the Vikings’ organization is that this is an open competition, so every throw will be scrutinized during these crucial OTAs. It’s early, and no depth chart will be set in stone until much later in the offseason, but it’s a good time to get a look at what each quarterback’s expectations are going forward.
The Vikings OTA dates are:
May 26-27
May 29
June 1-2
June 4
June 15-18
