byCraig Peters,Rob Kleifield&Lindsey Young

EAGAN, Minn.Minnesota's offseason program is in the books, and the next stop isVikings Training Camp.

Tickets for training campwent on sale this week (most sessions are free for Season Ticket Members, by the way).

The break, which we promise will go faster than most think, offers a nice opportunity to reflect on some items concerning the Vikings.

Here are 10 big-picture takeaways the Vikings.com editorial team of Rob Kleifield, Lindsey Young and Craig Peters had from watching Organized Team Activity and mandatory minicamp practices that followed another active venture in free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft.

1. McCarthy's process is progressing | By Rob Kleifield

The process is the progress. Hmm, actually, progress is the process.

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy inadvertently flip-flopped Head Coach Kevin O'Connell's mantra for 2024 training camp when he spoke last summer, before the quarterback guru corrected him soon after.

McCarthy was 21 years old and fighting for first-team reps with Sam Darnold. The slip was minor, being McCarthy obviously understood the brunt of O'Connell's messaging and was instituting it.

Fast-forward almost a year, and McCarthy is faintly older but infinitely wiser in his understanding of O'Connell's wants and the demands of Minnesota's offense, as well as his individual process as a player.

That's to say, McCarthy doesn't act, speak, play or look like a 22-year-old. He's way more polished, spinning the rock with greater intent and carrying himself as if he's done this before, even though his first year on the field was limited because of injury.

But it's not the least bit shocking, because the 2024 10th overall pick was drafted to be the Vikings franchise quarterback. Now, he's fully embracing it with only a pseudo-redshirt season under his belt.

"I'm trying to experiment as much as possible because this is the time to do it," McCarthy told reporters at the conclusion of Minnesota's mandatory minicamp. "This is the time to try things. This is the time to talk through different reads with K.O. (O'Connell), and it's a blessing to be able to have that coaching staff behind me that supports me and encourages that. That's the quickest way you're going to learn, the quickest way you're going to grow. So, I've been doing that pretty much every day."

The offseason program served multiple purposes for McCarthy. It allowed him to gel with teammates and coaches, new and old; it let him toy with a risk tolerance that tested differently paced and placed passes in a no-real-harm-done setting; and it pitted him against a defense that ranks with the best of them.

"It's been awesome because they've really pushed the limits on just what I can handle, and that's what I asked for," McCarthy said regarding his workload. "I'd rather sweat in training and limit the bleeding [in games]. But, yeah, they've just been doing a tremendous job of preparing us and making sure that we find comfort in uncomfortable positions that we're inevitably going to be in."

2. Anchored by Ryan Kelly, revamped o-line under development | By Lindsey Young

The vision is there.

Minnesota's revamped offensive line can be imagined, but the group continues to be under construction as players work through injuries.

Christian Darrisaw, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Week 8 last year, didreturn during minicampto complete some individual drills, and O'Connell is optimistic about free agent guard Will Fries' timetable after recovering from a broken leg suffered with Indianapolis last season.

For now, Justin Skule has been primarily holding down the fort at left tackle, while Blake Brandel and first-round draft pick Donovan Jackson man the guard spots.

The group is anchored and impacted by Ryan Kelly, whom the Vikings signed in March as a free agent. The 10th-year center adds tremendous experience and talent to the line and also is helpful in prepping McCarthy for his first season as Minnesota's starting QB.

"Besides his playing value, just being an extremely strong and seasoned veteran who's kind of seen it all, he understands what's happening and is a really smart football player," Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips said. "But there is a level of having a veteran center with a young quarterback, where the communication from him to J.J. communicating fronts, getting calls out, sometimes even seeing something, saying, 'Hey, watch this guy over here.'

"He's been great," Phillips added. "He's been in Indy for so long, so to come in and learn new terminology, a new system it's like it's your first year again. But he's taken to it. We love having him here."

3. Justin, Jordan & Jalen | By Craig Peters

It could be J.J. to J.J. or to J.A. or to J.N. plenty of times this fall.

McCarthy's options of receivers will include Justin Jefferson (the best receiver in the game), Jordan Addison (off to one of the best two-year starts among Vikings WR ever) and Jalen "Speedy" Nailor.

There's no lack of familiarity with what Jefferson has done through his first five pro seasons. He and Addison have shown the ability to separate from defenders, expand their catch zones and secure contested footballs. All of those things can help a young, or any, QB.

The trio of "J receivers" might not parallel "Three Deep" but could really force defenses to make some tough decisions if Nailor keeps progressing. One of the first things noticed by us when players returned was Nailor had bulked up but still maintained the reason for his nickname.

"He still hasn't lost his ability to transition in and out of routes," Phillips said. "So I expect big things from Speedy, and I thought he had a really good year last year. There's certain plays that people can't get out of their heads, but if you look at the body of work, the guy played really good football for us last year, and I expect similar things this year."

Nailor recorded 28 catches for 414 yards and six touchdowns on 42 targets in 2024, and he kept showing up in practices, finding openings in the defense.

4. Double tight ends hopefully spell trouble for foes | By Craig Peters

The Vikings like what they have in T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver.

Hockenson has recorded 196 catches for 1,934 yards and eight touchdowns in 35 games since Minnesota acquired him in a 2022 trade with Detroit.

The following offseason, the Vikings signed Oliver to a three-year contract that was set to expire after this season. Minnesota, however, signed him to a three-year extension that will have him under contract through the 2028 season.

That means the Vikings will be able to attack with three receivers as mentioned in the item before or they could create matchup problems with two tight ends. Oliver's prowess as a run blocker has gained some traction, but he also showed the ability to hurt teams that didn't respect him as a receiving target, catching 22 passes for 258 yards and three scores on 28 targets while battling through a wrist injury in 2024.

"Oliver is a big Y who has pass game value, and then T.J. is the F that's a great receiver, but can run block, so [opponents] have to make a decision [when Minnesota uses two tight ends]," Phillips said. "They want to play smaller people try to defend against the pass, and you've got all kinds of athletes on the field that can make them pay there. With the run game, you can always get a matchup somewhere where the nickel has got to be a part of that run fit in one way or the other, and you can try to scheme up where you want him to be.

"It just gives you some advantages. Base defense, 'All right, maybe we want to throw the football, but we still have the opportunity to run,' " Phillips added. "It just kind of opens up everything for you when you have two guys like that who both have that skill set."

5. The run game is waiting in the wings | By Lindsey Young

This time of year is always tough to get a real gauge on the run game.

With no-contact drills and an emphasis on passing and quarterback development, the running backs don't get their true test until pads go on.

That being said, Aaron Jones, Sr., is leading a group that's been taking handoffs and executing plays during team drills, albeit sometimes at a walk-through speed.

Jones and Ty Chandler are getting plenty of looks, and Zavier Scott who spent the 2024 campaign on the team's practice squad also is taking reps. So is Jordan Mason, whom the Vikings acquired through a trade.

Jones spoke with reporters during minicamp and emphasized Mason's size and physicality, and Phillips also spoke highly of the new Viking.

"It gives you another really good football player that we can use in a lot of different ways in some ways similar to Aaron and, in some ways, obviously the bigger-stature back," Phillips said. "It also allows us to use both of those guys, whether at the same time or separately, and keep both guys fresh."

6. Flores & O'Connell making each other better | By Lindsey Young

The competition between O'Connell and Flores at practices continues, as the defensive coordinator tries out new things to challenge the offense and vice versa.

Entering their third season coaching together, the offensive- and defensive-minded coaches, respectively, are innovative.

O'Connell mentioned that Flores "ran some stuff I didn't even know was in there" during the final minicamp practice.

"Ryan Kelly turned to me and asked me how to target a run. I said, 'Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea what they're doing over there,' " O'Connell quipped. "And it was kind of [Kelly's] first exposure, and they were just trying something out, using a specific grouping that we have not seen before. And that's just Flo'. I challenge him all the time to do those things, and then we're doing the same thing on the offensive side, trying to take something that now some of our players are two, three years in on this play, so can we find nuances to it to give the players more ownership on either side of the ball?

"That's something that I've really felt both sides really stressing this year, is we know the systems, we kind of know the baseline of it, but here's the next layer of it, where we want you guys to have that player ownership of it and maybe even the control of it, which has been really fun," he continued. "But it's happening, and it'll happen in training camp. I'm sure there'll be one day when I'm mad at him, or he's mad at me, and then we have a big ol' hug after practice and move on. But our team is like that. Our offense and defense are like that. So, Flo' and I, we wouldn't be our authentic selves unless we were competing and trying to have the best of our team come out for the betterment of our team."

7. Stepping up at safety | By Rob Kleifield

A habitual standout in practices is trending toward playing a big role in Minnesota's defense.

Did you guess Theo Jackson? After garnering attention in consecutive offseasons, Jackson has a clearer path to the field. During his minicamp press conference, Flores offered compliments.

"Theo's been great, and that's something we've been saying for two years," Flores said. "I think he's steadily built his communication skills, his techniques, his fundamentals, his disguises, his play-making ability. He's one of the hardest workers we have.

"It wasn't easy to let go of 'Beezy' (Camryn Bynum, who signed with the Colts)," he continued. "He was obviously a critical piece. But we also felt confident that Theo could step into that role and play at a good clip, and he's shown that so far."

A 2021 fourth-round pick, Bynum was synonymous with Minnesota's secondary going back to 2022, when he didn't leave his safety post even once. In a three-year span, he handled north of 3,300 defensive snaps.

It won't require much for Jackson to surpass his own snap count on defense.

Since latching on with Minnesota in 2022, as a cut sixth-rounder of the Titans, Jackson has appeared, defensively, in 27 of 43 games played. While his defensive looks have been scarce to date, he has exploited his chances, posting coverage grades of 79.3 in 2022, 69.2 in 2023 and 77.1 in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Furthermore, Jackson picked a pass in the two contests he received 20 or more snaps on defense and earned overall PFF scores of 93.7 (Week 2 of 2023) and 85.3 (Week 16 of 2024).

Basically, the special teams stalwart has been building to this moment.

"Again, it's very early," added Flores, "but we're just constantly trying to build a foundation of communication, camaraderie, fundamentals, high football IQ and he's there in all those areas."

8. New corners looking comfortable | By Lindsey Young

The Vikings had quite a bit of turnover in their cornerbacks room, but so far, the position group appears to be gelling well on and off the field.

In addition to getting back Mekhi Blackmon, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, Minnesota added experienced free agents Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah this spring.

Dwight "Nudie" McGlothern is entering his second season, and the Vikings re-signed Byron Murphy, Jr., following his impressive 2024 campaign. Reddy Steward, Ambry Thomas, Keenan Garber and Zemaiah Vaughn provide additional depth.

Flores said Rodgers who goes by 'Zay' has been "on his radar" since his collegiate career at UMass.

"He's been a great addition. He's got great football I.Q. and acumen," Flores said. "That's something that we've stressed really throughout the group at all levels secondary, second level and obviously d-line. And I think it's just a great addition.

"We talk about bringing guys in who, as far as building a synergy within the group, 'How is this guy going to mesh with Murph' and Harry (Harrison Smith) and Telly (Joshua Metellus)? and he's just come in and done a great job from that standpoint. Same thing with Jeff Okudah."

Blake Cashman offered his perspective as a linebacker observing the secondary, noting he's been impressed with the new defenders catching on quickly to Flores' scheme.

"I wouldn't say for a new player, or a young player, it's very easy to get comfortable in this defense right away," Cashman said. "But the ownership, the leadership, the competitiveness with the new guys and how well they're communicating how quickly they're picking up and getting aligned on each call has been awesome, and I think it's laying a great foundation for us going into training camp."

9. D-line newcomers integrating nicely | By Rob Kleifield

Like Minnesota's offensive line, a formidable vision exists along the Vikings defensive front.

There's tremendous upside and organizational belief in youngsters Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Taki Taimani. Rookie fifth-round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins possesses raw, moldable ability. Harrison Phillips brings leadership and mastery of Flores' defense, and Pro Bowl newcomers Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave add pass-rushing sizzle to the interior.

The defensive line is essentially revamped with strong holdovers and stronger additions.

"We've got a lot of guys who have played. There's a good amount of depth in that room," Flores commented. "We're excited about all the pieces. And as coaches, it's just [determining] who fits where."

Naturally, most of the intrigue has centered on Allen and Hargrave, whose combined 87.5 career sacks are 77.5 more than the rest of the room (Phillips has recorded eight, and Redmond and Jonathan Harris, who joined Minnesota's practice squad last season, one each).

Their pro experience will be helpful to them transitioning smoothly on the field and joining a culture that each said attracted them.

"One of the biggest things about coming here that I was excited for was the culture," said Allen, who entered the NFL with Washington in 2017, when O'Connell was in his first of three seasons with the team. "Listening to the guys who were here talk about how it was here really made it enticing for me."

Allen said he thinks his skill set will align well with Flores' defense.

"Playing fast, pass rushing, all things I feel like I can bring to this team and help out with," Allen said. "He throws a lot on the playbook, a lot for guys to learn, but that's good. [It] really gives us a lot of flexibility in multiple situations."

After an Organized Team Activity practice, Phillips' excitement for his new linemates was felt by listeners. Above all, though, Phillips sounded as thrilled with the people as he is with their ability as players.

The three-time nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (twice with Bills and once with Vikings) said of Allen, a two-time nominee by Washington: "He's going to be a friend of mine for life, I feel like, outside of football just because of the character he has."

10. Kick & punt return opportunities still open | By Craig Peters

It's likely the kickoff return and punt returner spots won't be decided for a while, perhaps even after preseason games offer another metric for evaluation.

Chandler led the 2024 Vikings with eight returns and 205 yards, averaging 25.6, but the only other players who returned a kickoff (Cam Akers and Myles Gaskin with three each) became free agents.

Nailor (one return that was muffed) was the only player other than departed free agent Brandon Powell who returned a punt for Minnesota. Powell returned 23 for 164 yards, an average of 7.1.

Rondale Moore handled kick and punt return duties for Arizona in 2021 but is coming off a knee injury suffered last year during Falcons training camp.

As for what Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels is looking for as he evaluates punt return specialists, "The biggest thing is, 'How well do these guys track it and catch it?' That's going to be the number one thing that we're looking for. Possession of the football is number one in that phase."

"And from there, obviously it's going to be the decision making, and you don't really get to see too much of that in a practice element," Daniels added. "So you've got to be able to kind of throw those guys out there in the preseason just to see how well do they respond to decision making. 'Can I fair catch it? Am I able to go up and steal yards in terms of the short punt versus do I let it hit the ground?' And so, decision-making is going to be huge. We've got to make sure we can a good bit of reps, as much as we can during the preseason, kind of help us figure out who that guy's going to be."

Another element Rodgers brought is having returned 69 kickoffs during his NFL career and six more in high-pressure playoff games. Asked if Rodgers was a candidate for the job, Daniels said that he'd need to have a conversation with "upper management" since Rodgers is a starting cornerback.

"He's been an elite guy back there with the ball in his hands," Daniels said. "When you look at the impact that this kick is going to have with the ball being put in play, field position mattering so much, we've got to be able to kind of weigh what the risk-reward is going to be, just in terms of trying to keep this guy healthy.

"The off-returner was really the most injured player in this play [in 2024], so if we can try to keep him away from being the off-returner, I think we'll have some success in terms of keeping him healthy, but also being able to have him as our returner," Daniels added. "It's not many guys that can bend and weave through traffic but still maintain good speed. He's got such good hips and start-stop ability that you appreciate."