The training camp of Minnesota Vikings crescendoed for almost a week, as the Vikings put on the pads on Monday and rose to an intensity equal to normal training camps. Thursday was a day to roll things in and give the team a proverbial break.
The pads came off, veterans sat outside, and most 11-on-11 drills were done at slower speeds. Riley Reiff took off the exercise, except for stretching, while Adam Thielen and Harrison Smith all sat in practice with only a select few drills. Danielle Hunter missed his fifth straight day with an unknown injury.
That opened the door for a few second-teamers to get reps with the 1s. Tajae Sharpe and Justin Jefferson saw more work from the first teams than usual, with Jefferson coming off a two-minute drill with a touchdown catch from Kirk Cousins. Rashod Hill stepped in for Reiff, and Steven Parker surprisingly stepped up to play with the 1s in place of Smith at safety.
On the offensive line, Dakota Dozier seems to be better than Aviante Collins at the moment for the place of the left guard, and today he deserves praise from Gary Kubiak.
“He has always been a good player, trying to fight to become a starter,” Kubiak said. ‘He started how many games for us last year? I do not know it by hand. I want to say three or four when Josh was out. [We] played some good football when Dakota was there. So I just think Dakota is at a point in his career, he’s a guy who’s had fights and fights and fights, and he knows he can do it, and he’s really a hell of a job there every day. “
Here are some other nuggets from a quiet day at camp in Wytsingen:
- The Vikings use members of their scouting department as test subjects because real refs are not allowed to do camp practices because of COVID-19. Holton Hill, for example, pulled a penalty kick on a pass breakup on Thursday. “Everyone is on them all the time,” Kubiak said of the replacement refs. “They were really fun when they went to battle, and after a few days they started to have a little time to get a hard time, so I will not name the guys who are in the lead.”
- It feels strange to not have kicking, punting or longsnapping competition. There has hardly been a whistle about special teams, especially since everything seems normal. Dan Bailey went 3-for-3 on field goals on Thursday, making it 9-for-9 in live kicks during camp.
- Alexander Hollins made a brilliant save during a defensive blitz session. He has been one of the strongest receivers in camp and seems to put himself on the grid bubble.
- DB Nate Meadors, DT Armon Watts and WR Quartney Davis returned to practice after missing Wednesday.
The pads will be back Friday at 1:45 p.m.
