The temperatures cooled at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, but tempers flared as players pressed on into the third week of training camp.
Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw are notable absences at Vikings practice
Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson missed practice due to a personal matter, a team spokesperson said, on a day when things got heated at the end.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 6, 2024 at 11:37PM
A testy Tuesday practice ended with a brief scuffle, reserve defensive lineman Jalen Redmond getting thrown out of practice, and no sign of the two players who received massive contract extensions this offseason.
Receiver Justin Jefferson missed Tuesday’s practice due to a personal matter, a team spokesperson said. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw was at the team’s facility, but he was held out for an undisclosed reason.
The two absences stood out for a Vikings team that is already practicing without starting cornerback Shaq Griffin (hamstring), tight end Robert Tonyan (back) and defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, who was carted off the field during the team’s previous practice on Saturday. Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon is on injured reserve due to a torn ACL suffered during the first camp practice last month.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said Tillery’s injury won’t be a long-term issue.
“[Tillery] did get a pretty significant laceration kind of on the back of his leg, lower calf area,” O’Connell said before Tuesday’s practice. “Although very concerning, he’s going to be fully recovered. He did have to get a couple stitches on that, but ... he’ll be back.”
Two reserves — inside linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and guard Dalton Risner — also were not spotted at Tuesday’s practice.
Who’s playing Saturday?
O’Connell won’t reveal the plan for Saturday’s preseason opener against the Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium until Thursday, by which time he’ll have informed quarterbacks Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy, among his other players, whether they’re playing and how much they’ll play.
In two years under O’Connell, the Vikings typically don’t play starters in exhibitions. But coaches are evaluating new and less-proven quarterbacks. The Vikings also have a retooled defensive front with veteran free agents and rookies from first-round edge rusher Dallas Turner to inside linebacker Blake Cashman.
“There is a general plan,” O’Connell said. “It’s not a matter of any kind of game-planning secrets. ... It’s more about communicating directly with the player so they hear it from myself or coaches first before it’s out there.”
Etc.
⋅ Rookie kicker Will Reichard, the sixth-round pick out of Alabama, continued a strong camp by drilling both game-winning field goals in a mock hurry-up drill at the end of practice. After Darnold’s drive, Reichard was good from 47 yards; after McCarthy’s drive, he was good from 52 yards. Each quarterback got 65 seconds to get into field goal range from their own 35-yard line down 21-20.
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⋅ Receiver Jalen Nailor was the next man up with Jefferson out, taking almost all of the first-team reps during Tuesday’s practice with Jordan Addison. During full-team drills, Nailor caught a deep touchdown from Darnold and also had one ripped out of his hands by cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.
Jones, who had 109 yards on 16 touches in Sunday’s win, had as good a Vikings debut as coaches and teammates could have anticipated.
