Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said, “It’s going to be a very competitive camp at multiple positions.” We’re taking a look at each of those competitions as training camp gets underway. Today: wide receiver.
Vikings camp competitions: Wide receiver group starts with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and awaits a clear No. 3
Brandon Powell seemed to have a slight edge entering camp, but Jalen Nailor made himself obvious with three touchdowns during Saturday’s practice.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 31, 2024 at 12:48PM
The receiver room at TCO Performance Center has one bona fide NFL superstar (Justin Jefferson), one second-year phenom whose only career impediments are his decisions behind the wheel of a car (Jordan Addison) and …
Nine guys who make you go meh while eyeballing the WR3 battle in training camp.
Whether the Vikings actually have a legitimate third receiver on the roster or will need to scrounge one up from somewhere else after final cuts remains to be seen. Either way, the need to identify the WR3 is urgent because of the formations coach Kevin O’Connell likes to use and the fact Addison is staring at the probability of a league suspension after two driving arrests in the past year, including one for DWI earlier this month.
Last season
Jefferson played only 10 games because of a hamstring injury but still had a fourth straight 1,000-yard season (1,074) and five touchdowns on 68 catches — all career lows for a guy who had never missed a game before. He’s one of the best in the league and the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history. And, oh yeah, he’s only 25.
Addison lived up to his rookie first-round billing in Year 1 without Adam Thielen, who signed with Carolina. Addison caught 10 touchdown passes, including six with Jefferson on the field. Addison also had 911 yards on 70 catches.
High expectations for K.J. Osborn’s contract year fizzled quickly. He posted career lows for catches (48), yards (540) and touchdowns (three) before the Vikings let him leave for New England and a one-year, $4 million deal.
The only other receivers to catch a ball last year were journeyman punt returner Brandon Powell (29), Jalen Nailor (three) and Trishton Jackson (one).
Offseason moves
In: Ty James (rookie free agent), Jeshaun Jones (rookie free agent), Trent Sherfield (free agent, Bills).
Out: Osborn (free agency, Patriots).
The contenders
Powell, who turns 29 on Sept. 12, entered camp as the favorite, albeit a slight one. The shifty little returner/slot receiver is a career overachiever probably better suited as the fourth receiver.
Jalen Nailor gained ground on and might have surpassed Powell in Week 1 of camp, which Nailor capped Saturday in head-turning fashion with three touchdown catches from three different quarterbacks. Nailor, 25, was a sixth-round draft pick in 2022. In the final two regular-season games of his rookie season, he caught seven balls for 151 yards and a touchdown, but his 2023 season was derailed from the get-go by injuries.
If he sidesteps the hamstring and concussion issues that limited him to three catches in 2023, Nailor will be the No. 1 guy to watch at WR3.
The Vikings have seven other receivers besides the ones mentioned. Only two of them have caught a pass in the NFL — Sherfield (78) and Jackson (two). Sherfield, 28, is with his fifth team in seven seasons. His best year was 2022, when he caught 30 balls for 417 yards and two touchdowns with Miami. He had 11 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown with the Bills last year and was the only experienced receiver the Vikings brought in this offseason.
One big question
Are the Vikings done shopping for receivers?
One has to wonder if the Vikings are done signing receivers ahead of Week 1. Especially with the probability of a multi-game suspension that could sideline Addison as early as that first game.
The pickings currently are slim among available receivers. Former Saints All-Pro Michael Thomas, 31, is unsigned. He’s damaged goods, having played in only 20 games in the five seasons since he led the league in catches (149) and yards receiving (1,725) in 2019. Julio Jones also is out there, but he’s 35.
A more likely scenario is the Vikings give the contenders they have the first crack while keeping a close eye on better alternatives that could become available when the other 31 teams make their final cuts.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
