Vikings 53-Man Roster is Set—Bring on the G-Men

hello and welcome to Vikings territory breakdown podcast I'm Joe Oly from Vikings territory.com at purple ptsd. comom and that's Mark Craig from the Star Tribune and the star tribune.com he's the NFL Insider and uh Vikings writer and insights uh Fury with me every time we try to write an agenda so that's that's what Mike Mike does I'm kidding um we got a team Mark we got a roster we have have 53 players for the time being I'm not sure it will remain as is because there's always changes between now and and uh the week coming up to the first game but uh we got a team what do you think uh H how did the Vikings do overall did they keep all the right guys oh Super Bowl yeah obviously um you know it's if more and more people don't call it the final 53 because is the initial 53 um you know as as players get you know there's 24 hours where players get cut can be picked up through the waiver system um you know so you're going to be seeing guys coming and going and and not a whole lot but there'll be some moves that are you know made before they finally get there um there's some interesting moves uh and there's some uh you know moves that uh like Lewis seing you know finally being let go that had to be done there's also the probably the most surprising one cut isn't canadi nangu I don't get that one uh but the focusing on the players that are there um you know there was some talk about whether jiren Hall would make the final 53 or they would try and put him on the practice squad I said all you have to do is look at what Kevin OK Connell has been been through in at the quarterback position since Kirk Cousins went down with that Achilles Last October November to tell you that he is going to protect as many quarterbacks as he can especially when they play as well as jiren Hall did in the preseason so that didn't surprise me if they kept the three quarterbacks and I didn't risk losing him by putting him on the practice squad I like some of the younger guys I love Dwight mcglover you know undrafted rookie corner at a time when you're losing a lsen who was a 32 overall pick to see a guy like him come in and turn heads and and make the team uh defensive lineman hocky Tam you know where did he come from you he makes run stopper Levi Drake Rodriguez seventh round draft pick who I really like a lot of people really like his energy he's on the team another seventh round pick uh the center guard Jurgens um you know he makes the he makes the team um so there's there's a lot to like there's you know as long as the quarterback is still Sam darnold Nick Mullins and jiren Hall I question how far this team can go but wow There It Is Well I just I just spilled my water all over my station here just to start out the show so thanks for Joe's Joe's water broke on on the on opening day absolutely but yeah there's some things to like there's some things that I'll be looking forward to having oconnell explain tomorrow uh the nango thing um don't get that uh but there is some Talent on thisam team there is some Talent on this team but uh um we'll see oh you you're already on record of saying they're going to suck so I'll uh let's let's go down the list and see how we did uh am I public record of of saying they'll suck ah maybe not public record but uh I I think there's some question in your voice let's go that far uh the quarterback Sam darnold Nick mes and jiren Hall uh no surprise there they're you know the JJ McCarthy situation uh kind of set that to be where it was yeah I wondered if you know Jen Hall got hurt in the game and and and people talked about maybe they would be able to put him on one of the injured list so that they could slide another mer person on the 53 but he he made the the 53 and I think they wanted to uh protect him this this time around didn't they yeah well I I think you know like I said what what this what Connell has had to I can remember right before Kirk Cousins got hurt you maybe I was it was one of my jinxes or something but I remember asking about Kirk had had only 5,000 some snaps where he' only taken off like a handful of snaps in his entire Vikings career and it was kind of like talking about you know talking to OK Connell about his backup situation and um and then Kirk gets hurt you know it's like you know for what Co Connell has been through I don't think he wants to he could the injury wasn't serious so stashing him on a list where he might lose him for four games ok Connell has to be thinking the way things are going you know Darnell could get hurt in the opener and then all of a sudden you got Nick Mullins and he needs a backup so so what did you say about JJ that you jinxed him now I don't even I must have missed that God dang the quarterback Jinx you are but I jinxed I jinxed Aaron Rogers years ago the the game Wednesday before he broke his collar bone where bar broke his collar bone I asked him about you know the their their longevity of the two starting quarterbacks in Green Bay and so I jinxed the crap out of Aaron Rogers so you should thank me for that one I guess can you go to Detroit and talk to Jared Goff and then head over to uh uh Packers and see like Kansas City I'll ask a question about momes you know I'll just you know clear the way for them to win the Super Bowl Joe nice um but yeah there's it's a little bit of a surprise I I still heard people talking about whether Hall would they try put him on the the practice squad I said no way that it's you know Connell is kind of like all hands on deck let's keep everyone available because we don't know what's going to happen based on what's happened the last you know 10 months yeah when you go that many that long without uh Kirk your quarterback getting injured and Kirk Cousins and missing games it's your numbers your numbers or odds are eventually going to get to you and so maybe that's what he's thinking uh we got the running backs in the back field you know just it looks kind of Slam Aaron Jones Ty Chandler and CJ ham and one of them's a fullback you know uh you know all the guys they had in here to in the running back position even at the just last week bringing in Mo Mo Abraham if that's how you say his name uh it it was amazing to me that they end up then with only uh you know those two running backs and CG ham what do you think there well I I think that it's Tuesday at 10 o'clock in the morning and that they're not done there I think that something going on they're they're um the a they have someone in mind from another team uh they have something in mind with u a wongu or someone going to the practice squad yeah um you know there there will be something there will be a third I would think whether it's you know via the practice squad because I was saying yesterday when I heard nongo I said well they this Gaskin guy who you know he's a little guy but he I mean he the ability he showed the pass block in that Philadelphia game Game and his his his uh leverage and his willingness to block um I thought well he made the team over nongo and they not they cut him too and I'm like something's not something it's not adding up yeah and also nongo not not taking a snap on the kick return entire pre season I don't get it I don't get it at all so something more is going on at the running back position I think and we'll we'll find out did we have I'm just seems like to me in my memory that was it I I guess it was Chandler that that uh uh they had a little bit of problem with his attention at practice uh maybe a couple years ago or something well that's kind of what they were saying last year whenever they they they they held on to Madison as their feature back way too long um he TI Chandler had his instincts are so much better uh as a better Runner and for whatever reason it took till the end of the year before they kind of switched over to to Ty Chandler uh you know I I see Tai CH I just saw that that n had a role on this team whether you know not don't get rid of Ty Chandler but have the three of them there um because you know nongu showed not only do we know what he can do as a kick returner and I thought he would have been really intriguing to see in this new format which they didn't even try um and then um as a running back he he showed his tremendous speed he showed a run against Cleveland where he had great balance and some power and bounced off some guys so he was like was like wow you know here's the next step for this guy and then he's gone so Mark well who do you think are the kick returners are then well you know it's funny because you know after the first preseason game I was asking nongu about that because he had that 48 yard run and I featured him in one of my little things and you know in hindsight his what one of his questions should have made me ask more questions was I said well you know they know what you can do and and uh they're not using you and he said he said something like um something like that and the look on his face in my mind like wow you know I obviously he was there was more to it than what was going on um you know who did they have returning in the in the preseason it's um I can't even remember I I was so fascinated with the new setup I didn't even pay attention who was running the ball back you know you sitting there watching the new kickoff rules and I didn't uh I didn't even really lock in on that NS returned one of them um yeah and he's gone he's gone um I'm toak you anyway that that's that's something to watch here in the next few days you know that that they they they may they may bring him back and you know you find a spot for for him yet because that they seem like they don't have anybody but um moving on to receivers you got Justin Jefferson Jordan Addison uh no question there and then the backups are are Jaylen Naylor Brandon pal trisan Jackson and Trent sherfield uh Tristan Jackson three three touchdowns in three games no no surprise there that he made the team he's he's looked really good Jaylen Naylor had a great camp and Brandon PO is a favorite of ok connell's uh that you knew he wanted to bring back uh Trent sherfield is someone they must be looking at and and they let Nel Harry go uh any surprises there what are your thoughts on how they set up the the receivers well nille Harry was moved to tight end and he got cut as a tight end I mean the nikil Harry Fascination is I believe is finally over you know former number one pick of the of the Patriots uh was too slow to play receiver so he was was made a tight end um you know if someone else wants to try and make that work uh more power to him but the the receiver position probably is the one that in training camp in the preseason changed my thinking the most of like man they they are really thin I mean they're not like you know uh it's not like a they got all Pros all over the place but jayen Naylor playing the way he did and then actually you know playing solid looking like a solid number three and then in many respects um Tristan Jackson outplaying him you know as well as he played those two what they did um improved my thinking and my my perception of the of the receiver position and also sherfield uh is a nice you know a nice when you keep six of them if he's your sixth receiver um I feel I I would feel better about that position looking at it especially knowing that Addison's going to be gone at some point Addison who knows his ankle might linger into the into the regular season we don't know um but yeah I would feel a little bit better about that position now because uh those guys stood they stepped up Mark anybody in that group group that's done some returning I think Brandon Powell returned some punts last year I thought Ander yeah and you know all you gotta do is look at the who returned the kicks in the preseason there Joe okay well we'll do that during the break as as our two old Minds go blank on that um we need we need an assistant to uh we need a producer we need a producer to look that up for us he need to put a little scroll across the bottom who mark this is who's returning kicks for the Vikings this year anyway okay let's let's quickly do the uh tight ends then uh you mentioned them that and Keel here he got he did play some tight end and he caught a pass in the in the slot he looked good doing it I thought in in the preseason game but you got Josh Oliver Johnny Mt and Nick Muse with TJ hackinson on the uh physically unable to play list pup list so he'll be gone for four games and that's kind of what we knew but those are the same names as last year you know they had a lot of tight ends in so I thought there would be some change there and and there really wasn't well you know tanan was the guy that I thought would be would make the yeah but when you're you know as uh you know Mike Ty would always say you don't make the club in the tub you know you know y one of the alltime cliches but it's true I mean the guy uh you thought okay this is a guy that that maybe could step up as your your number one your guy and be um that guy while hackinson was recovering but he hurt his back early enough and that we didn't see it much of him at all so you really can't take a 10-year veteran whatever he was into the season going well you know we might you know by the time he would be back up to speed I would suppose you know hackinson is coming back so Oliver is your is your blocker is your prize blocking tight end J uh Johnny Mt as Connell said best number three tight end in football um who you know just he's not great but he stepped up there was one practice I think where we I we had him setting the record with like 300 practice catches or something right um you know and Nick Muse is is a guy that uh I think he's dealing with some uh injury of some sort now minor but um it's always been kind of an intriguing guy you know that that you have um so yeah Tanya would have been the guy that you say yeah he's gonna make the team but you can't make it when you when you don't you weren't there mark in his case uh you know they they they signed him to a decent contract uh free agent contract in the offseason does that thing just terminate or uh do they have to pay him through well depends on what kind of guarantees they gave him I don't they gave him any you know much much guaranteed money I would okay okay well you know I'm sure they'll sign somebody to their practice squad uh because like if you say Nick Muse is a little dinged up and you got hackinson on the list uh they're they're all of a sudden look a little thin there at to start yeah you got I think 17 spots on the practice squad so yeah they'll be a tight end there somewhere for sure um offensive tackles we got uh Christian darisaw Brian O'Neal as your starters and then David quizenberry and Walter Roose as your backups uh more surpris there correct no you know Quisenberry is a really good experience they got you they got the best of I guess Two Worlds there they got they got quinberry who's you know 30 in his mid-30s who's I thought when he had to step in and he will have to step in and the days of tackles you know starting you know 200 game straight and and not missing any games is over you're going to have little dings and nicks and concussions and stuff so he's a good guy to have very experienced a solid guy you don't want to start him you know multiple weeks but good guy to step in and on the other end you got the rookie uh late round draft pick who uh stepped up and looked you know pretty good as a tackle and played guard too so um that Walter Rouse guy is um has intriguing potential I think um so yeah and the starters are um are solid you you you know there's a lot of teams that are um a lot better than the Vikings that would you despite what happened to Christian in Cleveland and getting just pummeled by the by G you know Bradberry or Garett Bradbery miles Garrett but you know in saying that that was one-on-one every play if they play the Browns you know he's not there one-on-one with Miles Garett right right um and he he you know as as much as he was dominated on some plays in Cleveland by by uh by Miles um he also showed a lot of fight and you know got him enough times where you're like you know he's still a pretty good he's a good left tackle that a lot of teams would want to have right um offensive guards we got break Blake brandle Ed Ingram uh probably as your starters Michael Jurgens as a backup and Dalton Ryner made the team he's on IR to start the season but uh he made the team he got injured in injured his back I think and so I'm glad they're keeping him but is is he when he's ready is he gonna step in for Ed or what what are you seeing there well I you know I don't know I you know Ed Ingram is a guy that uh um you know you look at that that 2022 draft and top two are gone uh the next three including Ed Ingram are are not solidified as starters Ed Ed is a starter but you know we just we saw him play you know the second preseason game when no one else no other starters on either team played um I don't know that ryer just steps in and does that because he's got to be gone for four games he's got to come back he's got to practice he's been gone for quite a while um Ed Ingram is a guy that you know that they want to replace they just um it's hasn't happened because you know Ryner might have been on his way to doing that but then he got hurt um a guy that I thought they might keep was that Tyrese Robinson a seconde guy you know he's probably a little too slow a little but I thought he played with power I thought he I like the guy I thought he would I thought he would make the team over this Jurgens uh that made it as a thinner guard but um you know Tyrese is probably a guy who ends up on the practice squad um but yeah Ed Ingram uh is the starter and he's I don't see him being replaced anytime soon um the centers uh are Garrett Bradbury and Dan feny uh once again we still have uh Bradbury at Center maybe that's maybe that you know that's why they keep Michael Jurgens Jurgens if he's if he's going to play uh if he can play center as well gives him some depth there but Dani is is a good backup for for Bradberry I think yeah I mean they you know you know Bradberry is um would be is probably might be helped by having brandle size next to him a little bit um you know Bradberry is a guy another guy that they probably want to replace but they just you know you don't just snap your fingers you know as much as we kind of get on him we get on Ingram there is something there enough about them that you just don't replace them with anybody um Jurgens is surprised me because I my feeling was based on where he was drafted and that he wasn't great in the preseason that he would be a practice squad guy so they must be thinking that they would lose him because I know that they've earmarked him as as bradberry's replacement as soon as maybe next year you know it maybe with the new quarterback situation they they like that experience of Bradbury and they're calling calling the alignments at the line calling out the protections or something because he's familiar with uh koc's uh you know offense and may maybe that's why he's he's he's your guy for a little while yet till they really get somebody up to speed to replace well yeah he he's your guy right now because he's your best player at Center I mean he's as much as we get on him and he's still their best option at Center by by by quite a bit you know when you look at the offense in general [Music] tight end's not that different and uh all the way down on the offensive line it's pretty much uh well we're going to see in the next segment what do the defense there's a lot more change there but what do you how do you look at this how do you look at this offense as a whole when you look at it is it uh is it a a group that can put some points on the board for the purple this year well I don't think you can talk about anything on the offense as great as Jefferson is as good as your tackles are um as good as you might think Aaron Jones is going to be as good as T.J hackinson will be when he comes back and Addison and it's the quarterback you know their point their ability to put up a bunch of points um you know Kirk was not going to be a guy if for I mean they moved on from Kirk and they had to is you can only put so much money down that hole and before he tried to start over you know what the shame of it is you do that and then you don't get anything out of McCarthy this year that's such that's such a dark cloud over this season but um you know I it's hard for me to get excited about this offense and being explosive and all this stuff whenever Sam darnold is your starter and Nick Mullins as your backup you see more of a running scheme I we saw a little bit of that in the preseason yeah I mean I thought they ran the ball really well in the preseason you know um but how much is your third your second and third stringers running the ball because you know the big like when the starters played in that first game they really didn't run the ball until wongu came in with the backups and you know so there wasn't much sample size to look at these starters as far as running the ball um you know I I just don't see them becoming like a running team like like Cleveland is when they got Nick chub and they got that offensive line going this is not a a lineup and knock you over offensive line now having Blake brandle at left guard is their attempt to like kick it that way you know um and having Aaron Jones and that speed and more Instinct and being able to hit the holes better than Madison could might help it's certainly going to help it's not going to hurt but U I don't see them becoming this like dominant running team either so I have to you know there is town on the offense uh not having howison for four games that's a month of the Season yeah that hurt he's got to I know so he'll ramp it up in practice probably starting week two uh and get to give him some time to get going for that but we also might not see him until week seven because they go to London week five then they got a bye and then they play the lions at home so you might you know the team as you were right saying last week they're going to air on the side of caution I thought they might push it a little and say hey this guy looks really good let's try and get him ready for week three you know week four maybe just you you know because you hate to give up that many games uh but if they if they're if they aired on that side of the caution they might air on the further side and have him come back week seven so you know there's the ability there is there to do it but man I you know Sam Darnell is is I know he came here in the spring but he is new to this offense when it's going live and I just don't see him clicking like uh in a high in a top 10 scoring type mode interesting well I I'm currently swooning Mark said I was right last week I don't hear that much so I need to take I what's that I need to take a break and while we're on break we're gonna look up who the heck returned kickoffs for the Vikings all right well come on back and we'll uh we'll look at the defense and who's on that and then we'll take a look at some of the guys that that did did leave here uh this season so come back to Vikings territory breakdown okay folks welcome back to Vikings territory breakdown with Mark Craig from the Star Tribune we we solved well I didn't say we solved anything but we we uh investigated and researched the mystery from the first segment about who who returned kicks for the Vikings in the preseason and and who's gonna do it this season in the regular season so Mark what'd you find out Joe you asked the Mike Wallace of Journalism you asked the hard questions uh miles uh gasin had three three Malik nolles two and Jaylen Williams and Dwayne McBride won a piece they're all gone they're all gone so everyone's trying to hide what they're GNA do on the kickoffs you it's the NFL they don't want to show anything because they all they're gonna take they're gonna take uh they're gonna uh get win the flip and say we want to receive in the opening kickoff because nobody knows who's gonna be out there know uh I've heard that that they're they're going to have Christian darasa back there and he's not going to be brought down by anyone um God Dam Jay Naylor is a guy I believe that had the return ability uh gez I don't know if you want to risk him um I think there's gonna be I think there's gonna be multiple touchdowns on the you know early in the season because the way you know if you break it you're gone I think it's kind of you know people talking about the idea of oh you have a safety kickoff put it down in there somewhere and you have more of an athlete that can you know get the angles on you know I thought that when I was talking to nango about it and um he was like yeah if you you break through you and hit with his speed he'd be gone so um but yeah I guess a Jaylen Naylor sherfield maybe pal Brandon Powell can do both he's more of a punt returner but he could do it you were speculating during our break with me that you know maybe there's something going on with nand that they may want to bring him back or something or you know they don't know about get rid of his contract who knows I mean that that just it does seem strange it is it is strange you know this could be dated you know like we could you know something happens here late you know at 11 o'clock on on Tuesday um but yeah they have their eye on something you know I don't think uh it's just going to be those two running backs especially whenever you're talking about you know you're going you're going to be sparing the Reps on uh you know Aaron Jones is not going to be overworked and I don't and Ty Chandler is not going to be I just think there's a third third back there that you're gonna have at some point that's a good point okay well let's move on to the defense here and see see who the Vikings kept and who they lost and uh there should be some new faces on this side of the ball but defensive lineman we'll start out right there we got Harrison Phillips Jerry Tillery Jonathan Bullard Jaylen Redmond Levi Drake Rodriguez one of the stars of the uh preseason uh and T Tei tamman that's what I'm gonna say I don't know if it's right or wrong or Jaylen Redmond right yep he's in there yep you know there's three guys there that you know it's you know other than Harris Harrison Phillips I've said this a million times you know was a was like their legitimate starter that they had last year but a guy that even the team admitted shouldn't have played as many reps as he did last year he's more effective with fewer reps um what I like about what they did here is they kept three pretty exciting young players you know with Redmond and and Levi Drake who I think I like him I think he's gonna be a good player I I just I like his uh he brings some life and energy to that position that that wasn't there um and the fact that they they went ahead and and and got rid of a guy um that they picked up a veteran guy started for the Rams in um uh who's the guy they got rid of uh Tyler Manoa no it's a uh I'm looking at their list of cuts and I don't see any Jonah Williams the guy Jonah Williams was a guy that they brought in as a as an expected uh to be you know veteran back or veteran guy that could maybe even be be a starter so they got rid of him and kept three guys uh you know Redmond I liked how he played the preseason so um you Phillips is probably you know he's he's still ascending in his career so um yeah it's not the greatest it's uh it's it's still kind of a spot that I think needs to be addressed in the draft it's improvement though from last year ain't it well I mean you don't have a whole lot different you know you have you have tillary coming in we'll see how he does um you know Bullard is a starter I I I would like him more as a backup but um you know it's uh I like that they they kept their eye on they got some young guys there that could you know you can't take every you don't have 15 first round draft picks and that you you're G to hit on and right especially when you don't even hit on sometimes you don't hit on any of them Joe uh but about that here yeah so so you know to me it's U there's something to like about it probably more to like about it than I than I thought going into the training camp well that's position we're going to have to continue to to watch and monitor throughout the season and it uh it was a issue a position of issue last year so uh hopefully there's some improvement there hopefully they've kept some guys that that can develop and and and improve so they they got a chance we'll have to keep an eye on that um outside linebackers I'm kind of excited about this because I thought you know they lost denil Hunter but they and uh the year before that they lost the other guy that went to Cleveland can't what what the heck's his name I keep forgetting his they got him from the Packers Z Darius Smith they lost thank you lost him so it's like I thought you know it was really cupt was really bare but I thought in free agency they went out and picked up some good names and and they and they drafted Dallas Turner this so the names for the outside linebackers are Jonathan Gard Andrew van gingle Dallas Turner the rookie Jihad Ward Patrick Jones and then Gabriel Murphy is on the IR um I think you know they they got a good unit there I think that they can be disruptive hopefully with for uh Brian flores's defense yeah you know I guess I have to defer a little bit to Flores who might know a little more about defensive football than me um that I'm just I I don't feel the excitement that people are feeling about this pass rush um know grenard is was proven and he was a little you know he was um he's younger than denil to me losing denil I just can't I you know and denil didn't want to be here he went to Houston for a you know where not not a ton of money a two-year deal so it's not like you could snap your fingers and have him come back and so they had to move on from him so I get that but to me that's a huge that is such a huge loss that I don't just automatically go oh you know these other guys are gonna do great uh I had to see it van GLE um I I don't as just a pure athlete that lines up and rushes a passer I I don't get it as much as but I do understand what um what Flores likes to do with guys like him and I'm looking forward seeing that I am not uh at this point willing to you know go all in on on Dallas Turner I oh my oh my I saw the you know the the sack against the Raiders hats off other than that of course I was I wasn't around for two weeks in training camp but he just looks like a guy who's not going to be a big impact player right away I'm not saying that he won't be a good player now who he maybe now he goes and has 15 sacks I don't know the the reverse Jinx Joe um but you know I I I just don't see him as a as a real impactful pass rusher right now well he's the Vikings first uh round draft choice so I suppose he's gotta fail right you know I I I don't know I I I'm excited about him I I think it's making lemons out of lemonade and of course we got to see or lemonade out of lemons we got to see that happen this year but uh um how do you not like a guy whose last name is Van GLE and uh Dallas Turner I I you know he's got I think he's got to learn the position he's got to learn the the playing in the pros and then he's going to figure it out I think he's got some natural ability he's he every time you'd see him talked about it national media he was like one of the top defenders in the draft and they went up and got him I I I am I am hopeful with him I guess yeah I just have to see it you know I know what I know what the hype is I know what the talk is I know what they what they spent to get him you know those extra draft picks just to to move up and get him and the fact they're left with you know what four four picks next year it could be you know it could be that he's that he does this I just don't you know I see him kind of having more of an easing into his career and U just not being he's he's just not a an overpowering like wow look at this guy you know that's rushing the passer U but you know it's way way too early to be you know passing final judgment on that since the Vikings are so much better at uh at hitting on their undrafted rookies they should just trade their first round picks forever and just go all the way down to the six sth and eighth round and just get a whole bunch of them draft everybody down there boycott the draft and then just start talking to uh you know Ivan Pace Jr and white M gln and people like that okay inside linebackers Blake Cashman Ivan Pace Jr speak of the devil C gruer Hill and Brian azoa if that's how you say his name I don't even know if it is but that's how I like every other he changes it quite a bit I don't nice nice well what do you think of those dudes Ivan Pace I I love Ivan Pace I think he's gonna be even better this year Cashman is a guy who I think dislocated or broke his finger in uh in Cleveland uh they you know I don't think it's going to affect the regular season for him um I like him you know he's another grunt to have in the middle there that can move um gruer Hill uh looked pretty good to me and backing up a Cashman and an asamoa you know asamoa unlike last year is is healthy and I I still think there's something there I think there's more to him than there is to um Caleb Evans now or maybe even Ed Ingram you know I think there's you know he can be a special teams player I don't know if there's a spot on the field for him he almost strikes me as a guy that you know look what Flores made out of um Josh matelis last year asamoa to me seems like a guy that you could do something like that maybe there's something in the works with him like that U but he I think he was worthy of of making this roster I think that U between his injury last year and his attitude I think when Ian P passed him I think that affected him I I you just saw a body language that was defeated and I think now you know we're seeing him healthy we're seeing him on the team uh there's still some value there for that guy that remains to be seen I would like to see I me we saw those flashes in his rookie year and everybody was talking about the next great thing there on defense and then he got injured last year and got passed by EV pace and and uh he does have some some ground to make up but I'm glad he's got he's still on the team and has a chance to do it maybe he's hungry and he'll want to do that um moving on to the cornerbacks uh there's some new face names names and faces there uh Brian Murphy Jr comes back they picked up Stefan Gilmore they have sha Griffin hopefully he will be healthy to start the season Fabian Morrow a Caleb Evans who many people thought was going to be gone and Dwight mcglothern uh that's uh you know it's been a position of uh concern for a long time and and had a number of faces and names in in Camp to to try to figure it out how do you feel that uh what they ended up with there mark well I think that they're um you know they're held together there with duct tape and they're praying that no one gets hurt you know um Shaq Griffin comes in second day of camp makes an interception pulls his hamstring has not practiced or played since um they say he's ready for the you know that he'll be ready for the start of the regular season we'll see you know um he start practicing I would imagine this week or or certainly next week or you know to get back and going but you know his age with a hamstring injury big question mark there Stefon Gilmore is he was you know former you know five years ago was Defensive Player of the Year uh he's his former allpro but all of that is in the past he's now 33 years old he had a shoulder injury in January um Cowboys of course the Cowboys didn't have any money to give him uh with all the other guys they had to pay or have to pay so you know not having a training camp really it's there's a lot you know a lot to worry about there with him being his age and possibility of these soft tissue injuries and then you know Byron Murphy is a guy that missed what three games the end of last year at a at a key po key moment um boy it's you know they got the names they got the they got the experience in place will it hold up physically for them to get what they need out of it uh Caleb Evans is still around because frankly he you know he's this is like strike he's down to strike three or strike four maybe uh of of in Florida's system uh they had a terrible game in Cleveland which they went out and got Gilmore the next morning um but he knows this he knows the defense and he's there in case there you know Things Fall Apart physically for these other guys mln I I like him I I really want to see this guy um you know undrafted free agent he's got nothing to lose played that way had a Swagger to him had skill has the length the speed um I'm looking forward to seeing where this guy goes in his career because he could be a starter in you know a year or two you lost your buddy Duke Shelly yeah Duke uh you know Duke maybe he ends up back on the practice squad uh mlin is a guy that that made Duke Expendable you know Duke was I I liked him um it just seemed like when he given an opportunity he he always stepped up but mgln essentially took his spot I would think yeah okay moving on to the safeties uh a lot of familiar names there and one familiar name is gone we got Harrison Smith cam Bram Josh matelis Theo Jackson and Jay Ward and our old buddy LS scen finally hit the bricks despite the Vikings tried to reported uh you had told me uh when we were talking uh yesterday or the day before that they were trying to trade him before the deadline uh didn't didn't happen and uh I'm sure you think he'll wind up somewhere else I mean first of all talk about who they kept and then then let us know about Lewis we Hardy knew yeah I mean uh the shame of of the you know Flores loves safeties and here they had a physical you know a specimen that could um had all the physical tools but just didn't fit um understanding of Defense understanding of football whatever it is uh but you know the others you know a Theo Jackson's a good example of and Josh matelis is the shining example of what you can be in Flores defense whenever you're versatile and uh you have that that instinct and uh you don't I mean Josh matelis is not the fastest guy in the world he's not the hardest hitter in the world but he's he can do so much and so that it's not good to see about that Jay Ward is a guy that's ascending because um he can play corner he can play some Corner that which they've tinkered with and he can play um and he can play safety so your uh versatility was a key there and Louis scen didn't have it uh you know it's going to be good to see finally like Harrison Smith back on the field you know these first regular season games are so good this SE because you feels like it's been forever since you've seen them just like put their best players on the field and cut it Loose uh so it'll be fun to see I think you know Harrison certainly has at least one more year of of some big-time football in him uh cam bam is probably their most underrated player I think one of the more underrated players in the league I think yeah they should be should be set there it's it's uh it's it's it's quite telling that the uh Louis scene experiment did not work I uh quy ad doam men's first ever draft pick as a general manager he traded down and back in to get him I think uh fortified couple couple teams in the NFC North to do it uh angered players or I should say angered fans with with that move in in some respects and probably hope this would work out but boy with him gone and Andrew Booth gone their first two draft picks in that first draft uh I I was you know talking back and forth with you and I said you know um it's better to cut bait and and and and keep going you know take your loss and go than than trying to hang on to it and make something out of it that isn't there but boy that's a that's a tough blow for the report card of O quacy don't you think well yeah I mean he he traded down and we were we were talking about this at the at the time which is a lot of times you know draft blown drafts are talked about in hindsight this was like immediately it was like first of all you didn't get enough to trade down with Detroit I don't think they got enough to go down 20 spots um you know it was well you know maybe uh it was not just you know the receiver that um Jameson Williams that the that the lions got who could have a breakout season this year which would make it even worse uh it wasn't just him it was all you know we've all written about it we've all talked about it you know passing up primarily the on that was talked about most is Kyle Hamilton with the with the Ravens you know he was picked right at you know one or two or two spots later whatever it was um All Pro safety that a guy like Flores you know and that hurts that hurts you know so there's all these players you know there's multiple pro bowlers multiple All Pro player or All Pro players that they passed over uh corner with Kansas City that's became All Pro um so yeah it it's it's things you know the only I guess the only thing good about it is yeah they they pulled the plug as opposed to getting rid of Theo Jackson or or even Jay Ward you know so because they have more value they clearly have more value um you know in scen the defense he you know he he has a horrible leg injury in London is first early in his first season um he's gone with only two defensive snaps comes back they change the defense entirely on him from when he was drafted to flores's defense doesn't fit it at all uh plays 10 you know he had he had more inactives than he did I think he had eight defensive snaps and 10 healthy scratches so um it's good for them it's good for this kid too because um he still has the ability to play in the ano somewhere uh I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes if he's not motivated by this then he'll never be motivated that was the Packers or someone that needed if they need a safety who knows maybe Zim down in Dallas if he wants a safety or something and because you're gonna be getting this guy's everything this guy has I think because he with his body language I wrote about it coming out of the Cleveland game about he had this big preseason game head coaches talking about him and he's sitting at his locker like you know blank faed and just because he knew that it was he was put on the field just as a show Pony to you know just prove that his hamstring was good and um and just kind of just the guy was sad he was just a sad time for him and he gets a rebirth and he's not he's no longer LS seen the quy's blown draft pick he's Lewis seen a guy they picked up for nothing you know the next team did try to trade him they did try to trade him you know if you get a seventh round pick out of maybe you get a you do get a Levi Drake or someone like that in the seventh round but he just came with with uh you know and the other reason you try and trade him is you know you get to unload his contract and I think he was due like $2 million or something and nobody else you know even if you wanted to get first dibs at him or or trade to get him and not have to go through the the waiver system they didn't want to pay him the $2 million that it would take to get him well the Vikings did pull off a successful trade with Louis C and they're they're trading him for an undrafted rookie next year so get it get it they're got rid of him they'll pick okay that one didn't work on that on that note we'll take a real quick break and come right back and uh finish up with uh this this this uh this issue on the draft or not the draft the cutdown day and the roster and we'll come back on Vikings territory breakdown okay folks welcome back to Vikings territory breakdown with Mark Craig from the Star Tribune Mark a big shocker in the special team section of the the roster will rard uh rard R rard I don't know how you say his name will'll be the kicker Ryan Wright the punter and Andre Andrew Deo Ola will be the the uh uh Long Snapper could I butcher those names anymore they should all be called Ryan Wright I can handle that one um you know I think the wakens got a kicker I I I think you do too and I I I'm kind of excited about that it's a position they don't have to freaking Fred over now he's going to probably miss some kicks this year but he's also going to make a lot and he's going to make some long ones and he's going to uh make life easier for KOC who won't have to go for it on fourth down every time they get across the 50 wow you gotta turn in your purple Kool-Aid card because you have just jined the crap out of them when it come you've just praised a kicker for about three minutes so you know what's going to happen now well I can blame it on me then because yeah I was I was Bull well actually I was uh I was not I I interviewed uh Daniel Carlson I was in a scrum with interview with him and I I thought boy this kid was saying how he wasn't nervous and I thought he was nervous so I was concerned about him so I I don't have that Jinx on kickers that's not part of my makeup um yeah I mean other than the day that they cut um the guy that he was competing with whose name John Parker Romo very good and he missed like his first two or three kicks and we were like oh here it comes and uh he's been Rock Solid he went to Cleveland he boomed a bunch through he he uh boom he hit what a 57 yarder in the preseason finale he did everything so perfectly well that you know it's coming he's gonna miss a kick he's gonna miss a big kick but you know that's to be expected I I would think that this guy has the um first of all he looks like he about five years old and uh but they all tend to look that way now Joe yeah uh but you know he's he's so um you know you know coming from where he you know Georgia where or Alabama Alabama yep yeah Alabama where he came from you know so you're groom for Big Time football you're I don't think a few misses are gonna you know are gonna derail him but if you think about uh Kevin oconnell has made it he made it uh 35 games into his Vikings career has never had never experienced what all of you people have experienced okay now who's jinxing him good god of the missed kick at the end of the games you know even even know 2022 um nobody missed more kicks than Greg Joseph but Greg Joseph was two time NFC player special teams player of the week he had that 61 y to beat the the Giants um five for five I think in London he never missed like a you know like something that was damaging at the end of a game so it's all about the factor Mark I mean look at Zimmer's gone and Zimmer had the quick trigger with Carlson and and can you imagine missing kicks for zimon if you you you'd want to go in and what do you want you want to go hide in the corner of the weight room that's thing is a nice guy that's the thing about Zimmer cutting him the the day after that Green Bay game there there is if people who say now that they wouldn't have cut him um there isn't a person in the world in Minnesota that would not have cut him that day and granted you know the fans are should should not you know it should be someone a little more levelheaded but um I don't know that Carlson would have ever gotten straight here in Minnesota but yeah I guess go you know the his preas this guy's preseason uh where he came from the fact they invested a draft pick in him there's a lot like there you know he's going to miss a kick and let's see what he does when he misses a kick yeah see what when the pressure ramps up but uh you know it's it's it's good the guy who was on the kind of hot seat was Ryan Wright and he he uh he had a little uh they they they brought in a punter to to to push him a little bit but he's he's back and that's good so we can you know use him to tackle on punt returns because he's he's a big dude probably not very fast um and also you know he could be the quarterback he's that's right quarterback number four um yeah he had a fantastic rookie season had a bad second season um so he's Pro you know he's somewhere in between but he's you know I think he has the ability to be more like he was his rookie year than he than last year okay let's just uh you know I look at a few of the names that that did get cut like Dwayne McBride uh Neil Justin Hall scored a touchdown in the final game final preseason game you got uh uh Mohammad Ibraham uh former gopher uh and uh and you certainly got louisine and and uh uh noonga who you mentioned earlier do any of these guys make it back on the practice squad do you see any of that happen yeah quite a few of them you know guys will be back on the practice think that that should happen today which probably happening while we're taping this so we don't have those names but yeah I mean there's a 24hour waver period and then they can so you know at some point later this afternoon they you'll see guys you know being brought back and most of them will be guys uh that were with them you know it'll be some obviously be some guys there might be some guys that they like that end up on their 53 that are new faces that we'll be talking about next week um but I'd say most of the practice squad are going to be the Tyrese Robinson's uh Dwayne McBride's know what do you think Mark what do you think the Vikings are out there uh looking on the waiver wire for if anything at this point yeah uh sou do a running back yeah again this this could be dated pretty quickly but you know I think that there's something going on there um I would I would I would always have like like Zimmer said when you know how many corn many corners do you need just one more I would be looking for Corners I would be looking for uh you know if there's a corner out there that's better than a Caleb Evans he's in here and I and I'm and I'm sending C Caleb Evans down the road you know just I think you need um you can't just be say well you know Stefon Gilmore's and all he did this five years ago sh Griffin was a pro bowler in Seattle five years ago you know these are that are getting along and I think you're going to need to be paying attention to that position throughout the year probably that's good point did anybody uh any Cuts around the league uh catch your eye not necessarily in terms of uh Viking perspective Vikings but has anything surprised you if you saw some Cuts made around yeah I have not had time to really look around the league and everything I'm sort of neck deep in finishing my Zim story and uh but yeah focusing on the Vikings and so but uh I don't know that there is is anything caught your eye I'll ask you I'll be um you know you see these breaking news things about some guys and but there none of them were were names that were huge that I thought God he's gonna go or he's gonna get picked up uh um I did wasn't Daniel Carlson a while back not Daniel Carlson Daniel Jones cut by the Giants then he got picked back up or something what what's the story with him I thought that was maybe I was just erroneous and I saw it but I thought well check into that one yeah um I would find that hard to believe but maybe that's what someone was messing on H on Twitter something I miss that well how about this uh what's your outlook for the team this year do you I didn't even ask you if you think that the defensive unit is improved uh from last year but what you know the Vikings uh have a tough schedule coming up how do how do you think they're going to going to do this year I suppose we can wait till next week to do this but I I'd like to hear now what you think because I got a bad I mean I I we gotta pick a pick a record for the uh for the paper here coming up soon for the next week but so I haven't settled on exactly so I'm not GNA like commit to a record right now okay but I will say that I am uh highly skeptical on them having you know a play off season I just you know I'm not saying it couldn't have Jeff diamond and I have talked about it and um I think he's I think he wrote for I believe Vikings territory or probably Vikings territory that they were going to win they were gonna go nine and eight and I told him I said you know that's because he was saying that some people think he's crazy and I'm like I I don't think you're crazy I I I it wouldn't surprise me but I I certainly don't I don't see it going that way I would like I can't look at Sam darnold I used to say sam darnold and then JJ McCarthy whether he plays or not because he's a rookie he'd have to learn learn you know while he's playing but certainly now you know like I was feeling better about JJ McCarthy kind of taken off than I am with Sam darnold just because I think the ceiling with JJ felt bigger and the ceiling for darnal just kind of feels like you know we've seen this before and it just hasn't worked anywhere yeah so I guess my my feeling is I would not be surprised to see him win nine games I'm more in the you know six to to eight range um you know just because primarily because of the quarterback you know I just without that you just you're just you're swimming up Upstream yeah it's it's it's kind of an important position well I got my annual bet with my cousin who we we uh we we throw out a number and one takes the higher or lower and since I lost last year I I'm I I threw out the number of nine and eight I think they're going to go nine and eight looking at the schedule and and uh he took the the he he went 10 and seven so um I like you like my chances but I I I you know I I guess I've called this this year several times the transition year and now with McCarthy out it really is and and uh we'll see where we end up next I think they'll have a lot more money and they'll be able to fortify with with some free agents and get a look at that so we we'll see but I I I think they're they're they're GNA try to compete and they're going to try to do as good as they can and I I I'm not sure that they'll make the playoffs but I think they will compete because that's the way Brian flor's makeup is and I I think the offense is going to be okay I think darnold's gonna surprise people you and unfortunately you know you you've called it a transition year unfortunately what McCarthy's injured does to me is makes this kind of a a weird year and next year is a transition year which yeah you should only be transitioning one year and now it's G to take you it could take two years of transition because you can tell you know he can learn all the stuff he wants in standing behind the Huddle and and uh watching film and sitting with uh you know Josh Macau and darnold and gonell you can do all of that stuff it's it's it helps but he's still got to go on the field and that's well didn't you see him he was lights out baby for hard got hurt yeah you just it just uh I and I it can't be proven but I I swear I think he would have he would have started week one if he' I I I was starting to to to agree with you until he went down did we ever have you ever heard what play he got injured on I mean that has never been I don't know how you can I mean you go back and look at the film and I don't see him ever coming up you know holding his knee and I've torn my Meniscus four times I've had surgery it freaking hurts I don't know the you know the adrenaline of your first NFL game and you know he probably didn't it didn't hit him until I you know he's at home later wow that's bizarre I know he ran twice I don't know out of B didn't he or of them he he Dove forward you know so his knees were out of it out of the action so I don't know it's it's weird I hope he doesn't have just a really weeny meniscus that can't take a a cut the human the human body I mean red farre can play for 20 years and play 300 and whatever whatever the record was you know into the into the 300s yeah was shoting playoffs and not miss a game and this this poor kid looks good doesn't go down and he's out for the year what are you gonna do Insane yeah well on that note we'll hang it up for this week we'll come back and we'll Force Mark to give us that prediction uh for the Vikings this season we'll preview the Giants game and we'll uh we'll take a look going forward I'm sure there'll be some changes this week to the roster but as it is right now this is what we got um I know I'm for one I'm excited we we'll get Mark Fired Up by the time come back here and I'm sure he'll be pumped up so anyway thanks Mark thanks Mike wam for producing thanks Joe Johnson and thanks everybody for tuning in we sure appreciate it uh come on back next week and we'll do it again and until then skull baby skull