NFL analyst botches breakdown of Vikings training camp battles | Sporting News

The Minnesota Vikings are set to report to training camp on July 21st for rookies and July 23rd for veterans. Once they all report, the future of the franchise is set to truly begin. 

Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been and will continue to be the focus of the entire offseason. He is set to be the starting quarterback for hopefully the next 15-20 years but the process to get there will take time.

Even though McCarthy was selected at 10th overall, is there actually a training camp battle for the starting quarterback? CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin believes there is. 

Sam Darnold vs. J.J. McCarthy isn’t a battle

Darnold is widely expected to open 2024 as the shepherd of Kevin O’Connell’s offense, primarily due to his NFL experience. And maybe Minnesota’s weaponry will help him rejuvenate his own prospects. McCarthy is the future, though, and his play-action potential could convince O’Connell to speed up his entry.

Benjamin is coming at this from the perspective that the quarterback position is up for grabs because McCarthy was selected at 10th overall. The reality is there isn’t a competition. Darnold will be the starting quarterback in week one unless there is an unexpected trajectory for McCarthy.

The battle isn’t between McCarthy and Darnold but rather with McCarthy and himself. He will need to hit certain benchmarks in order to become the starting quarterback. The most likely scenario is to see McCarthy become the starter somewhere during the season.

Another aspect that hasn’t been discussed yet is McCarthy hasn’t signed his rookie contract at the time this was published. If he misses time in practice, that pushes things back.

Edge rusher isn’t a true battle

The other positional battle that Benjamin wrote about is at outside linebacker/edge rusher with Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard all coming into the fold.

After letting Danielle Hunter exit in free agency, Minnesota pounced on a trio of potential successors. Greenard has done the most at the NFL level, fresh off a solid run under DeMeco Ryans in Houston. Turner has the potential to be an instant all-star, however, working under coordinator Brian Flores.

The interesting part here is there isn’t really a competition. Base packages will be Greenard and Van Ginkel when he’s healthy with Turner getting plenty of play time. The Vikings use three edge rushers as much or more than any other team in the National Football League and they will likely use a lot of the same personnel packages this season with little changes to the defensive line.

Seven different positional battles will be worth keeping your eye on during training camp, but quarterback and edge rusher aren’t either of them.

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