3 Minnesota Vikings training camp battles to watch
By Randy Gurzi
1. Defensive Tackle
This offseason was nothing short of strange for the Minnesota Vikings when it came to the defensive tackle position. Needing to replace Linval Joseph, they signed Michael Pierce away from the Baltimore Ravens. However, Pierce ended up opting out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. Minnesota then called an audible and traded for P.J. Hall from the Las Vegas Raiders.
That was short-lived as Hall as he failed his physical and the trade was nullified. That put them back to square one but the good news is, there are players the coaching staff likes. In fact, defensive line coach Andre Patterson recently praised all the talent, saying they have several players capable of playing the nose as well as the 3-technique.
Right now, it looks as though Jaleel Johnson has the inside track on the nose tackle spot after starting three games while playing all 16 in 2019. He finished with 29 tackles and 3.5 sacks, and has shown continual progress every season since joining Minnesota out of Iowa in 2017.
Armon Watts, a sixth-round pick from Arkansas in 2019, is also in the mix but he seems to be on the outside looking in. Still, don’t be surprised to see him challenge Johnson as he too has been praised by Patterson.
Next. 3 Fantasy football storylines to watch in Minnesota. dark
At the 3-tech, the Vikings seem ready to go with Stephen Shamar again after he started 15 games in 2019. He will have competition mainly with Jalyn Holmes and Hercules Mata’afa. There could be others in the mix as neither position is set in stone, making this not only an important battle but a fun one to watch as well.