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The annual night practice of Vikings Training Camp was held Sunday, providing an enthusiastic introduction to Minnesota's first week of the preseason, which will culminate at noon (CT) Saturday when the Vikings visit the Giants for both teams' first preseason game of 2026.

Players are off today and will return to action Tuesday, the first of three days of practices, before flying to the New York area Friday.

That also means that an unofficial (you can bold that word, underline or highlight it, or do all three) depth chart is likely to be unveiled this week ahead of the preseason opener (if history holds true). Be on the lookout for that, and make sure to tune in for Saturday's game, which will air in the Twin Cities market on KMSP FOX 9.

Because of the timing of the night practice and the perpetual camp to-do list, this Mailbag will be a little shorter than most.

Training camp is on, and everyone's spirits and expectations are high across the league. Players, coaches and the NFL fanbases are all excited. This was how I felt last August. Then a number of injuries and re-injuries to the O-line had me asking my brother if a team has ever drafted all offensive linemen in a draft before. I know some fans want to blame all struggles on QB and injuries there, which was part of it, but a protected QB in an O'Connell offense will burn any defense in the league with Jets and Jordan Addison on the field. We saw Sam Darnold crumble under exotic pressures against the Lions and Rams (twice each), and we've seen the same for his multiple replacements. I honestly think the 2026 Vikings will go as far as their O-line takes them. Based on camp so far, is there a position or group we should be more worried about or keyed into? How has Blake Brandel looked at center? Chances of getting any other veteran depth at center or guard before the season starts? Cheers to Brian O'Neill and his new contract. I hope our trenchmen stay happy and healthy throughout the season. Skol!

— Jacob S. in Minneapolis

The lack of continuity at QB in the 2023 and 2025 seasons has been a big talker, especially when compared to the results the team put together in 2022 and 2024 when the starter was able to go the full season.

But the B-topic that provides context and nuance that many on social media and/or TV do not have time for was just how rough a go the o-line had in 2025, which counteracted the Vikings best-laid plans for a second-year QB coming off missing his rookie season with a knee injury.

There were just 83 snaps played together by the intended starting five of Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries and O'Neill, and there were 26 combinations across the five positions.

Kelly was a four-time Pro Bowler with the Colts who was brought in to lead the rebuilding of the interior of the line, a mission essentially declared by Head Coach Kevin O'Connell from the podium after Minnesota's Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams that was moved to Arizona.

Unfortunately, Kelly was only able to play at least 50 percent of the team's offensive snaps just five times. The Vikings turned to second-year pro Michael Jurgens and Brandel, who played the pivot for the first time ever but has built on those learning experiences this offseason. We'll have a feature on Brandel in the coming days.

The first-team offensive line of Darrisaw, Jackson, Brandel, Fries and O'Neill has looked good at redefining the line of scrimmage on multiple run plays.

We haven't seen Demond Claiborne highlights. Is he hurt? And what is going on with the punter battle?

— William W.

This email was received early last week. Claiborne had been limited slightly for part of camp, but by the end of last week, he was really starting to flash.

The most recent example is fresh after the sixth-round pick executed a tremendous jump cut and zipped through the line. Receiver Marcus Sanders, Jr., sealed cornerback Marcus Allen, a fellow undrafted rookie, and began jogging beyond Claiborne. The play popped for a 60-yard rushing touchdown for a team that is trying to add more explosive plays in the run game.

Friday's extended practice, the longest of camp to-date, offered the first extended looks at Vikings punters Johnny Hekker and Brett Thorson. Vikings.com's Rob Kleifield covered that part of practice in that day’s observations.

We also heard from Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels on Saturday. The convenient timing allowed for an update from Daniels.

I see Jamal Adams as a chess piece in Brian Flores' defense. He is a linebacker and a safety. He can play the way Harry the Hitman played. Can you imagine the opposing QB trying to get a read with Joshua Metellus and Adams on the field at the same time? This will be fun.

And…

How important is academic achievement in recruiting and drafting offensive lineman? Brian O'Neill — All-ACC Academic Team. Donovan Jackson — BS and strong family academics. Joe Huber — mechanical engineering. Walter Rouse — biomechanical engineer. Caleb Tiernan — four-time Academic All-Big Ten. Delby Lemieux — honor society at Dartmouth. I have left out many more academic-orientated offensive linemen vying for spots on our team. It really seems like we value brains and braun when recruiting offensive linemen.

— Gerald Goblirsch

Adams has quickly made an impression on teammates and coaches. We've posted a few stories during his short time so far, mentioning his involvement in Friday's session, as well as his thoughts on switching to No. 32 after opening camp in No. 54. The switch provides Minnesota the option of lining Adams up at safety or linebacker.

As news of the Adams signing broke, my immediate thought was the potential of adding some redundancy behind Metellus in the hybrid role, but there could be some times when both are on the field together. The latter noted how much he's enjoyed welcoming Adams as a teammate and confessed to watching Adams' early career highlights in the back of a lecture auditorium when he was a student at Michigan.

That offers a unique lead-in to the second question from Gerald, and a reminder that O'Connell and others have iterated the desire to find "smart, tough players who love the game of football."

There are certainly multiple types of intelligence, and it can require considerable bandwidth to handle the complexities of football.

Quarterbacks have the most on their plate of any position, but centers also have quite a bit they are tracking, depending on which player sets the protection. Some systems use code words to help quickly relay information; some play calls are quite verbose and run the risk of getting lost in translation.

Gerald pointed out numerous recognitions for offensive linemen, and they aren't nearly the only linemen on Minnesota's roster who have garnered academic awards and attended prestigious schools.

What a player can do on the field always will be the biggest part of the evaluation, but evaluators also can learn more about a player's study habits, and academic success in addition to the rigorous athletic requirements for players could be an indicator of good study habits.

Somewhat related, O'Connell was asked about rookie Max Bredeson's and highlighted the fullback's comprehension as a factor that has helped him open camp so strongly.

"Since he got here, obviously the mental approach, his ability to — I mean, there's different types of players, right? And there's very few that can sit in a meeting room, don't need walk-through reps, don't need a rep of it to then start applying their own high-level awareness that we know they have, but sometimes it takes a little time, depending on the position. He's already shown he can apply that," O'Connell said. "And then I think it's been great seeing the physical side of it because you just never know from a standpoint of the different types of runs we're doing. You guys have seen it. We're asking him to do a lot of different alignments and movements and things like that, and then he's still able. He's always been really good getting fit in space on blocks, but he's also been a really physical presence for us to help get runs started."

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See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.