EAGAN, Minn. — The vibes are great with the return of football.

At 3 p.m. (CT) Saturday Minnesota will host Houston to begin its exhibition schedule. The game will take place on the eve anniversary of J.J. McCarthy's NFL debut, when he galvanized the home crowd by passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns in a preseason victory against Las Vegas (Aug. 10, 2024).

McCarthy and his teammates have spent the past two-and-a-half weeks competing versus each other, so a little unfamiliarity – and the chance to play through the whistle – is meaningful in more ways than one.

Although there's heaps of intrigue defensively, we've settled on kicking off the 2025 preseason slate with a focus on the other side – since offense "sells tickets," right? Here are three storylines to keep in mind:

1. The arms after McCarthy

Each of Minnesota's four quarterbacks is on a different journey.

McCarthy is "fired up," he said, for Saturday. It will be his first live performance since the promise of a pair of pretty touchdowns was delayed by swelling in his knee and resulted in season-ending surgery.

The 22-year-old's return is reason No. 1 to watch Saturday. But as the unquestioned starter now, there's curiosity in the arms after him on the unofficial depth chart: Sam Howell, Brett Rypien and Max Brosmer.

Minnesota executed a trade for Howell, 24, with Seattle on the third day of the 2025 NFL Draft. In three seasons, including one as Washington's starter in 2023, he has clipped 62.6 percent of his attempts for 4,139 yards, 22 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He's also rushed 54 times for 300 yards and six scores.

Howell's grip on the offense might not be as far along, yet, as the two quarterbacks in the Vikings system last season (McCarthy and Rypien). This week, Head Coach Kevin O'Connell disclosed that what Howell has experienced in the past, from a schematic standpoint, is "really nothing close to what we run here.

"That's not taking away from anybody else's offense," O'Connell added. "Just different verbiage, different variations of how we want to try to move the football and what we ask the quarterback to do, and how we coach the position. So, in many ways, there's a lot of things that are just flat out new for Sam."

In practices, Howell's arm talent has popped. On numerous occasions, he's needled passes into tight spaces. O'Connell noted that he's pulled the trigger on middle-of-the-field throws with varying success.

"What I'm looking for is just consistency," the coach commented. "And as he's able to kind of log some more days and the installs slow down, which they should start doing now – we've been pretty heavy, purposefully, to try to get to this point in training camp and really allow our guys to play fast when we get to the games, the joint practices [next week] – I just want to see some consistency."

Rypien, 29, is well-versed in the offense, after joining the Vikings last August. He led the scout team in 2024 and has made 10 appearances and four starts across four pro seasons. He's cerebral and has the coaches' trust. O'Connell said, "I have no question that I think Brett Rypien will move the football team."

The local Gophers product Brosmer is the biggest unknown since he's an undrafted rookie. The 24-year-old has captured O'Connell's attention by absorbing the finer points and progressing physically.

"He had a great rep on a third down kind of 'compete' period the other day, where the pocket was collapsing and he sped up and was able to find a completion before they got home to get the sack, for a huge first down," O'Connell said. "So if that can translate to the games, he'll move the team as well.

"My expectation," concluded O'Connell, "is all three of those guys get a ton of repetition over the next three games, and we want to mix and match and see how that works out, and let those guys compete."

2. Battle at running back

Here's a breakdown of Minnesota's backfield:

Aaron Jones, Sr., re-signed to be RB1a. Jordan Mason joined the fun via trade to be RB1b. Behind that slashing, tackle-breaking tandem there's a full-blown competition between Ty Chandler and Zavier Scott.

Chandler was drafted in the fifth round by Minnesota in 2022 and is entering a contract year. His Vikings tenure has included highs and lows. Chandler has spelled starters magnificently – SEE: Week 2 against San Francisco last season when he romped for 82 yards on 10 carries off the bench, or when he started four games in 2023 and couldn't be tackled Week 15 that year at Cincinnati, rushing for 132 yards – but his traction in the running back room at times has slipped.

In the beginning of camp, O'Connell informed the media about Chandler's occasional miscue in pass protection and said as a play-caller he needs more consistency from Chandler to increase his comfort level.

"I think I'll feel like that about Ty before it's all said and done and I know I have before," O'Connell stated.

He offered a similarly upbeat tone this week in response to another Chandler-focused query.

"I think he's running the ball great. I think his vision, his sight lines, his discipline of his tracks has been fantastic," the coach said, adding he has noticed Chandler in the pass game too. "I think he's had one bust where he missed a strong safety pressure when I was going fast one time. And that was, you know, as I told Ty, 'That's your one right there.' At this point, there's grace, and there's kind of not making the same mistake twice. And then there's Ty really emphasizing that to himself, and it might come after he rips off a 25-yard run, and I'm so excited I just go no-huddle because of it – doesn't mean the defense is just gonna stand there. We gotta be ready to handle our responsibilities, and Ty is more than capable."

In addition to his offensive potential, Chandler is a candidate to field kickoffs and rip off chunks as a returner. His dependability in football's third phase means Scott must really shine to pave his own path.

Scott was cut by the Colts and signed to the Vikings practice squad a year ago. He's battling for a chance to make his NFL regular-season debut and could raise his case with great performances on offense and special teams. In college stints at UConn and Maine, Scott (6-foot-1, 219 pounds) played both receiver and running back.

His journey to the Vikings – and his unique marriage – was featured here by colleague Lindsey Young.

"I'm sure there's a lot of teams around the league that would love to have that 3-4 battle going on," O'Connell said regarding the backs. "It's showing up on a daily basis; guys [are] making a lot of plays."

Undrafted rookie Tre Stewart also is in line for preseason touches. He was one of eight FBS players with 20-plus TD on the ground last season, rushing for 1,638 yards and 25 touchdowns at Jacksonville State.

3. The next 'Johnny Mundt'?

Before the first practice of camp, O'Connell was lobbed a question that provoked the coach to smile.

Who's your Johnny Mundt?

The preseason will help define that answer, though it's a tall order to replace "the best No. 3 TE in the NFL." Minnesota has five players on its roster vying for that title – draft pick Gavin Bartholomew, UDFA rookies Bryson Nesbit and Ben Yurosek, and veteran free agent signings Giovanni Ricci and Nick Vannett.

An injury to Bartholomew, however, has currently trimmed the competition to four.

Asked about Yurosek recently, O'Connell was chockfull of compliments.

"I showed the team [a play from practice] the other day just to highlight Ben going against Dallas [Turner], who's having a really good camp on the edge," O'Connell recalled. "We ran a wide zone. It's the toughest block in football in many circumstances, when the Y tight end in-line is trying to block a pretty significant force on the edge – setting the edge, that's their job. And it was a heck of a battle. And it just kind of showed, you know, Ben threw his hands, he threw his hat in the right location, footwork, technique, fundamentals matched with play style, and it was a true pro NFL rep by both those guys."

Beyond his blocking skill, O'Connell referenced Yurosek's ability to use his length and go up and collect passes "off the top of the rim." He was a productive player, in different aspects, at Stanford and Georgia. In three seasons with the Cardinal, he collected 108 passes for 1,342 yards and five TD. With the Bulldogs, Yurosek was featured more as a blocker. His multifaceted skills make him an appealing option.

"Between drafting Gavin and getting Ben to come here, we really felt like we had two draft picks," O'Connell shared. "That's probably not what Ben wants to hear, with the difference in signing bonuses and things like that, but that's not going to keep him from having a very clearcut path to make our team. He's one of the guys I'm really looking forward to hitting the grass in these preseason games."

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