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Do you have a comment or question? Send it to the Mailbag. Every Monday we'll post several comments and/or questions. Click here to submit a comment or question to Mailbag. Remember to include your name and town in the email. If Twitter / X is your jam, you can send a question to me that way as well. The Vikings preseason is up and running after a 13-10 win at the New York Giants Saturday. The first-team offense was limited to 10 snaps but offered a glimpse of Minnesota's revamped running game, as well as the first two passes thrown by Kyler Murray for the Purple, the team he grew up rooting for from Texas. Several others made their Minnesota and/or pro debuts, managing the emotions of the day. There are valuable reps and experiences gleaned from the first preseason contest, even if the art appeared more abstract than representational. Minnesota now enters one of its most important weeks of training camp. After having Sunday off, players will return to action today for practice before participating in meetings and a walk-through Tuesday to prepare for hosting the Baltimore Ravens in highly valued joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. The teams will meet again at noon (CT) Saturday for their second preseason game. Let's get to some questions. View game action photos from the Vikings preseason game vs. the Giants at MetLife Stadium. They finally got to hit someone in a different shirt, which means I finally get to complain again! The starting units both looked great. Nice opening drive resulting in points by the offense, and the defense forced a punt. The second units weren't as productive. The defense gave up a third-and-23, and the offense went backward. Penalties and dropped passes overshadowed an otherwise acceptable performance from J.J. McCarthy. Also very difficult to hear about Jamal Adams. Great player, horrible injury history. I was really excited to see how he could be used in a Brian Flores' defense. I hope he can recover and resume his career. Lastly, some things never change. First drive, pick up a first down. Lollygag, Lollygag, Lollygag. Allow the other team time to challenge. This has been a recurring theme throughout the Kevin O'Connell era, and seeing it again on the first drive of preseason isn't inspiring. No more delays or timeouts after big plays. Hurry up and get a play off if the opportunity for a challenge exists. That's a coaching issue. — Roman B., Ready for real football in Grand Forks, North Dakota I like to use the saying, "Everybody needs the preseason." That includes coaches, players and staff to get things fired up after a long gap between game days. There should almost always be things to clean up after preseason games. The good thing is the exhibitions provide teaching and learning opportunities before the stakes are elevated in the regular season. Teams are not doing extensive game-planning, but rushing for 18 on the first snap of the preseason is positive reinforcement for a major point of emphasis. The Vikings were at midfield within three plays, setting up Murray's pass to Addison. I'm not sure the Vikings were as urgent as they might be with a third-down conversion catch that involved the receiver going to the turf, but new Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh tossed the challenge flag. For those of us who were returning from the game on a commercial flight that left Newark at 6:40, the review seemed to take quite a bit of time before the ruling was "the call stands." The drag of penalties in the second quarter also slowed the pace of play, but the game recovered to finish in 2 hours, 57 minutes. Our group made it with a little bit to spare. That situation will allow O'Connell, Murray and others to walk through protocols for if they need to hustle to the line. Most of the first-team defense played six or fewer snaps. The exceptions among players who opened the game were Tyrion Ingram Dawkins, who played 25, and Theo Jackson (16 snaps). Dallas Turner capped the group's first run with a sack of Jaxson Dart on a third-and-10. Jay Ward didn't start, but the versatile safety closed the first quarter with a crushing, legal hit of Dart for another sack. A false start penalty made third-and-18 into third-and-23, and Jameis Winston stepped in while Dart was being evaluated (he later briefly returned) and tossed the simple screen pass that Devin Singletary (and some angles by Vikings defenders that need improvement) turned into a gain of 40 to set up New York's lone touchdown, a 15-yarder from Dart to Malachi Fields two plays after the screen. Adams heartbreakingly suffered a knee injury that is believed to be substantial (the Vikings said Saturday he would undergo further examination). It was the former Jets first-round pick's 11th snap with Minnesota. Adams' role was expected to be quite versatile and impactful in Minnesota's defense. Hopefully the connections he's quickly made with the team will lift him up as he undergoes treatment. There are more QB-related questions below, so I'll wait to address that part of Roman's question. What we saw, neither Kyler Murray nor J.J. McCarthy really separated himself today. Murray had the nice 8-yard, third-down completion to Addison, but overall the passing game didn't show much explosiveness. The run game did more of the heavy lifting early. Minnesota still won 13–10. For J.J., I especially wanted to see him come out aggressive after losing the starting job. He got more of the first-half opportunity, but the offense struggled to sustain drives. It's only preseason Game 1, but I wanted to see more command and consistency from him. Kyler looked like the steadier QB, but I wouldn't say he looked like a guy who slammed the door on the competition based on this game alone. Hopefully we see both of them open it up more next week. SKOL! — Toby in Alaska Murray's day was limited to 10 snaps and just three pass attempts. The Vikings leaned on the results of the run game, with the rushing attack accounting for 44 of the 54 yards gained by the first group. Unfortunately, the drive stalled when Murray and Aaron Jones, Sr., were not in sync on a route that could have converted a third-and-4. Minnesota opted for a 35-yard field goal after driving to the New York 17. The assessment of the quarterbacks has been one of O'Connell's areas of focus, and a multitude of factors went into him naming Murray the starter last Tuesday. The experience gap (Murray has started 87 career regular-season games, Carson Wentz has started 99, McCarthy has started 10) is visible. McCarthy worked with Minnesota's second-team offense, and the group had a bust on its first snap, resulting in a "QB sweep" for a gain of 1. He was unable to drop one into the reach of Jeshaun Jones on a third-and-3, ending the first series. The second series was showing promise, highlighted by a 17-yard pass to Myles Price on a first-and-10 that advanced the ball to the 41. A run was stuffed for a loss of 2 on the next snap, but an illegal contact penalty gave Minnesota a fresh set of downs at the 39. Rookie Caleb Tiernan was flagged for holding and a false start, creating a first-and-25. On second-and-20, a back-shoulder throw looked like it was well placed, but Tai Felton was unable to secure the catch. McCarthy's final sequence of the day began at the Minnesota 8-yard line after a special teams penalty nullified a 12-yard punt return by Felton. An illegal shift penalty on third-and-1 made it third-and-6 and was followed by a sack of McCarthy. Because of the weight O'Connell places on joint practices, starters might not be increasing their playing time Saturday. Ideally the Vikings and Ravens feel good about their productivity in the joint practices, but those sessions could also shape Saturday's lineups and playing time. So the Vikings have named Kyler Murray the starter before the first preseason game. Yawn and big deal. NFL prognosticators are already talking doom and gloom, that J.J. could be gone before Week 1. Next thing you know, they'll be saying he's angry at being demoted … or the rumor mill will start questioning if [Justin Jefferson] is telling people to go back to calling him J.J. Lions and Packers and Bears, oh my! Hindsight being what it is, maybe the Vikings should have kept Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold, or 8-11 hot start Danny Dimes (Daniel Jones) last year, signing one of them to an extension, and have J.J. sit for a year or two to learn and mature, especially after the crucible rookie year of going down for the season in his first preseason game (I mean, he didn't even have time to sweat in that jersey). But knowing the Vikings karma, both Darnold or Jones would have gone down with injury before either could make a statement last year. Which brings us back to Kyler. Hopefully the flashes he's shown over the years are the real deal and the hot rod was just stuck in a bad situation in the desert with a driver who only knows how to grind the gears, and that at Minnesota, he adds a dangerous new piece to the chessboard of what this offense can do. But none of that means that J.J. has to empty his locker and turn in his playbook. All it means is that he gets to be an active sponge. His first year, he was a hobbled sponge, and it showed up in his hesitation and mistakes last year. He didn't really knock the rust off until the final third of the season. So this year, he gets to be an active sponge behind Murray's dynamic play-making. We don't want him to be a mimic, because there's only one Kyler, and trying to force J.J. to be a clone will ruin those natural, inherent qualities that drew Vikings interest in the first place. And if Kyler turns out to be a THAAD missile left off the chain this year, then next year his market cap will probably price him out of our range anyway, and hopefully [General Manager Nolan] Teasley won't cut valuable players and resort to the old habits of mortgaging the future to keep him. Because too many teams are in this "win now" mentality and then it all falls flat. Last year's Vikings were that, spending big on free agent stars. Then the injury bug turned the o-line into a weekly game of musical chairs. The Rams are hyped up to be that dynamo this year, but I foresee they'll end up more like dominos. The Vikings should concentrate on being good for more than just "now". And right now, that's Kyler under center and J.J. as the sponge. Sincerely, — David A. (From the cool North Shore but baking in the South) It feels like the Darnold and Jones decisions are a cloud that is yet to break up. The other component of that situation was the Vikings opted to wait until right before the start of the season to bring in Wentz, who said he is much more comfortable in the system now. Wentz's talent and range of experiences in the NFL have been helpful in raising the level of the quarterbacks room. The Vikings obviously assessed Murray from afar and have projections of what adding him to the offense will look like for the rest of the team. He seems excited to embrace the newness from the smallest details of game day to what will be his first opportunity to play in front of the home crowd. I should also note the showing by purple-clad fans at New York was another reinforcement of the way Vikings fans attend road games. O'Connell frequently says he wants to help players become the "best version" of themselves through development that is supported by environment. Skol y'all! Can't say I was shocked when Kyler Murray was named QB1. I'm somewhat surprised the news came before the preseason. The overall QB situation raises some questions. 1. Is McCarthy officially QB2, or could there be a battle between him and Carson Wentz? Since Wentz was injured, it seems he's been treated like a non-factor. That may be a major motivating factor. 2. Does Kyler Murray being on a one-year deal play better into Minnesota's hands with a decent QB class coming up in the 2027 draft class? If the Vikings QB room doesn't exactly strike fear in the hearts of defenses, then let him go and maybe pass on J.J.'s fifth-year option. BONUS! Baker Mayfield could also be in play. And last but truly not least! HARRISON SMITH!!! JUST ONE MORE SEASON!!!!!! I enjoy seeing 22 in the secondary just as I did when Paul Krause came over from Washington. — Jason G. in Gallipolis, Ohio O'Connell described Murray, McCarthy, Wentz and Max Brosmer as being at different points on their QB journey. McCarthy and Brosmer need more development than Murray or Wentz, but every QB is still trying to improve on one thing or another. The previous question mentioning Darnold and Daniel Jones creates an interesting backdrop for Minnesota, but what happens this season with Murray at the helm could become quite important in decisions next offseason (and his market value). The status in the rest of the room, as well as Minnesota's projection of the draft class could also impact decisions. View pregame photos ahead of the Vikings vs. Giants preseason matchup at MetLife Stadium. You have to be impressed about what the Vikings have done and where they're at since the end of last season. They had an excellent draft thanks to their coaching staff, their scouting staff, and especially Rob Brzezinski. They picked up some gems throughout the draft. I can count at least seven who were drafted that will have a lasting impact on this team going forward. They fit into what the Vikings are tying to do both on the offense and defense. Several will have an impact this year. Additionally; a lot of what happened wrong over the past two seasons had to do with cap limitations and an attempt to rebuild an older team into a different offense and defense. The Vikings also picked up some definite talent at quarterback, corner and corner/linebacker. Going to an outside zone running scheme should complement their line, two of their quarterbacks, and at least two of their running backs. The Vikes also have some pleasant surprises at wide receiver, and Gavin Bartholomew is also a very pleasant surprise, just as is the conditioning Jordan Mason put into his game. The only real question of this team in my mind is center-to-quarterback as they always handle the ball on offense. The center has to be able to make the snaps, make all the blocking reads, and give the defense "takes" when he gets ready to snap the ball. The same is true for the quarterback. If you look at really good quarterbacks over time, Aaron Rodgers in particular, he would often get the opposition to jump on a hard count. This is a really, really good roster. Baring injuries, I would peg them to win the NFC North division and make at least the second round of the playoffs. I would not be surprised to see them in the Super Bowl this year. — Bruce Malby Brzezinski's ability to build consensus among the personnel department and coaching staff resulted in an offseason (free agency and draft) that has created quite a buzz this month. The Vikings draft class still has plenty to learn and prove, but there are some early indications that multiple players will be able to make the most of opportunities in a quick manner. We've seen how important that can be for some teams who have surged to a Super Bowl in recent years. That may or may not be in the cards with the Vikings this year as the team competes in what is expected to be an incredibly difficult division. Mason has looked tremendous, adding a degree of shiftiness to his reputation as a physical tackle-shedder. At center, Blake Brandel is building off his immersion by fire in the role last year. He has a great understanding of what is required across each lineman on every play and is working hard on building chemistry with Murray, who could operate under center, in the shotgun and out of the pistol formation this year. In your opinion, what's bothersome about this current Vikings roster? — Ed Helinski in Auburn, New York The roster has some high-end talent at key positions, but Minnesota's depth is a question that remains to be answered at different spots. Most would say the Vikings are thin on experience at outside linebacker behind Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. One key component that can help with that is the way Flores can create pressure from multiple different parts of the field. I will mention OLB Bo Richter recorded a sack in Saturday's game while Jefferson was mic'd up with the broadcast team, and "Jets" screamed for joy toward the Air Force product. Ideally Minnesota's offensive line won't burn through 26 combinations of offensive linemen this season like it did in 2025, and the Vikings can have better continuity among a group that could play an important role in setting the tone. Dear Minnesota Vikings, My name is Zay. I'm from a small town in Iowa, and I'm a die-hard Vikings fan. I wanted to share a few free-agent players I think the team should consider adding before the 2026 season. I know the Vikings have to be careful with the salary cap, so I'm not suggesting huge contracts. I'm thinking about affordable one-year deals or veteran contracts that give the team good value. Here are a few players I think could be worth looking at: • Kyle Van Noy — He could provide veteran leadership and another experienced pass-rusher. • Jonnu Smith — Adding an experienced tight end could give the offense another reliable option. • Von Miller — A veteran pass-rusher on a short-term deal could provide valuable depth and experience. • Keenan Allen — If he is willing to take a reasonable deal, his route-running and experience could give the offense another reliable target. • Bobby Wagner — His experience and leadership could be valuable for a young defense. I'm not expecting the Vikings to sign everyone on this list. I just think a couple of affordable veteran additions could make the roster deeper and help the team compete for the NFC North. Thank you for taking the time to read a message from a passionate Vikings fan. I'll be supporting the team no matter what. SKOL! — Zay, Die-Hard Vikings Fan Appreciate such strong support. I've seen some online chatter from fans about the prospect of adding more experience to the roster, one way or another. Van Noy is two years removed from his first career Pro Bowl (with the Ravens), which was reached in his 11th pro season. His sacks total went from 12.5 in 2024 to 2.0 in 2025, but the 35-year-old has appeared in 173 games and 17 more postseason contests, including three consecutive Super Bowls with New England when Flores was with the Patriots. Smith, who turns 31 Saturday, has 141 regular-season games under his belt with 345 catches, 3,529 yards and 30 touchdowns. Miller, the MVP of Super Bowl 50 and seven-time Pro Bowler, recorded 9.0 sacks in 2025 with Washington, pushing his career total to 138.5. There is little doubt the 37-year-old would like to keep increasing that total. Allen, 34, has had an impressive career with six Pro Bowls in 13 NFL seasons, and he has had multiple major performances at the expense of the Vikings over the years. He has recorded 66 catches for 757 yards and four touchdowns in seven games against Minnesota. Wagner is 36 and a 10-time Pro Bowler who spent the past two seasons with Washington after beginning his career in Seattle in 2012 as a second-round pick. As mentioned, the Vikings roster has less established depth at outside linebacker than at other parts of the team. Minnesota feels good about its top three receivers with Jauan Jennings (although he only played four snaps Saturday) joining Jefferson and Addison. There's a similar strong sentiment at inside linebacker, led by Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson. 2026 Vikings Training Camp Vikings Training Camp will take place at the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center. Tickets are now available! View the Vikings 2026 Schedule. See future opponents for the Vikings. Buy single game tickets. Download the official Vikings App. See more about the 2028 NFL Draft in Minnesota.