The Minnesota Vikings will be hosting the Tennessee Titans for two joint practices on Wednesday, August 16th and Thursday, August 17th before their preseason game on Saturday, August 19th.
Columnist Judd Zulgad wrote about how previous joint practices were and how they have changed over the last few years. We won’t be seeing massive brawls like we did in yesteryear with Brock Lesnar, but these practices are much more like a preseason game.
As we look forward, I looked at one thing to watch for from each offensive position. Here, I looked at each defensive position.
Defensive line: Who will step up?
The Vikings defensive line is in an interesting place. They have three entrenched starters in Dean Lowry, Harrison Phillips and Khyiris Tonga, but the depth that they have is interesting. Esezi Otomewo has been moved all around the line and Jonathan Bullard is as stalwart as they come. Can they secure roster spots? Will Jaquelin Roy practice and take a big step toward earning playing time as a rookie? This will give us a lot of information on how the defensive line room will shake out.
Outside linebacker: Where is Andre Carter's development?
Andre Carter II is a very unique player. He is really tall and long-standing at 6’6″ and has ample weight for an edge rusher, but he doesn’t have the strength yet to succeed. Now, that’s not all his fault, especially considering that he attended Army. Cadet training and strength training are incredibly different and counterintuitive to being a great football player. He has already shown strength deficiency in practice, but the quickness and bend around the edge is real. Can he show improvement after only practicing for a week and change?
Inside lineback: Can Ivan Pace Jr. keep up his blistering pace?
The star of training camp is linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. He has been great in practice along with putting in a great performance against the Seahawks. He has been good at just about everything, but consistency in coverage has been an issue. Can he show improvement in that area? How will he hold up in the areas he’s already thriving? Those questions will be worth watching.
Cornerback: Will Andrew Booth Jr. take a step forward?
The Vikings’ second-round pick from 2022, Andrew Booth Jr. had a decent game outside of one play where Jake Bobo cooked him on a slugo for a touchdown. Man coverage is the best spot for Booth, but his aggressiveness needs to be more under control. That, along with staying healthy, are the two things that he needs to fix. A standout performance against the likes of DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks will go a long way to helping him figure things out.
Safety: Where is Lewis Cine's development?
One player who really needed a good performance against the Seahawks was Lewis Cine. Having only played two defensive snaps in his rookie season, Cine showed struggles during training camp but a lot of his issues are fixable with reps. One of those is tackling. He does so too high and that dates back to his time at Georgia. If he figures that out, Cine could take things to a new level.
