Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell will get two more looks at his team in preseason games and four total joint practices with the Titans and Cardinals in the next two weeks.
But several players got a chance to make their first in-game impression of 2023 on Thursday night in the Vikings’ 24-13 loss at Seattle.
Here are a few observations from that game.
Ed Ingram stands out but that isn't a good thing
O’Connell elected to sit the Vikings’ starting offensive line except for one player.
Ed Ingram, whom the team stuck with all of last season despite his struggles, was at his usual right guard position to open Thursday’s game. This served as a clear indication the Vikings want to see more from the 2022 second-round pick.
Unfortunately, Ingram didn’t do much to make a positive impression. He looked slow off the ball and his footwork didn’t appear to be improved.
It was one game and Ingram did not have Garrett Bradbury to his left and Brian O’Neill to is right. There has to be concern that if Ingram continues to struggle in pass protection it will take away from Kirk Cousins’ ability to operate the passing game or, worse, lead to another Cousins injury, like the rib issues he had for so much of last season.
Ingram had a pass-blocking grade of 44.4 last season, according to Pro Football Focus, placing him 66th out of 71 guards with at least 250 pass-blocking snaps. That has to improve.
The Vikings could decide to sign free agent Dalton Risner, the Broncos’ starting left guard for the past four seasons, and move him to right guard. Or they could allow Risner to continue at left guard and shift Ezra Cleveland from left to right guard.
Cleveland started nine games at right guard as a rookie in 2020 before being moved to the left side the following season. Cleveland is a better run blocker than he is in pass protection, but the fact Ingram played Thursday would indicate he is considered the weak link on the line.
Jordan Addison continues to look like the real deal
The Vikings’ social media team put out a draft-night clip of O’Connell seeming to grow impatient with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the Vikings’ general manager worked the phones with Minnesota on the clock with the 23rd pick in the first round.
Adofo-Mensah likely was listening to offers that O’Connell didn’t want him to hear. O’Connell knew whom he wanted: USC wide receiver Jordan Addison.
It’s becoming more clear by the day, why O’Connell had no interest in moving off the plan to draft Addison.
Addison missed most of the Vikings’ offseason practices because of an undisclosed injury, and he got into trouble just before training camp when he was cited for driving 140 miles per hour on I-94 in St. Paul
But since camp opened, Addison has shown an ability to run precise routes, catch nearly everything thrown his way and make impressive sideline catches. Addison was called for being out of bounds on a beautiful reception on a Nick Mullens pass in the first half Thursday, but it appeared he might have gotten both feet in. He ended up catching one pass for 22 yards on three targets.
When the Vikings severed ties with Adam Thielen after last season, they were looking for a wide receiver who would take attention off of superstar Justin Jefferson. It appears Addison has the tools to be that guy, and that’s great news for O’Connell and Cousins.
Ivan Pace Jr. has impressed but do we need to tone down the hype?
The fact Ivan Pace Jr. wasn’t selected in the draft surprised many, but the Vikings saw an opportunity and quickly signed him as a free agent. The linebacker received $236,000 in guarantees and a $20,000 signing bonus.
Pace has rewarded the Vikings’ faith in him in the early weeks of camp. He started to get first-team reps last week, usually in place of 2022 third-round pick Brian Asamoah II.
Pace is undersized at 5-foot-10, 231 pounds, but he was flying all over the field again on Thursday, blowing up run plays and hitting everything that moved. He finished with a team-leading six tackles.
Is that going to make Pace an opening-day starter?
That isn’t a given. Pace needs to show that he can’t be exposed in the passing game and defensive coordinator Brian Flores has to have complete confidence in the starter alongside veteran Jordan Hicks.
My money remains on Asamoah being the starter, but Pace is giving the Vikings something to think about and that’s what they wanted.
Vikings still not getting much production from top of the 2022 draft
Ingram was the second of the Vikings’ two second-round picks in the 2022 draft and the guys taken ahead of him aren’t exactly impressing.
Safety Lewis Cine saw extensive action on Thursday, playing into the second half, but he didn’t impress. Cine needs to lower his pad level and right now is well behind Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum and Josh Metellus on the depth chart.
Theo Jackson, a 2022 sixth-round pick of the Titans, was signed off Tennessee’s practice squad by the Vikings last year when Cine was injured. Jackson’s aggressive style has earned him some first-team reps and it appears he’s also moved ahead of Cine.
Ten picks after the Vikings took Cine with the 32nd selection of the first round, they picked cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. from Clemson. Booth fell out of the first round because of his injury history and his rookie season was cut short by a torn meniscus.
The concern about Booth goes beyond injuries. He has almost exclusively been with the second team at corner since training camp opened and again missed time recently because of an undisclosed injury.
Booth played on Thursday but didn’t get in until the second half and again was buried on the depth chart. Cornerbacks ahead of him include fellow 2022 draft pick Akayleb Evans (fourth round), Byron Murphy, Mekhi Blackmon and Joejuan Williams.
Booth didn’t help himself when he was beaten in man coverage on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Drew Lock to Jake Bobo late in the third quarter.
Cine and Booth are almost certain to make the 53-man roster, but Flores played no role in drafting them and was hired to fix a defense that was one of the worst in the NFL. That means it’s unlikely he will show much patience if there appears to be better solutions ahead of the Vikings’ top two picks from 2022.
