The Minnesota Vikings are about to enter a pivotal training camp. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are entering their third season at the helm for the Vikings and it’s getting close to make-or-break time.
They have their future quarterback in J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson locked in through the 2028 season. The important element here will focus on developing the roster for a major run in 2025.
McCarthy will get all of the focus during training camp, but there are potential breakout candidates throughout the roster. Here are six players to keep an eye on during training camp.
Minnesota Vikings potential training camp breakout candidates
RB Ty Chandler
Chandler earned his first real playing time last season and that time increased as the season went on. His best performance was against the Cincinnati Bengals in week 15 when he ran for 134 yards and a touchdown in a narrow loss to the Bengals.
What he did show was how explosive he can be in the running game, as both his 40-yard dash and 10-yard split are above the 97th percentile. He needs to sure up his pass blocking and become more consistent with his vision in zone concepts, but the team believes in him, as do his teammates.
WR Trishton Jackson
Jackson is an interesting player. At 26 years old, he hasn’t been able to take the next step forward outside of being a depth wide receiver. That could end up changing this year, as Jackson’s path to playing time has never been easier.
The competition ahead of him is Jalen Nailor, Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield among others. Now, Nailor can’t stay healthy, Powell doesn’t have ideal size and Sherfield is mainly a special teamer. Jackson has been with O’Connell since he entered the league out of Syracuse and the time in the offense could pay major dividends.
OG Michael Jurgens
A seventh-round pick being a breakout player? It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened but it would still be a major surprise. The one thing that leads us to have the discussion is general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s belief that he can be a future starter.
Now, those words from Adofo-Mensah don’t signal that he can be the starter right now, but Jurgens has the ability. Without a lot of depth on the interior and competition at both guard spots, watch Jurgens make some noise and earn a backup job with ease.
DT Jaquelin Roy
Roy’s presence on this list shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Going into the 2022 season, Roy was projected to be a first-round pick with Bleacher Report mocking him to the Vikings back in May of 2022. He fell to round five for multiple reasons and played sparingly for the Vikings as a rookie.
The defensive line is a massive question mark for the Vikings this year. Harrison Phillips is a quality player but major question marks everywhere else. Roy ranked fourth in pressure rate for interior defenders while at LSU. Drawing comparisons to former Viking Dalvin Tomlinson, Roy can step up and be not just a rotational player, but a constant on the defensive line.
ILB Brian Asamoah II
Will the light finally turn on for Asamoah? It’s certainly possible! It’s been a tough start to his career. He got injured during his rookie season but finished on a high note, including intercepting a Daniel Jones pass on Christmas Eve in 2022. Things didn’t go nearly as well in 2023 despite that momentum. Why? Coordinator change.
It’s not Brian Flores’ fault that Asamoah didn’t play as much, but it is about how Flores likes to play defense. You need to be a solid tackler and that’s not a strength for Asamoah. Now, with a year and a half in the system and being able to work on his skills, he can take a major step forward.
CB Khyree Jackson
The Vikings’ cornerback room is a loaded one. There isn’t any true high-end talent for the Vikings. There is a lot of good players with potential. The real question mark here is: who will step up?
Flores loves having press-man cornerbacks who can beat you up at the line of scrimmage with good length. That is exactly what Jackson is and he’s got more potential than a similar player the Vikings kept bringing back in Joejuan Williams. He didn’t play much in college and is already 25 years old but thrived when he did. He is what Flores wants in a cornerback and will likely be given opportunities to win a rotational role.
