Day 4 ~ TC ~ Aug 1 ~ "Back Together Weekend"

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/vocalvike/status/2083655888078827808

Hospital ball...good thing this was non contact otherwise Jefferson would still be picking up his hat.

It sounds like Golday is doing all the right things for prep and translating those things to the field. That's super exciting and with his versatility, that'll be incredibly important for his chances to see the field. Fun to hear him, Banks, and Big Citrus spending time with the first team.

Any insights on Jakobe Thomas?

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/alec_lewis/status/2083729471035596938

I knew this would be the case the second they drafted Bredeson. They got some plans for that kid.....

Good stuff from camp yesterday....keep learning and staying healthy.....lets keep moving toward that goal of sooner rather than later naming QB1 so he can rep it up man!

JustInTime wrote:

https://twitter.com/jasonharmonnfl/status/2083654416142328170

I don't like seeing JJM stuggling in 7 on 7s.....that should be cake if we're being honest. But I'm sure this is the day to day of camp. If K1 starts stacking days of strong football, I wonder how long it will take to name him the starter? Its probably going to be tempting for KOC.

Maybe the baby was up all night. 😉

Kyler Murray was the decisive winner of the Vikings' QB competition on Saturday.

Our full practice recap: https://t.co/24944XSP7T pic.twitter.com/Zr2D96XlW0

— Bring Me The Sports (@BMTNSports) August 1, 2026

Over the first two days of Vikings training camp, it was perhaps fair to give a slight edge to J.J. McCarthy in the team’s quarterback competition. He took what the defense gave him and stacked completions, while Kyler Murray had some predictable ups and downs as he continues to get acclimated in a new offense. Thursday wasn’t great for Murray.

That was not the case on Saturday. In the team’s third full-speed practice of camp (and fourth overall), Murray was the clear winner of the QB battle. He looked comfortable and played like a guy who has started almost 100 games in the NFL. McCarthy, meanwhile, looked quite a bit shakier than he did in the first couple days.

Let’s dive into everything I saw on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon at TCO Performance Center, with a full house of fans in attendance for the first time in this camp.

Murray’s sharp day

Murray’s very first dropback in 11-on-11 set the tone for what kind of day he would go on to have. With Jordan Addison running a clearout deep route up the right side, Murray waited and fired a perfect ball to Justin Jefferson, who was running a deep crosser into the space underneath Addison’s route. It’s the exact kind of play that has been a staple of Kevin O’Connell’s offense and Jefferson’s game.

Later in the opening period of 11s, Murray made another great anticipatory throw to Myles Price, who found a small window of space beyond the linebackers. Price couldn’t quite complete the catch.

The Vikings did their 7-on-7 work in the low red zone in this practice. After checking down to Aaron Jones on his first rep, Murray fired one over the middle for a touchdown to T.J. Hockenson. He nearly found Hockenson for another TD towards the right pylon, but the Vikings’ top tight end lost the ball in the process of trying to complete a lunging catch. Murray then progressed through his options and went underneath to Zavier Scott for a score.

Back in 11-on-11, Murray threw a slant to Jefferson in stride, then found his top receiver in open space again. Murray and Jefferson connected five times in this practice, by my count. Their rapport seems to be picking up already. As the cherry on top of Murray’s day, he ended with a nice intermediate throw up the seam to Tai Felton, who was covered tightly but was able to make the grab.

It’s still very early, of course. But this was the type of day where you could really see the upside with Murray in O’Connell’s offense, throwing to Jefferson and these other weapons.

McCarthy struggles

Murray played well enough on Saturday that he was going to be hard to “beat” if evaluating each day of the competition as its own mini battle. But McCarthy didn’t even make it close. This was his least effective day of the three so far.

McCarthy’s first throw was a checkdown that was tipped at the line and incomplete. He then sailed a ball that was intended for Jauan Jennings in tight coverage towards the left sideline. And to wrap up his first bundle of 11-on-11 reps, McCarthy had a pass tipped by rookie linebacker Jake Golday that was picked off by Blake Cashman.

In red zone 7s, McCarthy’s first attempt for Tai Felton was broken up by Charles Demmings. On the next one, he held onto the ball for a long time before rolling out and throwing to nobody. McCarthy did connect with Gavin Bartholomew and Dillon Bell for touchdowns, sandwiched around a high throw for Felton in the back of the end zone.

The third-year quarterback just didn’t seem to find much of a rhythm throughout the day. He was indecisive at times. He threw maybe a smidge late towards Felton on an out-breaking route in 11s, allowing Zemaiah Vaughn to get there for the pass breakup. He floated one that was just a bit late for Hockenson, again allowing a defender to make the play.

To McCarthy’s credit, he stayed the course and had his two best throws of the day towards the end of practice, both of which went for chunk gains to Jeshaun Jones. It’s also worth noting that he spent most of his time with the second-team offense (which sometimes means going against the first-team defense), whereas Murray spent more time with the offensive starters.

Still, McCarthy will need to bounce back quickly to have a shot in this competition. By my count, he was 8 for 16 with an interception, and two of those completions were screen passes. Meanwhile, Murray went 14 for 17 with two borderline drops among the three incompletions.

Defensive rookies impress

Outside of Murray and Jefferson, a couple of the players who most caught my eye on Saturday were a pair of Vikings rookie defenders, Golday and Demmings.

Golday, Minnesota’s second-round pick, saw some time at outside linebacker in addition to play on the inside, which is notable. He was playing OLB when he made an Andrew Van Ginkel-like play to drop into space and get his hand on a McCarthy pass that Cashman then intercepted. Golday looks like he’s going to be a perfect fit in Brian Flores’ defense.

Demmings, rocking some bright green cleats, also flashed. He got a rep against Jefferson in red zone 7-on-7 action and held his own, preventing Jefferson from gaining any separation. He may or may not have committed some illegal contact on one of Jefferson’s arms, but it went uncalled by the referee crew. Later in that period, Demmings had a textbook coverage rep against Felton for a pass breakup. His size, athleticism, and fearless confidence give him a lot of upside for a fifth-round pick from the FCS level.

Two other rookie defenders, Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange, mixed in with the starters on the defensive line. Add in Jakobe Thomas, the third-round safety, and this could be quite the group of rookies on the same side of the ball.

Other notes

• I didn’t see cornerback James Pierre or rookie running back Demond Claiborne at all during team drills. Zavier Scott got a lot of work as RB3 behind Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. The run game was a clear focus all day.

• Carson Wentz got some work and hit Gavin Bartholomew for a touchdown in red zone 7-on-7 action.

• Max Brosmer also got some work and looked in over his head on a pair of reps. He threw a ball directly to Josh Metellus, who couldn’t secure the pick.

The Vikings will be off Sunday. On Monday, the pads come on for the first time.

JustInTime wrote:

Maybe the baby was up all night. 😉

....a little bit of it was probably JJ with the #2s going against the #1 D. Who knows, too much being made about it all already daily. But, tik tok......decision time is coming soon.

StickierBuns wrote:

....a little bit of it was probably JJ with the #2s going against the #1 D. Who knows, too much being made about it all already daily. But, tik tok......decision time is coming soon.

Could have been a myriad of things at play 🤷‍♂️. Monday is another day. Does seem like Murray is getting more snaps with the 1s. The sooner this is decided the better.

Day 1 with fans in the stands.

Let's listen in. pic.twitter.com/f3Vk1hH9sw

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 2, 2026

Best WR in football ✅

Best laugh in football ✅@JJettas2

📺: https://t.co/EAv6jX6sFT pic.twitter.com/z0sidaoKPh

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 2, 2026

Justin Jefferson Mic'd Up During 2026 Minnesota Vikings Training Camp