Latest news with #IvanPaceJr
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Backup quarterbacks have rough start to Vikings training camp
The defense of the Minnesota Vikings was arguably the best unit at times during the 2024 NFL season. The team thrived on creating chaos for opposing quarterbacks, forcing turnovers, and getting to the quarterback. On Wednesday, during the first training camp practice of the year for the Vikings, the defense picked up where they left off. They proved their readiness for the new season during the first practice, scoring not one, but two defensive touchdowns. The first came on the first pass of the day when linebacker Ivan Pace Jr intercepted Sam Howell. That was followed up by a patented Gink 6 when Andrew Van Ginkel picked off a screen pass from Brett Rypien and returned it for a touchdown. Needless to say, it was a day to forget for the backup quarterbacks behind J.J. McCarthy. Thankfully, it was just one day in a month-and-a-half process that leads up to the new season for them to make fans forget. While Rypien is a veteran with the team and this defense is not new to him, Sam Howell has not been as exposed to it, so he will experience some growing pains. The point of it all is to make them better quarterbacks, and going up against a defense like that of the Vikings will certainly speed up that process.
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ahead of training camp, 46 thoughts on the Minnesota Vikings' defensive players
The Vikings players and coaches will be back on the grass in two weeks. Training camp is coming. Last week, as part of the preparations, we compiled 45 thoughts on the 45 offensive players. This week, we decided to take on the rest of the roster. Below are 46 thoughts on the defenders and special teams players with insights on the 53-man outlook. Note: These thoughts are ordered by player number. Advertisement Ivan Pace Jr., LB: He is the American football version of the Tasmanian Devil. A complete wrecking ball. Pace is a menace as a pass rusher; coverage remains a work in progress, to put it nicely. He'll be needed in 2025 for run-stopping. Isaiah Rodgers, CB: Maybe the most slept-on Vikings defender. He's athletic. He's tough. He has ball skills. Rodgers and Byron Murphy Jr. is an underrated cornerback tandem. The question with the room is the depth behind them. Mekhi Blackmon, CB: This is a massive training camp for him. Last year's torn ACL impeded his arc, and Blackmon's size will always make it more difficult. He's aware and tough. Never forget the 2023 game where he talked trash to fellow East Palo Alto native Davante Adams. Brian Asamoah II, LB: Special teams has become his sanctuary, and Asamoah has done commendable work off the field in growing his game. Can he beat out Kobe King, Austin Keys and Chaz Chambliss for backend spots? We'll find out. Byron Murphy Jr., CB: Last year, Murphy kept all six of his interceptions. The footballs cluttered in his locker. Replicate anything close to last year's level of production, and Minnesota will be in fine shape at corner. Dallas Turner, Edge: Is there a more interesting player on this list? Where defensive coordinator Brian Flores deploys Turner is one of the early storylines of the Vikings' season. Expect off-ball snaps, expect the unexpected. Will Reichard, K: Can he kick it? Yes. Reichard didn't miss the first seven weeks. A quad injury slowed his roll in Week 8. He'll be motivated to return to the initial form, you just may not hear a peep about it. Ryan Wright, P: It's now or never for Wright. This has never been about distance but, rather, accuracy. A team with as high of expectations as this one cannot afford to lose games in this phase. Advertisement Reddy Steward, CB: Steward hails from Alabama, so you know there's something here. The former Troy State standout will have to fight to make the 53-man. Jeff Okudah, CB: Is Okudah perfect? No, not at all. Can he stay healthy? We'll see. If he does, can he contribute meaningfully? The Vikings believe he can, and many of the team's offensive talents who matched up against him this spring would agree. Harrison Smith, S: Legend. Ambry Thomas, CB: He's a former third-round pick, which was not something I knew before writing this. Thomas is only 25 years old, still young enough to keep eyes on. Jay Ward, S: Ward impressed in the offseason program with Josh Metellus not fully participating. He's a key cog for depth at safety. Kahlef Hailassie, CB: Steward, Thomas and Hailassie all reside in the same category. Training camp will give them the chance to break from the pack. Theo Jackson, S: Behind the scenes, all of the Vikings coaches and players believed him to be a starter. Now's the time. Jackson will be an every-down player in Flores' defense and deservedly so. Dwight McGlothern, CB: Nothing will be given to the undrafted corner who shined last fall. Training camp will provide him another chance to take a roster spot. Zemaiah Vaughn, CB: This spring, he looked like a guy who could make a roster. He's tall and slim, but that has never stopped Flores before. Landing on the practice squad may be most likely, but he's one to watch. Keenan Garber, CB: Garber, who played his college ball at Kansas State, has only been a cornerback for two seasons. He has a mountain to climb. Tavierre Thomas, S: Minnesota targeted Thomas for his abilities as a gunner. It's not a sexy spot, but it is an important one. Mishael Powell, S: Perennially overlooked, Powell is a former Washington walk-on who became a key contributor last year for Miami. His arc wouldn't have happened if not for some special traits under the hood. We'll be monitoring his progress. Advertisement Kobe King, LB: He looks the part. King can be a battering ram on special teams in the short term. Whether he's capable of more may depend on the mind. Andrew DePaola, LS: His bagel shop in Maryland is still thriving. He's been an All-Pro twice in the last three seasons. A phenomenal time to be a DePaola. Andrew Van Ginkel, Edge: He may intercept these words and take them to the house. We'll see. He is a magician masquerading as a 'Game of Thrones' character. The look may fool opponents, but it won't fool us. Josh Metellus, S: Metellus observed Cam Bynum's contract situation last year. Bynum bet on himself, reached the open market and got paid. Metellus could mirror that approach, but it comes with no guarantees. Max Tooley, LB: Sporting a mustache and a mullet, Tooley at least has the look. Levi Drake Rodriguez, DL: It's tempting to say something fun about Rodriguez, but the glut of defensive linemen leaves no room to be lighthearted. He'll be in the thick of a serious competition this fall. Blake Cashman, LB: Did Cashman receive enough credit for his role in what the Vikings accomplished last season? Probably not. He was exceptional in every defensive phase and he was healthy more often than not. Duplicate both, and Minnesota will be in good shape. Dorian Mausi, LB: There might not be a more competitive position group in training camp than off-ball linebacker. Mausi will push King, who will push Pace and so on. Bo Richter, Edge: The vying for roster spots continues at edge rusher. Can Richter maintain his role? Will Chaz Chambliss challenge him? What about Tyler Batty? We're in the weeds, but these margins matter. Eric Wilson, LB: Plucking Wilson from the Packers is one of the sneakier Vikings moves of the offseason. He's a trusty backup in the event of a Cashman injury. He's also a special-teams star. Welcome back, Mr. Wilson. .@EWIL23 nabbed it‼️ — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) June 13, 2025 Austin Keys, LB: Asamoah might see him in his rearview. Any emergence from Keys will complicate decisions. Chaz Chambliss, Edge: He's the type of versatile edge rusher Flores seeks. Chambliss can rush and drop. He's played on special teams. A long shot to make the roster, but the odds aren't zero. Jonathan Greenard, Edge: Saw a video July 4 weekend of Greenard practicing pass-rush moves with a helmet. The NFL media apparatus still doesn't understand how special a talent he is. Advertisement Gabriel Murphy, Edge: Murphy played 35 defensive snaps last year. He didn't make a major impact, but athletically, he pops. It's just a matter of consistency. Jalen Redmond, DL: Redmond's already surpassed expectations, but what if he improves as a pass rusher? You don't find defensive linemen with a first step like his on the street. The Vikings did. Elijah Williams, DL: He was a dominant 6-foot-3, 270-pound edge rusher at Morgan State. His size and quickness earned him an opportunity. His vying for a roster spot would not be shocking. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DL: Had Ingram-Dawkins stayed at Georgia and developed, he could have become a first- or second-round pick. Instead, the Vikings snagged him. His participation will depend on how quickly he grasps things. Oscar Chapman, P: He was born in Adelaide, Australia, a beach town on the southern tip of the continent. Chapman is in for a rude awakening this winter. It'll be easier to navigate if he can press Wright for the punter job. Jonathan Harris, DL: A journeyman who was on the Vikings' practice squad last year. Jonathan Allen, DL: Meet him, and you'll understand why he's been as good as he has. There's no messing around. It's all business. Health-permitting, Allen will allow Flores' defense to evolve. #️⃣9️⃣3️⃣ @jonallen93_ — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 28, 2025 Taki Taimani, DL: An ankle injury torpedoed his progress in 2024. Is there a spot for him if the Vikings rejigger the types of bodies they want on their front? It's worth asking. Travis Bell, DL: Another dude born and raised in Alabama. Like Taimani, he is more in the nose tackle mode. Tyler Batty, Edge: There might not be an easier undrafted player to root for. Batty, who can play all along the defensive line, has a shot, too. Advertisement Harrison Phillips, DL: The Vikings extended Phillips last year. He's been as effective a run-stopper as there is in the NFL. The question is: With Allen and Javon Hargrave now in the fold, how much will he play and in what role? Javon Hargrave, DL: Men of his size shouldn't move like he does. It's like an illusion. How'd Hargrave go from there to there? Sometimes it doesn't have to make sense. Alexander Musch Williams, DL: He's 6-foot-7. At minimum, not a guy you'd want to mess with. (Top photo of Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard and Dallas Turner: Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)
