The 2026 NFL training camps have kicked off around the league, and our team reporters are on the ground each day following all the action. The Minnesota Vikings' camp is taking place in Eagan, Minnesota, and Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert has the latest intel on standouts, highlights, position battles, depth chart movement, cut decisions and of course the quarterback room.
What follows is everything we are seeing and hearing at Vikings camp. We will update this file often. Who will win the starting quarterback battle between incumbent J.J. McCarthy and free agent addition Kyler Murray? Who are the breakout players to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?
Dive in to all the updates and be sure to check back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins Aug. 13.
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Saturday, Aug. 1
Quarterback Kyler Murray had by far his best day of training camp Saturday, pinpointing a series of downfield throws in traffic while taking the majority of the Vikings' first-team reps as his competition with J.J. McCarthy continues.
Murray was on the field for 16 of the first-team offense's 22 snaps in 11-on-11 team drills. McCarthy took the other six. Murray hit receiver Justin Jefferson on a deep dig route over the middle and he threw another perfectly placed pass on his next series that receiver Myles Price dropped. All three of Murray's passes to Jefferson were complete, and Price's drop was Murray's only incompletion among seven passes in team drills.
McCarthy did not find similar success while working mostly with the second team against the first-team defense. He threw one pass on the run that rookie linebacker Jake Golday tipped, and was intercepted by linebacker Blake Cashman. McCarthy's best throw of the day came during a stint with the first team, but tight end T.J. Hockenson was unable to come up with the ball in traffic in the end zone.
Full house of fans to see the Vikings on a warm and breezy Saturday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/WcbYmpvnrI
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) August 1, 2026
More observations from the day:
At one point Saturday, the Vikings had three rookies working in the same package on their first-team defense: defensive linemen Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange, along with Golday.
Cornerback James Pierre was not in uniform for Saturday's practice. Rookie running back Demond Claiborne was not seen in team drills.
Friday, July 31
Rain pushed the Vikings' third practice of training camp indoors Friday, and the condensed area left them working at close to a walkthrough pace. But their quarterback competition continued, and for the first time J.J. McCarthy (32) got more team snaps than Kyler Murray (26) during full-offense drills against either the scout team or the defense.
Receiver Justin Jefferson, asked what he has seen from quarterbacks this week, said: "Improvement." Jefferson later said he hopes McCarthy will benefit from the competition no matter how it turns out.
"Just obviously having somebody pretty much breathing down your neck and being pretty much being a replacement or a person that's taking that starting role," Jefferson said, "it's always going to be pressure. It's always going to be that competition feeling.
"So I hope it definitely betters J.J. because he's definitely a younger guy. To be coming off of last year with a difficult year and improving every single day as he is, that's definitely great to see him come out here with that mentality."
Other observations:
Rookie defensive lineman Caleb Banks, the No. 18 pick of the 2026 draft, opened camp working with the second team but on Friday worked almost exclusively with the first team alongside nose tackle Levi Drake Rodriguez and defensive end Jalen Redmond.
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw took his first veteran's rest day of camp Friday, part of the Vikings' plan to keep his left knee healthy following a season in which lingering soreness from an October 2024 injury limited him to 10 games.
Thursday, July 30
One of the Vikings' most important players offered up some excellent news Thursday after the team's second training camp practice.
"Feel the best I've felt in two years," left tackle Christian Darrisaw said, referring to the long road to a full recovery from multiple ligament tears in his left knee in October 2024.
Darrisaw returned from the injury in time to participate in training camp last summer, but he started only 10 games and left five of those early before the Vikings ended his season with two games remaining. He said Thursday that he turned the corner this offseason and has been "just feeling like myself truly" because he is not worried about the leg being stiff.
"It's just like night and day from how I came into the season and how I'm feeling now," Darrisaw said.
The Vikings are likely to give Darrisaw, 27, some regular rest during camp and practice week. But Darrisaw said he is on track to be a full-time player in games once again.
"That's the goal," he said. "Stay healthy and just go out there and dominate."
Other observation:
Perhaps the biggest takeaway Thursday from the competition between quarterbacks Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy is that Murray is more often pushing the ball downfield. He threw an accurate floater about 45 yards downfield to receiver Dontae Fleming, as well as a deep corner to receiver Justin Jefferson. He also missed tight end T.J. Hockenson down the right sideline.
Wednesday, July 29
On the first day of their training camp quarterback competition, the Vikings were true to their word: Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy rotated evenly during team drills. There were two sets of 11-on-11 drills Wednesday. Murray took the first eight snaps, four coming with the first team and four coming with the second team. McCarthy then took the next eight under the same parameters. The second set was cut short, leaving McCarthy with only four snaps.
That brought the Day 1 total to 16 total snaps for Murray and 12 for McCarthy.
McCarthy's best throw of the day came during 7-on-7 drills, when he threw a deep corner to receiver Myles Price. Murray overthrew Justin Jefferson on a deep pass down the left sidelines in 7-on-7 drills but had several productive connections with receiver Jordan Addison. McCarthy attempted an 11-on-11 pass over the middle to Jefferson, a big emphasis for him, but he was late with the throw and safety Jay Ward tipped it away.
Earlier in the day, McCarthy had said he believed "100%" that the competition would be fair.
Murray said he felt "great" after an uneven performance in OTAs and minicamp this spring. "Really helped me going through OTAs for sure," Murray said. "Obviously this time it's about to be real, but I truly believe that going through OTAs has prepared me for what's to come."
Best time of the year ☀️ pic.twitter.com/Pmi004yPez
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 29, 2026
More observations from the day:
Rookie defensive lineman Caleb Banks, who sat out spring practices as his broken left foot healed, said he has been fully cleared for camp. He worked into 11-on-11 drills with the second team but is expected to challenge soon for a starting job.
Linebacker Jamal Adams said he believes the "sky is the limit" for his playmaking skill set in defensive coordinator Brian Flores' system. But Adams also acknowledged the obvious. As a player who signed for the veteran's minimum, his first job is to ensure he makes the team.
Tuesday, July 28
A day before the Vikings' first training camp practice, coach Kevin O'Connell laid out some of the logistics for his plans to hold a quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy.
O'Connell said Murray and McCarthy will rotate between the first- and second-teams during the early part of camp. The split might not be 50-50 on any given day, O'Connell said, but there will be an effort to keep the reps even over time.
"I know we'll be thorough," O'Connell said. "I know both guys will feel like they've got an opportunity to compete."
O'Connell said he has a rough idea of when he would like to arrive at a decision and said he will balance the desire to be "comprehensive" and leaving enough time for the eventual winner to take control of the offense before the season begins.
"There's absolutely a date in mind and subject to what we think is best," he said. "If we feel like we can make the decision before that date, we will. If we feel like we need a little bit more time, we'll take it."
New general manager Nolan Teasley said he will be in position to provide "a different vantage point" but added: ulltimately you want to give your coaching staff that freedom to make that choice."