The Vikings’ preseason opener against the Giants will matter most to the players trying to earn a job. That was the focus of this look at five Vikings who need big performances.
This is the other side of the equation.
The Vikings need certain players to show their skills because the team has a genuine need at their position, has invested significant draft capital in their development or is counting on them to replace a departed veteran. Saturday is not only an audition for a roster spot. It is an early test of whether Minnesota has answers where it needs them most.
A strong performance will not settle every question. But if a rookie defensive tackle looks ready for NFL strength, an inexperienced reserve edge defender creates pressure or a young safety shows he can communicate and tackle in space, the Vikings can feel better about the plan they have built. If those players struggle, the front office may have to keep searching.
These are the five Vikings, in alphabetical order, the team needs to see step up on Saturday..
Blake Brandel
Center Brandel is set to take over from retired veteran Ryan Kelly, who spent just one year in the Twin Cities, but more than a decade as a center. And that’s the problem: Brandel doesn’t have that experience as a long-time tackle and guard. He was thrust into action last year when Kelly missed time. Brandel is a trusted blocker, but the key aspect of his new position remains a struggle and that’s snapping the ball.
That same issue regularly popped up throughout training camp and in his time at center in 2025. One thing is clear: Snapping the ball is non-negotiable. It happens on every play, over 1,000 times next season, and there can’t be any concerns about it.
Brandel needs clean exchanges in the preseason, as it’ll be the best test the Vikings get. A couple of botched snaps and the Vikings might have to scan the market for an alternative.
Tai Felton
Receiver Felton cost the Vikings a third-round pick last year. Though he was a valuable contributor on special teams, providing some value on offense should be a given for a player picked 102nd overall. Yet, in his first season, he caught only three passes in the crowded receiver room. The QB crisis didn’t help either.
Year 2 could be a breakout season, especially after reporters and fans in attendance at training camp practices have raved about the sophomore. Like all players, however, he needs to prove it in a real game.
The Vikings need Felton to turn that camp momentum into dependable production because their receiver depth becomes thin quickly behind Jefferson, Addison and Jennings. Jefferson is unlikely to play much, if at all, on Saturday, while Addison and Jennings have little to prove in August. That leaves Felton with a chance to show he can be more than a special-teams contributor and become a legitimate next-man-up option if Minnesota loses a starter or needs another speed threat in its offense.
A strong performance against the Giants would not only help Felton separate from Myles Price, Jeshaun Jones and Dontae Fleming. It would give the Vikings more confidence that their 2025 third-round investment can fill an important role now, rather than forcing them to search for more receiving depth later.
Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
When the Vikings traded Jonathan Greenard, they opened more than a starting job for Dallas Turner. They also created a need for someone else to handle meaningful snaps on the edge.
Ingram-Dawkins may be that player. Minnesota drafted him in the fifth round last year as a defensive tackle, and he spent his rookie season doing much of his work inside. He played 250 defensive snaps. This offseason, however, Ingram-Dawkins has prepared for a larger and more flexible role, spending time at outside linebacker while retaining the ability to move inside.
That versatility is valuable in Brian Flores’ defense. The Vikings do not necessarily need Ingram-Dawkins to become a traditional edge rusher who wins every snap with speed around the corner. They need another capable defender who can spell Turner or Andrew Van Ginkel, hold up against the run, rush from different alignments and allow Flores to keep changing the picture for opposing offenses.
Flores said Ingram-Dawkins is “much more comfortable” entering his second training camp and knows his strengths. Saturday offers Ingram-Dawkins a chance to show what that comfort looks like against another team.
If he consistently creates pressure, plays with discipline on the edge and looks capable of handling the physical demands of the position, the Vikings can feel better about their internal plan after Greenard’s exit. If not, the need for another veteran pass rusher will become much harder to ignore.
J.J. McCarthy
The Vikings named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback this week. That does not make J.J. McCarthy irrelevant. It makes the preseason more important.
McCarthy remains a 23-year-old former first-round pick, the player Minnesota once expected to become its franchise quarterback. He is now the backup, which means he has two responsibilities at once: he has to be prepared if Murray misses time, and he has to continue showing the organization that his long-term outlook has not changed.
The Vikings need to see progress in the areas that decided the competition. McCarthy must play on time, make accurate decisions, avoid turnovers and show that the mechanical and situational work he emphasized throughout camp is becoming natural. He should receive far more preseason snaps than Murray, giving Minnesota a meaningful chance to evaluate him against an opponent that is not already familiar with the offense.
After being named QB2, McCarthy said he remains confident in his future and called the setback “a speed bump.” The Vikings can agree with that belief only if his play keeps moving forward.
Saturday will not determine whether McCarthy becomes Minnesota’s eventual starter. But a poised, efficient performance would give the team something it badly needs: confidence that its most important young investment is still developing in the right direction, even if his timetable has changed.
It would also preserve the organization’s flexibility. There is no indication that the Vikings want to trade McCarthy, and they should value having decent depth behind Murray. Still, a former first-round pick on a manageable contract becomes a more valuable asset when he shows meaningful progress in real game action. The better McCarthy plays, the more options Minnesota retains, whether he eventually becomes its starter, an important backup or a player other teams value highly.
Demond Claiborne
The Vikings are set at running back for 2026. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason form a strong top duo, but neither is signed beyond this season.
That makes the evaluation of rookie Demond Claiborne more important than a typical sixth-round running back’s first preseason game.
Claiborne gives Minnesota an element the rest of the room does not quite possess. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash before the draft, and his acceleration has already flashed in training camp. But practice cannot establish whether his speed will translate when defenders are allowed to tackle, when the blocking is less predictable and when a missed read can end a drive.
The Vikings need to find out whether Claiborne is more than an exciting athlete. Can he execute the run scheme, catch reliably, protect the quarterback and make the correct decision as a returner? Those details will determine whether the big-play speed is usable on Sundays.
If Claiborne looks like the real deal against the Giants, Minnesota will have more than a developmental back. It will have a potential long-term answer at a position where both current top backs are on expiring contracts, plus a change-of-pace weapon who can add another dimension to the offense immediately.
No one can settle that question in one preseason game. But Claiborne has an opportunity to show the Vikings that his speed is not merely a training-camp attraction. It could become part of the team’s future.
About The Author
