We are finally here, as the Minnesota Vikings begin reporting for training camp on Sunday.

It’s been a very long offseason filled with endless quarterback debates about whether Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy would end up winning the starting job. Now that training camp is finally here, the quarterback competition can get in full swing.

As we enter the true beginning of the 2026 season, let’s do a quick reset and show where things stand on the depth chart.

Offense

Position	First String	Second String	Third String	Fourth String
LWR	Justin Jefferson	Jeshaun Jones	Terrill Davis	Marcus Sanders Jr.
RWR	Jauan Jennings	Dillon Bell	Dontae Fleming	Michael Briscoe
SWR	Jordan Addison	Tai Felton	Myles Price	Luke Wysong/Trayvon Rudolph
LT	Christian Darrisaw	Ryan Van Demark	Caleb Tiernan	Tristan Leigh
LG	Donovan Jackson	Henry Byrd	Delby Lemieux
C	Blake Brandel	Michael Jurgens	Vershon Lee	Gavin Gerhardt
RG	Will Fries	Joe Huber	Tomas Rimac
RT	Brian O’Neill	Walter Rouse	Caleb Etienne
TE	T.J. Hockenson	Josh Oliver	Ben Yurosek/Gavin Bartholomew	Bryson Nesbit/Marshall Lang
QB	Kyler Murray	Carson Wentz	J.J. McCarthy	Max Brosmer
RB	Aaron Jones	Jordan Mason	Zavier Scott	Demond Claiborne/Kejon Owens
FB	Max Bredeson

You’ll notice that I have Murray as QB1, but McCarthy as QB3. I think Murray has the lead in the competition right now, and the loser will be QB3 come gameday. My theory is that it’ll give the winner of the starting job the ability to play without having to look over their shoulder.

Now, that doesn’t mean Wentz will be the starter if the winner of the job gets hurt. Whoever is QB3 will elevate to being the starting quarterback the following week in this scenario.

At running back, I’m far from convinced that the hype surrounding Claiborne is going to translate into a roster spot. I have concerns he will be able to handle the special teams responsibilities the RB3 has been responsible for. Scott is capable of doing just that, but he’s not the explosive player Claiborne is. Once the pads come on, we will learn a lot about the position.

Wide receiver carry some interesting depth battles, and the offensive line feels more certain now than it has in some time.

Defense

Position	First String	Second String	Third String	Fourth String
DE	Jalen Redmond	Isaiahh Loudermilk	Eric Johnson	Smith Vilbert
NT	Levi Drake Rodriguez	Domonique Orange	Taki Taimani
DE	Caleb Banks	Elijah Williams	Jahvaree Ritzie
OLB	Dallas Turner	Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins	Tyler Batty	Cam’Ron Stewart
WLB	Eric Wilson	Ivan Pace Jr.	Bangally Kamara	Keli Lawson
MLB	Blake Cashman	Jake Golday	Jacob Roberts	Josh Ross
OLB	Andrew Van Ginkel	Bo Richter	Chaz Chambliss	Arden Walker
LCB	Byron Murphy Jr.	Dwight McGlogthern	Marcus Allen
SS	Josh Metellus	Tavierre Thomas	Jakobe Thomas
FS	Jay Ward	Theo Jackson	Jacob Thomas
RCB	Isaiah Rodgers	Zemaiah Vaughn	Charles Demmings	Da’Veawn Armstead
NB	James Pierre	Kahlef Haillassie	Tyreek Chappell

There aren’t a lot of major question marks with the defense. Brian Flores’ unit isn’t the strongest in terms of depth at every position, but it does have a lot of intriguing depth pieces.

The two positions where things could be interesting are defensive line and safety. Additions on the defensive line are intriguing, with Johnson and Loudermilk essentially moving Ingram-Dawkins to the edge position. We will be seeing Banks for the first time since being drafted due to a foot injury, and it will be one of the biggest talking points of training camp.

Safety is intriguing, especially after the selection of Jakobe Thomas in the third round. With Harrison Smith’s future still up in the air, how the group shapes up, especially after Jackson was benched, will be interesting.