Thursday's training camp practice at TCO Performance Center was a shorter, less eventful one than usual. The Vikings weren't in full pads, and they took it somewhat easy ahead of Saturday's preseason opener at U.S. Bank Stadium. With that said, it also wasn't a walkthrough. There were three periods of full-speed reps, so we've still got enough to empty the notebook and bring you some observations.
Two of J.J. McCarthy's first three passes in 7-on-7 action fell incomplete. The first was a drop by Jalen Nailor, which is starting to become a concern again. Notably, Nailor was wearing a red no-contact jersey, which you typically only see quarterbacks wearing. The next was a near interception by Blake Cashman, who jumped in front of Josh Oliver and almost picked off McCarthy for the second straight day.
McCarthy found his groove in his next set of reps. He hit T.J. Hockenson in stride on an out-breaking route, then made a great throw to Hockenson up the seam. Cashman was in good position, but McCarthy put it away from the linebacker's leverage so Hockenson could rotate his body and make the play. Later, in a red zone 11-on-11 period, McCarthy hit Jordan Addison in a tight window on a play that would've been a sack by Jonathan Greenard. He then nearly found Nailor for a touchdown, but Harrison Smith made a great diving play to break up the pass.
Sam Howell had one of his better days of camp. He was 3 for 3 in 7-on-7 action, connecting with Tai Felton, Ty Chandler, and Jeshaun Jones. The red zone period wasn't quite as smooth for Howell, who was under pressure. But the third and final competitive period was a situational 1-minute drill, and he operated well in that setting. Howell hit Jones, Ben Yurosek, and Jones again to win the drill for the second-team offense.
The two other quarterbacks had some nice reps as well. Brett Rypien connect with Myles Price on a pretty ball up the seam for a big chunk of yardage in 7-on-7, then hit Thayer Thomas for a touchdown in red zone 11s. Rookie Max Brosmer made a great throw up the right sideline to Silas Bolden in 7s. Brosmer also got a lot of work in the red zone period, which was a mixed bag.
Vikings vs. Texans is at 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday afternoon.