QB Battle, Harrison Smith, Free-Agent Targets

After a break, VikingsTerritory has reopened the mailbag, answering questions from the masses and posting them weekly in a single article. The time feels appropriate, with training camp getting underway in about 2.5 weeks.

We picked the main questions from folks’ submissions, and below are our answers.

Vikings’ Summer Picture Remains Far from Settled

Question: Do you think the Vikings will reach the playoffs this year?

Answer: Yes.

The only scenario preventing the Vikings from a somewhat obvious playoff push — the roster is good enough for it — is the level of competition in the NFC North. Throughout the division’s history, there’s always at least one “pushover” team — usually the Detroit Lions or Chicago Bears. Sometimes even the Vikings.

Those don’t exist anymore.

If Minnesota can conquer the strength-of-schedule concern, they can finish at least 10-7 this season. How do we know that? Simple — the club finished 9-8 last year while showcasing bottom-of-the-barrel quarterback play. If the Vikings could be 9-8 with a rollercoaster version of J.J. McCarthy, they can secure a Wildcard playoff berth with a steady version of Kyler Murray.

Never forget: Minnesota already has a championship-caliber defense, thanks to Brian Flores. Now, Kevin O’Connell must do his part on offense, empowering Murray to cook.

We say an 11-6 record for the Vikings, with a Wildcard playoff game, probably against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or New Orleans Saints.

Question: If Minnesota signs any free agents, who will it be?

Answer: Leonard Floyd.

O’Connell and Floyd won a Super Bowl together in 2021, and five years later, O’Connell arguably needs a third pass rusher. You can pretty much “take your pick” at outside linebacker in free agency — Floyd, Von Miller, or Jadeveon Clowney would do the trick for OLB3.

So, we expect Minnesota to sign an extra EDGE, either in the next few weeks or at the end of August when a barrage of unemployed pass rushers hit the open market amid roster trimdowns.

A guard, too, would make sense because the primary backup guard right now is Joe Huber. The Vikings are one injury away from an offensive line that looks like this Week 1:

• Christian Darrisaw (LT)
• Donovan Jackson (LG)
• Blake Brandel (C)
• Joe Huber (RG)
• Brian O’Neill (RT)

In years past, Brandel would be nominated for backup guard duty, but that won’t work anymore. He can’t start at guard and center.

Thankfully, as with the OLB spot, a handful of reputable depth guards are available, such as Will Hernandez and James Daniels.

Question: Any word on Harrison Smith? Is he coming back?

Answer: We think so.

About a month ago, one of our sources told us, “Hitman is coming back,” but that was prefaced with the caveat that “the announcement is coming soon.”

Here we are, less than three weeks before training camp arrives, and Smith has not announced his decision. Smith turned up the gas in December last year, leading the masses to believe he could still perform decently, even if the Vikings nominated him for a situational role in 2026.

The telling part here is that Minnesota’s roster is quite impressive. Would Smith really want to miss out on a playoff or Super Bowl push the moment Kyler Murray came to town? We think not.

It’s unclear when the announcement will hit, but VikingsTerritory operates under the assumption that Smith will return last time in 2026.

Question: Who will win the quarterback battle at training camp?

Answer: Kyler Murray.

This is probably the easiest question this week; we don’t consider the quarterback competition a big or mysterious thing. Since entering the NFL, Murray has a better EPA+CPOE than Trevor Lawrence, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, and Daniel Jones, among others. We do not believe that Murray needs a significant push to put himself over the top as a worthwhile starter. He’s already there.

We also maintain that J.J. McCarthy still has time to develop and become an honest-to-goodness starter in the big leagues. Sometimes quarterback maturation takes longer than 10 starts, which McCarthy has under his belt.

Both men also have a recent history of injury. Whoever wins the battle will probably get hurt, at least for a game or two, enabling the other guy to get under center and shine.

In the end, Murray has the experience, arm strength, passing accuracy, and speed to win this competition. We don’t spend much time thinking, “I wonder who will be the QB1?” To us, it’s Murray, and McCarthy will need a massive upset to change that.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker