MINNESOTA VIKINGS OTAS: THE BEGINNING OF THE J.J. MCCARTHY VS. SAM DARNOLD BATTLE HAS ARRIVED
For most teams, OTAs start this week and there's plenty to start monitoring once the Minnesota Vikings kick things off on Monday, May 20.

From the battle between J.J. McCarthy and Sam Darnold, to a new-look Brian Flores defense, it will be interesting to see how things play out over the coming weeks and months.

So, let's stop wasting time and dive into some of the biggest storylines heading into Vikings OTAs.
Four storylines to start monitoring as Vikings OTAs begin on Monday
1. A shuffling secondary and a new-look defense
The Vikings have a legit shot to add six new starters on defense in 2024. If you're not good at math like I am - that's over half the defense.

Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bullard, Shaq Griffin, and Blake Cashman all figure to start at their respective positions. We saw Flores' unit take a little bit to get its legs underneath it as players adjusted to the new scheme last year and fortunately, there are plenty of guys still around that can help the newcomers.


2. The start of J.J. McCarthy vs. Sam Darnold
You could easily put this at the top of the list, but considering Darnold's 2024 salary, it's safe to assume he has the early lead.

Still, there's no reason for the Vikings to completely discount McCarthy and they'd be foolish to do so. Just imagine if Pete Carroll didn't give Russell Wilson the starting job over Matt Flynn back in 2012. I wouldn't expect the Vikings to go against that line of thinking.

Either way, it all starts this week.
3. The search for depth behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison
These two are already one of the league's best receiver duos, but things are pretty shaky behind them. The Vikings added former first round pick N'Keal Harry and former Super Bowl champ Brandon Powell over the offseason, but neither one of those guys really move the needle.

There was a lot of excitement around Jailen Nalor before his preseason injury, but he's still a big unknown. Overall, the Vikings really need some guys to create some headway. If Jefferson or Addison go down for an extended period of time and Hockenson takes a year to return to full form, then the passing attack will be in trouble.