Vikings Training Camp 2016 in Mankato wrapped today as the team packs up for joint-practices with the Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday. Throughout this camp, there have been a number of players that have caught the attention of fans and media with their stellar play. Here are some of the players that have really made a splash during training camp.
Stefon Diggs
After an impressive rookie campaign in which Diggs had a four game stretch averaging over 100 yards-per-game, the young receiver seems poised to follow it up with an even better second-season. So far at camp, Diggs has been burning every cornerback that the team puts in front of him, including shut-down veteran corner Xavier Rhodes. With Diggs’ innate ability to stop on a dime and change direction in a way that is reminiscent of vintage Percy Harvin, it’s no secret that he will be Teddy Bridgewater’s go-to receiver on passing situations when the regular season rolls around.
Eric Kendricks
Throughout last year’s Training Camp, the prevailing wisdom was that Kendricks seemed out of place and that the game was too fast for him. All of those rumors were quickly put to rest when he finished the regular season as the team leader in tackles with 92 and named NFC North Rookie of the Year. During this year’s camp, all reports have been dramatically different, and many believe that the game has slowed down for the young linebacker. A natural game-changer, Kendricks will look to follow up his sensational rookie season with another breakout year.
Teddy Bridgewater
A lot has been made of Bridgewater’s lack of gaudy passing statistics during his first two seasons as starting quarterback for the Vikings. While Bridgewater’s statistics have not been overly impressive, his ability to make smart decisions with the football and lead the team down the field during the waning moments of games, has. Bridgewater will look to silence the critics this season as he embarks on the most important season of his career.
From all accounts, Bridgewater is making progress in that direction and has bulked up a bit to add an extra zip to his throws and remain durable. To further help him in the passing game, the Vikings signed two linemen during the offseason to help shore up a porous group from last season. With extra time to go through his progressions, and new offensive weapons to throw to, there’s no reason to think that this season won’t be Teddy’s time to shine.
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Photos ©Minnesota Vikings 2016
