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Access Vikings morning walkthrough: Kalil healthy again, Hunter not as raw as Vikings thought, a plug and more

After a day off for the players, the Vikings are back on the field this morning at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato.

By Matt Vensel

July 31, 2015 at 1:11PM

On most mornings, we walk you through what's going on with the Vikings.

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

— Matt Kalil is pain free — for now at least. That's a good thing, because this could be a make-or-break season for the 26-year-old left tackle.

— Speaking of offensive tackles, Babs, the Polish sensation, is working hard, but he admits that "there's a long way for me to go" to stick around.

— The Vikings are taking the long view with Cordarrelle Patterson, forcing him to become a real receiver. Randball thinks that's the right approach.

— Shameless plug alert: Check out the second episode of our new Access Vikings podcast. We talk early camp storylines, position battles and more.

AROUND THE NFC NORTH

— After hip surgery, Packers wideout Jordy Nelson said he feels better than he did a last season. That's scary considering he had 98 catches and 1,519 yards in 2014. And scored 13 touchdowns. And made the Pro Bowl…

— Bears tight end Martellus Bennett skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason. But he insists he isn't worried about getting a new deal.

— Lions wide receiver Golden Tate waded into Deflategate, saying that if Patriots QB Tom Brady cheated, he deserves to be suspended.

TODAY'S VIKINGS SCHEDULE

After a day off for the players, the Vikings are back on the field this morning at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato. The walkthrough starts at 10:30 a.m. and the afternoon practice runs from 2:45 to 5 p.m. Players will be in pads.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

When the Vikings drafted Danielle Hunter in the third round, G.M. Rick Spielman remarked that Hunter, who had just 1.5 sacks in his junior season at LSU, was a raw prospect that probably wouldn't contribute right away. After all, Hunter, at age 20, is the youngest player on the team. But hold that thought. The rookie defensive end has caught the eyes of the coaching staff early in training camp. "He is a lot less raw then we thought," coach Mike Zimmer said. "He has really been impressive honestly." Hunter has even gotten reps with the first-team defense, so maybe he can help in 2015.