Vikings’ revamped pass rush gets after J.J. McCarthy, offense on first day of padded practices

The smattering of Vikings fans who braved the nearly 90-degree weather and largely unshaded bleachers at TCO Performance Center in Eagan on Monday were greeted by another sweltering force that hopes to shut down offenses in Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit and beyond this season.

In the first padded practice of training camp, the Vikings defensive line appeared to turn up the heat on young quarterback J.J. McCarthy and a retooled offensive line.

“This defensive line has the looks to be probably the best I’ve been around. ... Jon Allen has a heck of a lot left in the tank, I’ll tell you that,” right tackle Brian O’Neill said.

McCarthy met Allen, the 30-year-old former Pro Bowler who was cut by Washington this offseason, in the backfield a couple times.

Edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel also applied ample pressure that left observers, including injured receiver Justin Jefferson, wanting to see more from the offense at times.

Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. enjoyed a little less mileage downfield.

“I was like, ‘Man, I don’t really need to cover too long,’” Murphy said.

McCarthy’s longest completion in team drills went about 20 yards to receiver Lucky Jackson, playing the No. 3 role with Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor while Jefferson (hamstring) is sidelined. The pass had the kind of touch and trajectory that head coach Kevin O’Connell said he’s looking for from McCarthy, who often threw one way at Michigan: hard.

O’Connell said coaches are focused on creating open throwing lanes for McCarthy, but that his touch as a passer is also a work in progress.

“Where there’s a void and there’s a vacancy,” O’Connell said Saturday, “but there might be a defender in front and a defender behind, and we’ve got to find a way to get that ball completed. That’s probably the biggest difference between college football and the NFL, at least with a lot of the passing attacks that I’m familiar with.”

“He’s working on different trajectories,” O’Connell added. “You’re still seeing the [high] revolutions on the ball, but not that heavy finish, more so that up-and-down two-ball feel that we kind of talk about.”

You can count Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips among those excited about the retooled D-line that includes new Pro Bowl-caliber big men Allen and Javon Hargrave. Phillips, a team captain last year, thinks they’ll get more out of everyone now.

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores sees a deep D-line, too, but he tempered expectations until he sees what Greenard, Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner can do with an interior group that expects next steps from reserves like Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Taki Taimani.

“Only time will tell,” Flores said Monday. “We’ve got a group that works extremely hard. There’s a lot of talent in the room. I think we know the names like Harrison Phillips, Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, but we’re excited about some of our younger players. ... A lot of guys that can go out there and play at a high level.”

New guard Will Fries, the prize of this year’s free-agent spending spree, showed off his progress by returning to full-team reps on Monday.

Left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who suffered two torn ligaments in his left knee last season, is expected to return to team drills later this week, O’Neill told the Minnesota Star Tribune. When Darrisaw returns, the Vikings will finally practice with their new offensive line that also features center Ryan Kelly, who, like Fries, came from the Colts.

Fries said he and Kelly have “built-in chemistry” as they learn a new system together.

Rookie Donovan Jackson, the 24th overall pick out of Ohio State, has taken every rep with the first-team offense as coaches prepare him to be the starting left guard.

The Vikings’ offseason cash purge was aimed, in part, to give their rushing attack some finishing power. Despite Aaron Jones’ success last year, the Vikings finished with nine rushing touchdowns and have just 16 rushing scores over the last two years, ranking 31st in the NFL. General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for 49ers bulldozer Jordan Mason, giving him a two-year, $10.5 million deal after also re-signing Jones to two years and $20 million.

The Vikings view Mason as a “really complete player,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said, despite the 26-year-old runner having just 14 catches through three NFL seasons. He may give the Vikings a strong tandem in the backfield once again.

“We’ve got a better front overall, we feel like,” Phillips said. “Bringing in a guy like Jordan Mason to pair along with Aaron is something we’re really excited about. There is a noticeable size difference when you look at the line ... I think you kind of see that on both of our fronts. ... Already you’ve seen some good battles between those guys.”

The Vikings defense led the NFL with 24 interceptions last season, but a quarter of those picks are no longer represented on this year’s team after safety Camryn Bynum and corners Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin were not re-signed.

Okudah, the former No. 3 overall pick in 2020 by the Detroit Lions, is Flores’ biggest reclamation project on the roster. The oft-injured Okudah is on his fourth NFL team in as many years. He signed a modest one-year, $2.3 million deal in March to jumpstart his career.

“In his time here, he’s been diligent from on the field, off the field, training room, weight room,” Flores said. “He’s always looking to do extra film work. I don’t know what’s happened in other buildings. I know that since he’s been here, it’s been great to coach him.”

“He’s getting better,” Flores added. “He’s getting more comfortable within the defense and what we’re gonna ask him to do and he’s shown up positively, really in every way. I’m excited to watch him continue to improve.”