If T.Y. McGill looked like a man among boys in the Minnesota Vikings’ second preseason game, it’s because he kinda was. McGill, 29, broke into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2015. He’s a depth defensive tackle who played two games with the Vikings last year and 16 total in the three years before.
McGill finished the day with five tackles, including 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits in Minnesota’s 17-7 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Vikings and Niners were mostly playing depth players. They have to reduce their rosters from 85 to 80 this week and get to 53 by the start of the season. They had also played joint practices at the Vikings’ facility in Eagan, so they wanted to avoid burning out their starters.
Still, Kevin O’Connell said that he wanted the Vikings to run over 60 plays, and they only go to 50. That’s because Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion did nothing to separate themselves from one another in the backup quarterback battle. They had fits and starts all day, and San Francisco dominated the time of possession. Both backups hardly instilled confidence that either could run the offense if Kirk Cousins went down. Therefore, it’s impressive that McGill dominated play like he did, given that the defense was starting to get fatigued.
“He’s one of those guys that flashed to me,” said O’Connell. “He wrecked, he obviously wrecked multiple plays tonight, had the sack and a half. It’s the plays that don’t register on the stat sheet when you see him just explode through the line, forces the back to bounce, and then you see BA (Brian Asamoah) and Troy and the rest of those guys running down those plays.”
Unfortunately, two trainers carried Andrew Booth Jr. off the field after a non-contact injury in the second quarter.
O’Connell downplayed it, saying that he reaggravated a known injury. Still, he’s a player the Vikings would like to evaluate extensively in the preseason because of his potential coming out of Clemson.
“It was kind of that same ankle he’s kind of dealt with,” O’Connell said. “It sounds like it’s a positive thing from a standpoint of just an aggravation of an injury that we know about already. He’s worked his way through that throughout camp and then, ultimately, what it’ll be is just how that thing looks the rest of the week, early on in the week, would love to still get him some work throughout this week as we continue to prep.”
Fortunately, Minnesota’s receiver and running back depth is starting to sort itself out, despite the offense sputtering. Olabisi Johnson and Nick Muse, a tight end, finished with three catches for 29 yards. Ihmir Smith-Marsette wasn’t far behind them, with four catches for 27. However, he fumbled a kickoff return, and the Vikings’ coaching staff would like to use him as a returner. Trishton Jackson finished with 17 yards; Jalen Nailor had 11.
Justin Jefferson they are not. But O’Connell will run a modern offense and need receiver depth to operate it. K.J. Osborn is still the WR3. But Johnson, a borderline-forgotten player, and Smith-Marsette separated themselves, while Jackson and Nailor are making cases to stay in the mix for an active roster spot.
“We feel great about the running backs. Kene and Ty are day in and day out showing a lot of great things for us to go along with Alex, and obviously Dalvin Cook being the special player he is,” O’Connell said. “And I think Koback’s a solid depth player in that room that a lot of people will probably have their eyes on if he’s unable to be on our team.”
The Vikings also appear to have some running back depth. Dalvin Cook will remain the primary back, but Kene Nwangwu and rookie Ty Chandler continue to look like dynamic alternatives to the staid Alexander Mattison. Minnesota got the ball to Nwangwu on the ground and through the air early in the game, and Chandler led the team with 19 yards rushing. Undrafted free agent Bryant Koback also got in the mix with 17 yards.
It’s not as though the Vikings didn’t learn anything about their offensive depth. It’s that they didn’t answer the most pressing question: Who is the backup quarterback?
“Ultimately, you would love to have come out of tonight feeling like, ‘Shoot, they both moved the team and scored a lot of points, and we’ve got a heck of a hard discussion and conversation ahead as a staff and as an organization,’” O’Connell said. “The clock is going, and although I feel like our starters are in a good spot for Sept. 11, and that’s where our emphasis is really on, there’s a lot of jobs we gotta still allow to play themselves out.”
McGill wasn’t the only defensive player who stood out. Fan-favorite Akayleb Evans recorded 10 tackles, including seven solo and one for a loss.
“He’s such a talented player for us to continue to just wrap our arms around and try to develop on a daily basis,” O’Connell said glowingly. “We want to get him a lot of reps. There’s a reason he was out there. I’m sure there will be a lot for him to correct fundamentally or with his eyes, or just situationally understanding how we can tighten up in some spots, but I thought he was a willing tackler.”
There is nothing wrong with a guy like McGill dominating a preseason game. That’s what these three contests are for. But on a day where the Vikings would like to have had an answer at backup quarterback, they’ll have to settle for learning more about depth at other positions.
