Vikings Kevin O'Connell breaks down the players in contention for a major offensive role heading into training camp

The Minnesota Vikings offense under Kevin O'Connell is going to be bringing in some exciting new pieces heading into training camp, but the majority of the starting skill positions are already locked into place.

The biggest battle going into camp is of course at the quarterback position between veteran Sam Darnold and first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy . As for their supporting cast, Aaron Jones will be coming in as the starter at running back while the main trio of pass catchers remains the same in wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson.

On paper, it looks like a strong unit, but there's still one major offensive role that's going to be up for grabs during camp.

That battle is going to be taking place at the wide receiver position to see which player rises above the rest to claim the WR3 spot on the depth chart behind Jefferson and Addison, which could be an even larger role if Hockenson is forced to miss time . Earlier today, O'Connell was asked about the positional battle in the room and gave some insight into what he's looking to see out of the receivers on the roster.

"A lot of names in that room," O'Connell explained . "A lot of guys [I'm] really looking forward to seeing. Maybe the third receiver can look a lot of ways in our offense because we have moved Justin and now Jordan quite around in our offense. You really have to be versatile, it's not just saying that guy's a slot receiver or an outside receiver. It's really looking for versatile, all down, skill set. That might come from a collection of guys, it might come from one guy taking that job and running with it."

It was no surprise to see Powell's name as the first one to come up in the conversation for the WR3 job. Powell is the only remaining wide receiver on the roster not named Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison who had more than 100+ receiving yards after K.J. Osborn departed in free agency.

Powell finished his first year in Minnesota with a career-high 324 yards and had one touchdown reception. He also has some of the versatility O'Connell is looking for in this role after playing 263 snaps in the slot and 141 snaps out-wide in 2023.

"As many good things as Brandon Powell did for us last year, maybe without a lot of the time on task repetition during training camp, BP is able to take the experience that he had in L.A. in a similar offense and come in and apply not only the scheme but the physicality and in the run game," O'Connell said.

Trent Sherfield is another exciting option to consider and watch out for during camp after being signed by the Vikings back in March. With the Miami Dolphins in 2022, the speedster put together a 417 yard season but was seldomly used by the Buffalo Bills last season. Heading into camp, O'Connell is eager to see more out of him.

"Trent Sherfield is always a guy that's had that mentality for being a multi-phased player, from the pass game stand point but also what it's like when that guy puts the pads on," O'Connell said.

Former first-round pick N'Keal Harry could also look to turn some heads on the coaching staff and fight for a more secure role after getting some work in at a new position this offseason . The last player to keep in mind is third-year Jalen Nailor, who has the upside and explosiveness to really be a potential contributor for the team.

It'll be an exciting battle to follow on the practice field and we'll need to see which players are building the best connections with which specific quarterback as well.

Related: Latest Vikings news signals Minnesota is putting all their chips into the J.J. McCarthy era before it begins