Vikings head coach updates statuses of Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson, and others before preseason game vs. Raiders

The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium for their 2024 preseason debut.

Going into the game, there were multiple questions about the HBCU players would end up playing in the game. Preseason games aren’t the most important for your team but they can be beneficial for new members of the organization and young players.

During his press conference on Thursday afternoon, head coach Kevin O’Connell gave a few updates on the availability of multiple players.

This shouldn’t come as any surprise. Justin Jefferson doesn’t need any reps at this point in his career and Smith is the most experienced member on the roster. Neither of them need to play.

We didn’t know how it would work between quarterbacks Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy and O’Connell answered that as well. Darnold will get the start before giving the reins to McCarthy.

Getting Darnold live reps with the first team is important, as he’s still getting his bearings with the offense and his teammates. We’ve seen Darnold improve quite a bit during the course of training camp and that matters.

The Vikings and Raiders kick off on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CST.