It’s always tough to gauge the validity of the information coming out of training camp. Much of it comes via word of mouth from local media, and they tend to be at least partially skewed to put a positive spin on things.
That information is much easier to trust when it’s provided by a respected figure in the national media, though. SI’s Albert Breer visited Minnesota Vikings training camp last week, and he highlighted second-year edge rusher Tyler Batty as a reason for optimism when analyzing the Vikings’ pass-rush in a post-Jonathan Greenard landscape. “Tyler Batty has had a nice start to camp, and he’ll help in that area,” Breer wrote.
However, not everyone is buying the hype. VikingsOnSI’s Jason Harmon notably didn’t include Batty on his 53-man roster projection following Minnesota’s win over the Giants on Saturday.
“Standing pat here. The room needs some additional help before Week 1 to make me feel comfortable with the depth behind AVG and DT15. Ingram-Dawkins flashed his lengthy arms this week, swatting a Kyler Murray pass to Dallas Turner at Monday’s practice.” Harmon wrote.
Ingram-Dawkins only had one sack and six tackles across his 250 defensive snaps last season. The 2025 fifth-round selection has seemingly slimmed down to play more off the edge, but he hasn’t exactly shown enough promise to make you feel good about his chances of succeeding in that role. At the same time, the same can be said for Batty.
The Vikings Might Not Be Done Adding Competition At EDGE
Notably, Harmon’s prediction included “player TBD” as the fifth edge rusher. He clearly thinks the Vikings will look for outside help at the position. He’s not on an island in that regard, either.
Dustin Baker of VikesNow recently argued that they should take a chance on either Leonard Floyd or Kyle Van Noy, highlighting their experience working with Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores, respectively. Both players would provide much better depth than what they currently have on the roster.
General manager Nolan Teasley also mentioned being open to the idea of adding to the room at the start of training camp.
“Yeah, if there’s a good football [player] out there, we’re actively discussing it and pursuing it,” Teasley said. “Finding ways to improve our roster every day of the week, every day of the month, and every day between now and the trade deadline and the end of the season. There’s always good football players out there for sure.”
Batty Still Has An Inside Track At The Third Edge Rusher Spot
All things considered, Batty’s strong start to training camp should still give him the edge (no pun intended) for the third pass-rusher role. It’s obviously early in the evaluation process, but he’s the most promising player of the bunch if they stand pat with their current depth.
A knee injury suffered in the preseason landed him on injured reserve over the first six games last season. However, the Vikings’ choice to keep the undrafted rookie around despite the injury is a promising sign that they saw something in him.
He made his debut in the team’s Week 7 matchup against Philadelphia, and saw only 42 defensive snaps over the remainder of the season. That also wasn’t enough to make an evaluation, but that is what the next two preseason games will be for. If he can prove that Breer’s praise wasn’t unwarranted, he has a real shot to play a key role as the team’s third edge rusher.
Conversely, if he falls flat, then Harmon’s unfortunate prediction might come to fruition. His outlook is incredibly volatile.
Vikings Training Camp Standout Left Out Of Final Roster Predictions