Minnesota Vikings OTAs: The beginning of the J.J. McCarthy vs. Sam Darnold battle has arrived

For most teams, OTAs start this week and there's plenty to start monitoring once the Minnesota Vikings kick things off on Monday, May 20.

From the battle between J.J. McCarthy and Sam Darnold, to a new-look Brian Flores defense, it will be interesting to see how things play out over the coming weeks and months.

So, let's stop wasting time and dive into some of the biggest storylines heading into Vikings OTAs.

Four storylines to start monitoring as Vikings OTAs begin on Monday

1. A shuffling secondary and a new-look defense

The Vikings have a legit shot to add six new starters on defense in 2024. If you're not good at math like I am - that's over half the defense.

Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bullard, Shaq Griffin, and Blake Cashman all figure to start at their respective positions. We saw Flores' unit take a little bit to get its legs underneath it as players adjusted to the new scheme last year and fortunately, there are plenty of guys still around that can help the newcomers.

When it comes to the secondary, specifically, we could see a different composition, so to speak, this year. Flores has already mentioned the possibility of moving Byron Murphy inside to nickel and then there's the question who starts on the outside if that happens. The aforementioned Griffin, along with second-year corner Mekhi Blackmon and rookie Khyree Jackson should have a say in all that, but we'll see.

In all, this defense will look dramatically different, in terms of personnel, in 2024.

2. The start of J.J. McCarthy vs. Sam Darnold

You could easily put this at the top of the list, but considering Darnold's 2024 salary, it's safe to assume he has the early lead.

Still, there's no reason for the Vikings to completely discount McCarthy and they'd be foolish to do so. Just imagine if Pete Carroll didn't give Russell Wilson the starting job over Matt Flynn back in 2012. I wouldn't expect the Vikings to go against that line of thinking. 

Either way, it all starts this week.

3. The search for depth behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison

These two are already one of the league's best receiver duos, but things are pretty shaky behind them. The Vikings added former first round pick N'Keal Harry and former Super Bowl champ Brandon Powell over the offseason, but neither one of those guys really move the needle.

There was a lot of excitement around Jailen Nalor before his preseason injury, but he's still a big unknown. Overall, the Vikings really need some guys to create some headway. If Jefferson or Addison go down for an extended period of time and Hockenson takes a year to return to full form, then the passing attack will be in trouble.

A couple of UDFAs to watch are Ty James and Devron Harper. The former brings some major big-play potential to the offense and the latter could be a weapon on special teams, thanks to the new kickoff rules.  

4. Does John Parker Romo even have a chance?

Yea, the writing is on the wall for the former UFL start. I'm not even sure he'd make the team if he literally has a perfect offseason. Will Reichard would have to absolutely bomb and hand JPR the job by default in order for him to stick around.

That's because when NFL teams spend draft capital, especially a fourth-rounder, on specialists, there's no way that team is giving up on them unless it's a hellish start. Even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave the disaster that was Roberto Aguayo a full season and part of a preseason before parting ways.

Based off Reichard's college resume, I wouldn't expect him to bomb. Of course, this is the NFL, though, and anything is possible.