Courtney Cronin ESPN Staff Writer 6 Minute Read

Thielen says he has a great relationship with Cousins Adam Thielen doesn't care about the Vikings' expectations heading into the season and discusses his relationship with Kirk Cousins.

EAGAN, Minn. -- Nine players not named Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen are competing for the remaining three or four receiver spots on the Minnesota Vikings' roster.

There’s a handful of familiar faces, from Chad Beebe to Laquon Treadwell, and several new candidates in the mix between ex-Broncos wideout Jordan Taylor and seventh-round picks Bisi Johnson and Dillon Mitchell.

The sheer number of pass-catchers with different skill sets should benefit Minnesota in determining the group’s makeup behind its top two receivers. But the early reviews haven’t been all that positive.

“If they don’t know what to do, if they don’t know where to line up, if they’re running the wrong route or moving their feet when the ball is snapped, we’ll keep looking for somebody else,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “They have not been precise enough in these first couple days, these young receivers. They need to get their rear-end in gear.”

The No. 3 receiver is one of the top position battles in training camp, and it's a role that has changed year to year in the Vikings' offense. Some seasons, that player is tasked with being dependable target in third-down territory, much like the role Jarius Wright filled for most of his time in Minnesota. In 2018, Aldrick Robinson provided Kirk Cousins with a deep threat using his 4.43 speed.

With such a top-heavy position group, a clearly defined role for the No. 3 receiver on down has been tricky to carve out. With young players, including undrafted free agents Alexander Hollins and Davion Davis, early growing pains are noticeable. The number of drops, wrong routes and mental errors have frustrated Zimmer and the offensive staff. During the first week of camp, receivers coach Drew Petzing worked separately with the four rookies on basic concepts of how to execute the new routes that they’re being asked to run. It's the first step they need to master before they can think about conquering the details of the position, like how deep their route is or how to attack the coverage.

With just over a week until the Vikings head to New Orleans for their first preseason game, the time used in practice is critical in uncovering the strengths of these young players and find where they can contribute in the passing game.

“Many of them were brought in undrafted because they have a specific trait that they can bring to the table,” Cousins said. “If a guy can roll, if he’s a 4.3 [40-yard dash] guy, and maybe there’s some limitations in some other parts of playing the receiver position, but he’s a 4.3 guy. Well, let’s get him in our deep routes and let’s get him a chance to get behind some safeties and launch. So learning those players’ strengths and then working them in the progression when you know, 'Hey, this play gives them a chance to put a show on.'

The Vikings might have the best receiver duo in the NFL in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, but the rest of the depth chart is full of uncertainty. Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire

“That’s certainly a point of emphasis, especially with these younger players who many of which have a specific trait as to why they’re here, and we’re trying to see if that trait can really help us.”

The top priority is finding players who can divert defense’s attention away from Diggs and Thielen. More vertical threats in the passing game could yield those explosive plays that the offense lacked a year ago.

“I think it gives him a lot of confidence,” Petzing said of Cousins. “It’s hard for him when he gets back and doesn’t feel like he has guys out there that are going to be in the place he expects them to be, going to win when he needs them to win, going to make the big play when he throws it, and he’s not quite sure where they broke or can’t see it. All those things are part of the NFL game, so having five guys, five eligibles that can go out there and at any moment win a one-on-one matchup, get down field and find the open zone, make the big contested catch, it gives him the confidence to drop back and focus on his job. He’s not worried about 'Is that guy going to come out of his break right? Can I throw him the ball?'”

Aside from the rookies, Minnesota is still learning what it has with its veteran candidates. Beebe, who earned his way onto the 53-man roster (and was activated over Treadwell in Week 16) last season via the practice squad by way of a rookie tryout, has emerged as a front-runner for the No. 3 receiver job. It’s a matter of how he’s performed with his first-team reps -- and the difficulty he gives the defenses out of the slot -- that has impressed coaches most.

“I would call him a receiver that when he runs his routes, he never slows down,” Zimmer said of Beebe. “Most players when they’re running a route, they get to the top of the route and they slow down to make the break. He doesn’t have to do that. Never changes his stride length. And his issue has been his health, quite honestly. He needs to stay healthy and prove that he can stay healthy.”

It’s a similar story for Jeff Badet and Brandon Zylstra, both of whom have been sidelined with injuries this offseason. Taylor, who towers over the rest of the receiving corps at 6-foot-5, could emerge as an outside threat if he’s able to create separation. Treadwell, a former first-round pick, has developed slowly over his first three seasons and could find himself on the outside looking in if he doesn’t impress in early preseason games.

It remains to be seen how much the Vikings will utilize the No. 3 receiver. Both Robison and Wright played less than 24% of snaps, respectively, in 2017 and 2018, and in many of Gary Kubiak’s systems, the No. 3 receiver is actually a tight end. Given the ability to utilize heavier personnel groupings, offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski could decide to play tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr. in the passing game.

As it stands, the options for the No. 3 receiver -- as well as the unknowns -- are plenty.