After three losses in a preseason where they went to greater lengths than usual to rest their starters, the Vikings head into the regular season with a roster that has both the talent to engineer a return to the playoffs and enough depth concerns to derail it.
The remainder of their cuts are due by Tuesday afternoon, with position battles along both lines of scrimmage highlighting the decisions they will have to make before trimming their roster to 53 players to start the regular season. Coach Mike Zimmer said the Vikings could look for a veteran quarterback after erratic preseasons from Jake Browning and Kellen Mond, while weekend news of a knee injury for tight end Irv Smith Jr. could leave the Vikings with few proven receiving options beyond Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
As the Vikings cut their roster from 80 players to 53, here’s an educated guess as to how the roster will look:
Quarterbacks (2)
Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond
Released: Jake Browning, Nate Stanley
The COVID-19 vaccination status of Cousins and Mond could factor into the thinking here, if what happened during training camp has the Vikings worried about losing their QBs again. That could lead them to keep Browning on the final roster, but the NFL’s flexible practice squad rules could also let them call up the vaccinated QB if they need him for a game, a possibility Zimmer has mentioned.
Running backs (5)
RB Dalvin Cook, RB Alexander Mattison, RB Kene Nwangwu, RB Ameer Abdullah, FB C.J. Ham
Released: RB Ito Smith, RB A.J. Rose, FB Jake Bargas
Nwangwu missed all but two plays of the preseason after hyperextending his knee during the first exhibition game, but he was impressive enough in training camp that he’ll likely make the team. The Vikings could think about stashing him on injured reserve if they believe he’ll need some time to come back. Additional options on special teams could put Abdullah on the bubble, but his reliability in a number of different roles figures to keep him around.
Wide receivers (6)
Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, Dede Westbrook, Chad Beebe, K.J. Osborn, Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Released: Dan Chisena, Whop Philyor, Myron Mitchell
If the Vikings feel good enough about Westbrook’s recovery from last year’s ACL surgery to put him on the roster, they could come to a tough decision on Beebe following solid preseasons for Osborn and Smith-Marsette. Six receivers feels like a lot for a team that often lines up in heavy sets, but the Vikings’ lack of proven depth behind Thielen and Jefferson could lead them to keep their options open here.
Tight ends (3)
Tyler Conklin, Brandon Dillon, Zach Davidson
Released: Shane Zylstra
Injured reserve: Irv Smith Jr.
Davidson, a fifth-round pick this year, showed how raw he was in a rough set of preseason games, but a knee injury to Smith could keep the rookie on the roster. Given how much the Vikings use two tight ends, they will place big demands on this position group; Conklin, who’s been out because of a hamstring injury since Aug. 16, could be in line for an even larger role assuming he’s ready to return for the start of the season.
Offensive linemen (9)
LT Rashod Hill, LG Ezra Cleveland, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Oli Udoh, RT Brian O’Neill, LT Christian Darrisaw, G Wyatt Davis, T Blake Brandel, C Mason Cole
Released: G Dakota Dozier, G Dru Samia, C Cohl Cabral, G Kyle Hinton, T Zack Bailey
Dozier, the only Vikings player to take every offensive snap last season, could be on the way out thanks to the development of Udoh, who appears to have beaten the veteran out for the right guard spot. Dozier struggled enough in the preseason that the Vikings might just opt to move on, especially with Davis improving throughout the month. The other thing to watch here is whether Darrisaw ends up on injured reserve after another groin operation last month, saving the Vikings a roster spot if he needs a little more time to recover.
Defensive linemen (10)
DE Danielle Hunter, DT Dalvin Tomlinson, NT Michael Pierce, DE D.J. Wonnum, DE Stephen Weatherly, DE Everson Griffen, DE Patrick Jones, DT Sheldon Richardson, DT Armon Watts, DT James Lynch
Released: DE Jalyn Holmes, DE Kenny Willekes, DE Hercules Mata’afa, DT Zeandae Johnson
Lynch’s stock has gone up enough with Vikings decisionmakers this year that he could stick even though the team doesn’t really need another defensive tackle. Lynch’s making the team could mean the end for recent draft picks like Holmes and Willekes (though the 2020 seventh-rounder could end up on the practice squad).
Linebackers (6)
Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Nick Vigil, Chazz Surratt, Troy Dye, Ryan Connelly
Released: Tuf Borland, Blake Lynch
The Vikings have some decisions to make with their backups; Surratt suffered a neck injury on Friday night and Dye had a leg injury, which could lead the team to keep Connelly for depth. He’s played an important role on special teams, and that could also help keep the Eden Prairie native on the roster.
Defensive backs (9)
CB Patrick Peterson, CB Bashaud Breeland, S Harrison Smith, S Xavier Woods, CB Mackensie Alexander, CB Kris Boyd, CB Cameron Dantzler, S Camryn Bynum, S Josh Metellus
Released: CB Harrison Hand, CB Parry Nickerson, CB Tye Smith, S Myles Dorn, S Luther Kirk
The toughest cut here was Hand, a fifth-round pick from 2020 who played 163 snaps as a rookie. But Boyd’s working his way up the depth chart in training camp could mean the Vikings find Hand expendable. Metellus’ status is a question after he was injured last week, but if he’s healthy enough to start the season, his role on special teams means he likely stays.
Specialists (3)
K Greg Joseph, P Britton Colquitt, LS Andrew DePaola
Joseph missed wide right again on Friday night, and the Vikings could look for a kicker at the start of the season if they don’t feel good about beginning the year with Joseph. The rest of the group appears set.
