After three preseason games, weeks of practice, and much debate, the Vikings finalized their 53-man roster this afternoon with some surprising and some expected decisions. While much of the public eye was rightfully trained on the situation at quarterback, freshman GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and new Head coach Kevin O’Connell faced many tough decisions shaving the roster down to size. Finally, now we can stop debating and see what the young duo thought presented this team with the best chase of competing in a loaded NFC.
Quarterback
- Starter(s): Kirk Cousins
- Back-up: Nick Mullens
Let’s begin with the aforementioned backup quarterback competition, one that became a lot clearer after the Vikings sent a conditional 7th-round pick to the Raiders for Nick Mullens (and even more so after his absence in the final game of the preseason). With Mullens solidified as the likely #2, that left Sophomore 3rd round pick Kellen Mond and veteran Sean Mannion fighting for the #3 spot. With somewhat surprising timing on Tuesday morning, the team waived Mond, who now heads to the waiver wire. This release was quickly followed by Mannion’s, leaving the Vikings with only two active quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. How Mannion and Mond fall into place on the practice squad will be interesting to keep an eye on.
Running Back
- Starter(s): Dalvin Cook
- Back-ups: Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu, C.J. Ham, Ty Chandler
Until early Monday morning, the running back position did not seem likely to surprise, but when reports came out that the Vikings were listening to trade offers for fan-favorite Alexander Mattison, the race became a lot more interesting and will be one to watch going into week one and beyond. Listening to offers for Mattison, the 4th year back out of Boise State, makes sense for the new front office. His value is fairly high (the team is hoping for a 3rd or 4th round pick), and the position seems to be one not lacking in depth. It will be an interesting development to watch, though it may not move very quickly, Mattison’s value is high, yes, but the team should see no rush to move him for the sake of it. Rounding out the final spots, the athletic and speedy Nwangwu will likely be the primary kick returner to open the season, and preseason standout Ty Chandler will have to fight for opportunities in the stacked backfield, especially if Mattison stays on the roster.
Wide Receiver
- Starter(s): Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn
- Back-ups: Jalen Reagor, Jalen Nailor
UPDATE 8/31: After completing a trade for Eagles receiver Jalen Reagor, the Vikings have released Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the list above has been updated to reflect this change.
Inarguably the Vikings’ strongest position, we don’t see many surprises here. Notably, Bisi Johnson is absent from the roster after tearing his ACL in the Vikings’ third preseason game. He will wind up missing his second season in a row after he missed the 2021-22 season with an ACL tear in his other leg. It is an unfortunate development for a young player looking to make a statement and stake his claim among the Vikings’ receiving core, but that will now have to wait until at least training camp in 2023.
Tight End
- Starter(s): Irv Smith Jr.
- Back-ups: Johnny Mundt, Ben Ellefson
Despite the low expectance for surprises with the tight end position, a small one came early this afternoon when the Vikings decided to waive Zach Davidson, a player whose tremendous upside we thought may overshadow his mediocre play. Although, with the release of Davidson, the team’s depth at tight end is extra thin, look for the Vikings to make a move of some kind, whether on the waiver wire or the trade market, before the opening Sunday.
Offensive Line
- Starter(s): Christian Darrisaw, Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill
- Back-ups: Oli Udoh, Chris Reed, Blake Brandel, Vederian Lowe, Austin Schlottmann
Certainly a position of interest going into the season, lack of O-Line talent and depth has always seemed to damper the Vikings’ hopes in the Kirk Cousins era. While run blocking showed some hope last year, the pass blocking still often struggled, especially against high talent. However, for this coming season, the Vikings have some interesting, if unproven, depth. Rookie Ed Ingram appears to have won the starting Right Guard position over Jesse Davis. This new line shows some promise, but will it be enough to block this team to the post-season? That remains to be seen.
The Vikings also sent Jesse Davis to Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2025 draft. After getting beat out for the starting right guard position by rookie Ed Ingram, there wasn’t really a spot for Davis on the roster, so a trade was the only alternative to cutting him, even if it is only for peanuts and a salary dump.
Interior Defensive Line
- Starter(s): Harrison Phillips, Dalvin Tomlinson
- Back-ups: Ross Blacklock, Jonathan Bullard, James Lynch, Esezi Otomewo
A shocker came an hour and a half before the final deadline that the Vikings had decided to release Armon Watts. This was a very unusual and unexpected move and a decision one would hope the team made with another acquisition in mind. Well, it wasn’t; mere minutes after Watt’s release, it was announced that the Vikings had traded for Texans DT Ross Blacklock. Blacklock, a former second-round pick who played as a backup in Houston, has started only three games in the last two years. This trade shaves some money off of the cap but doesn’t seem to move the needle much in the talent department. The move was likely based on how O’Connell and new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell saw the fit working. Certainly a curious but not indefensible move by the new regime, especially given they only sent a sixth-round pick and also received a seventh back.
With the T.Y. Magill injury sustained in the Vikings’ final preseason game against the Denver Broncos, depth for the interior line will be slightly lacking for the first few weeks of the season. Other than that, KAM and O’Connell made some tough cuts today. In addition, the team cut James Lynch and Jalen Twyman, two players who would have been competitive if the team had decided to keep one more linemen but, should they clear waivers, may be solid practice squad additions.
Edge Rushers
- Starter(s): Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith
- Back-ups: D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones II, Luiji Vilain
Competition for the edge rushers only really existed for the fifth spot. Would it go to preseason special-teams darling Zach McCloud, or will the team decide to go with the athletic but injured, Janarius Robinson or perhaps the underdog Luiji Vilain? In the end, the team went with Vilain. The player I am most interested in this season is Patrick Jones II, the sophomore out of the University of Pittsburgh. Hopefully. Jones will get the chance to shine this season sitting behind two certified stars starting at edge.
Linebacker
- Starter(s): Eric Kendricks, Jordan Hicks
- Back-ups: Brian Asamoah II, Troy Dye
The linebacker position had a lot of questions going into Tuesday afternoon; how many will the team decide to keep on the final roster? and how will they decide to use those final spots? Will special teams performance be the leading criteria, or will it be promise at the ILB position? With the top three spots locked since the start of the preseason, the Vikings decided to go with Troy Dye, the (currently injured) LB who had a relatively disappointing preseason but had eye-opening special teams numbers in the 2021-22 season. Given the other options, holding onto Dye isn’t really a surprise.
Cornerback
- Starter(s): Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler
- Back-ups: Andrew Booth Jr., Akayleb Evans, Chandon Sulivan, Kris Boyd
Perhaps the position most in need of a glow-up from the previous year, the cornerback position played out mostly as expected. The team seems to be hoping added experience and young blood will shake up the results from the corners this season. Booth Jr. has shown some great flashes in camp but has some development remaining before he joins Peterson in the staring lineup. Hopefully, this squad can dig the team out of the hole the PFF 25th ranked cornerback room made for themselves last year; the team’s success is undoubtedly dependent on it. Suppose development isn’t as high as one would hope. In that case, the small saving grace may be that the Vikings play in an NFC North distinctly lacking wide receiver talent (outside themselves, that is), perhaps dampening the effect a mediocre CB room would have on the team’s record.
Safety
- Starter(s): Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum
- Back-ups: Lewis Cine, Miles Dorn or Josh Metellus
New first-round pick Lewis Cine will have to wait to secure the coveted starting position next to perennial All-Pro Harrison Smith, but will still see the field quite often on defense. The fight for the final spot was between Josh Metellus and Miles Dorn, and seemingly all came down to special teams play, with add taking the edge and the final spot.
Special Teams
- Kicker: Greg Joseph
- Punter: Ryan Wright
- Snapper: Andrew DePoala
No surprises here, as there shouldn’t be. The special teams were an undeniable highlight in a shaky preseason. Joseph didn’t miss a single kick, and punter Ryan Wright delivered consistent highlights with his leg. Hope is looking up for a position that, in years and decades past, has caused undeniable scars among fans.
With the trades today the Vikings also notably cleared over $4 million in cap space adding onto the close to $10 million they held previously. To me, this signals another move, be it something flashy like Ndamukong Suh or a couple smaller moves made to improve the roster. Either way, it will be interesting to watch.
With the first roster all finished, it will be interesting to see which players the Vikings put in a waiver claim for, especially after the Bucs released hometown hero Tyler Johnson. Will the new regime put down a claim for Johnson or perhaps seek another potential reunion with waived Eagles safety Anthony Harris? Time will tell. For now, what do you think of the Vikings’ first 53-man roster? Will it allow them to contend or will it be another near .500 season? Let us know!
For a full list of players waived, check here.
All Up North 