Vikings Begin Final Cut to 53 Players
Austin Belisle
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Minnesota’s 27-25 preseason victory over the St. Louis Rams was an audition of sorts; a chance for those on the bubble to prove they’re deserving of a spot on the final 53-man roster. Today, they’ll learn their fate, and whether their performances this offseason were enough to keep them in a Vikings uniform.
With 22 difficult decisions ahead, the Vikings begin their final cut to 53 players. The team has until 4:00 pm EST on September 3 to finalize its regular season roster, and Vikings Territory plans to keep you up-to-date on every move. Follow along after the jump as we track the latest news and rumors.
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QB Brad Sorensen
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OT Carter Bykowski
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DT Travis Raciti
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DE Zach Moore
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LB Denzell Perine
Friday, September 2
Brad Sorenson, who has now been released twice by the Vikings in less than a week, was the first player on the chopping block. USA Today columnist and former Vikings writer Tom Pelissero was the first to report the news, which leaves the team with two rostered quarterbacks — Shaun Hill and Joel Stave.
The next to go, per Andy Carlson, was offensive tackle Carter Bykowki, who missed all of 2015 with a torn pectoral and was re-signed this March. He provided the team much-needed depth at offensive tackle, but was likely beaten out by Jeremiah Sirles, Pro Football Focus’s highest-graded offensive player from last night’s victory.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Vikings released defensive tackle Travis Raciti, per Matt Vensel. The second-year player out of San Jose State finished with a sack-and-a-half last night, making his case for a spot on another team’s roster. Unfortunately for Raciti, the Vikings have one of the league’s deepest groups of defensive tackles; he was always on the outside looking in after signing this offseason.
Fellow defensive lineman Zach Moore was also a victim of this year’s roster cuts, as first reported by Darren Wolfson. Like Raciti, Moore plays a position where talent isn’t an issue for the Vikings. Despite his strong performance last night, Moore was too far down the depth chart to earn a spot with the Vikings. But with his size and obvious talent, he’ll likely land on his feet with another team off of waivers.
Undrafted free agent linebacker Denzell Perine joins the group of players no longer on the team, per Chris Tomasson.