Vikings Territory’s 53-Man Roster Projection for 2021

Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) signals first down after a catch against the Chicago Bears in the first quarter of an NFL game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

The following is authored by Wesley Johnson and Dustin Baker.

The Minnesota Vikings will pare down the 2021 roster to 53-men on Tuesday. The solidification of the final roster occurs after a robust offseason, featuring the additions of Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Bashaud Breeland, Sheldon Richardson, Dede Westbrook, and others.

Those additions subtract some players that made the cut in 2020, a season when the Vikings underwhelmed with a 7-9 win-loss record.

This task is a tricky one, but this is the official roster projection by VikingsTerritory.

(Also note: Many of the players cut will end up on the practice squad.)

Offense

Quarterback

QB1: Kirk Cousins
QB2: Kellen Mond

Cut: Jake Browning, Nate Stanley

Running Back

RB1: Dalvin Cook
RB2: Alexander Mattison
RB3: Ameer Abdullah
RB4: A.J. Rose Jr.

IR: Kene Nwangwu

Fullback:

FB1: C.J. Ham

Cut: Jake Bargas

Wide Receiver

WR1: Adam Thielen
WR2: Justin Jefferson
WR3: K.J. Osborn
WR4: Chad Beebe
WR5: Dede Westbrook
WR6: Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Cut: Dan Chisena, Whop Philyor, Myron Mitchell

Tight End

TE1: Tyler Conklin
TE2: Brandon Dillon
TE3: Zach Davidson

IR: Irv Smith Jr. / Cut: Shane Zylstra

  • Note: Davidson may be released in favor of a free-agent signee.

Left Tackle

LT1: Rashod Hill
LT2: Christian Darrisaw

Right Tackle

RT1: Brian O’Neill
RT2: Blake Brandel

Cut: Zack Bailey

Center

C1: Garrett Bradbury
C2: Mason Cole

Left Guard

LG1: Ezra Cleveland
LG2: Dakota Dozier

Cut: Dru Samia, Kyle Hinton

Right Guard

RG1: Oli Udoh
RG2: Wyatt Davis

Defense

Left Defensive End

LDE1: Danielle Hunter
LDE2: Patrick Jones II

Cut: Jalyn Holmes, Hercules Mata’afa

Right Defensive End

RDE1: D.J. Wonnum
RDE2: Everson Griffen
RDE3: Stephen Weatherly

Cut: Kenny Willekes

Nose Tackle

NT1: Michael Pierce
NT2: Armon Watts

Cut: James Lynch

3-Tech Defensive Tackle

3DT1: Dalvin Tomlinson
3DT2: Sheldon Richardson

Strongside Linebacker

SLB1: Anthony Barr
SLB2: Ryan Connelly

Cut: Blake Lynch

Middle Linebacker

MLB1: Eric Kendricks
MLB2: Troy Dye

Cut: Tuf Borland

Weakside Linebacker

WLB1: Nick Vigil
WLB2: Chazz Surratt

Cornerbacks

CB1: Patrick Peterson
CB2: Bashaud Breeland
CB3: Mackensie Alexander
CB4: Cameron Dantzler
CB5: Kris Boyd
CB6: Harrison Hand

Cut: Tye Smith, Parry Nickerson

Safeties

S1: Harrison Smith
S2: Xavier Woods
S3: Camryn Bynum

Cut: Myles Dorn, Josh Metellus, Luther Kirk

Special Teams

Kicker

K1:  Greg Joseph

Punter

P1: Britton Colquitt

Long Snapper

LS1: Andrew DePaola