New Vikings RB Could Make Final Roster
The Minnesota Vikings have decisions galore to make in the next six days, with the NFL’s deadline for 53-man rosters approaching on Tuesday at 3:00 pm CST.
New Vikings RB Could Make Final Roster
Teams currently have 90 men (some with 91 thanks to an international program) on depth charts and must shrink to 53 in preparation for the regular season, which kicks off on September 7th when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions.
And among the Vikings most fascinating roster spots is running back, with these men on the depth chart as of August 23rd:
RB1: Alexander Mattison
RB2: Kene Nwangwu
RB3: Ty Chandler
RB4: DeWayne McBride
RB5: Abram Smith
RB6: Aaron Dykes
Minnesota will keep three or four of those men, and the player at the bottom, Dykes, could actually make the active roster.
Dykes certainly isn’t a lock for a regular season assignment, but there is a path. After two preseason games, McBride, also a rookie, feels best suited for a practice squad assignment. An injury has hobbled Kene Nwangwu, and some believe he could hit Injured Reserve. And Smith is likely a roster cut next week.
That scenario would leave the Vikings with keeping three RBs — Mattison, Chandler, and mystery man. Dykes could end up as the third running back if Nwangwu remains injured and McBride is the odd man out.
Meanwhile, after the Vikings second preseason game last weekend, head coach Kevin O’Connell was ultra-complimentary of Dykes, “To see Dykes come in and hit some backdoor cuts on a duo, got it all the way back, almost behind the backside tackle on his own, things that, sometimes guys that haven’t been in the system a whole lot don’t do. I thought that was exciting.”
Dykes was handed the ball 3 times, and he accounted for 19 rushing yards behind an otherwise dismal reservist offensive line. He also added a reception for 11 yards.
“Getting downhill, really moving the team for the first time all night via the run, so… It was good to see those guys get in there. We’re going to allow those guys to play an absolute ton next week, compete to try to win a game,” O’Connell added about Dykes.
Minnesota searched high and low by auditioning free-agent running backs in recent weeks, opting for Dykes instead of veteran Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis. That may indicate a grander plan for the Richmond alumnus, an unforeseen late-summer roster addition who could make the 53-man roster or practice squad.
If it’s not Dykes. the Vikings will keep Mattison and Chandler, almost for sure, and hope Nwangwu is fully healthy or that McBride’s preseason troubles were a rookie outlier.
Dykes will turn 24 in November.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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