One New Viking Appears to Have Taken a Backseat
Back in March, some Minnesota Vikings fans theorized free-agent newcomer Trent Sherfield as the franchise’s solution at WR3.
One New Viking Appears to Have Taken a Backseat
Fast forward to August, and Sherfield appears to be battling for a WR5 job — if he makes the regular season roster at all.
Third-year pass-catcher Jalen Nailor has taken training camp by storm, very vividly on deck as the WR3 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. After Jefferson, Addison, and Nailor on the depth chart. Brandon Powell is the next in line. And that leaves Sherfield in WR5/6 territory, which can also be interpreted as the roster bubble.
Jefferson, the Vikings’ best overall player, had a day off from training camp on Wednesday, and without him on the field, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert detailed the state of play. “The timing of day off afforded Jefferson a notable stretch of lighter work, as the team practiced Tuesday in shells and largely at walk-through pace. Players are off Thursday and will resume camp Friday,” Seifert wrote. “With Jefferson sitting out, the Vikings used Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell in their three-receiver sets.”
The observation set the table for a possible depth chart at WR, placing Sherfield lower than some expected when he joined the organization on a one-year, $1.79 million contract in March.
For context, these are Minnesota’s wideouts at the start of August:
- Justin Jefferson
- Jordan Addison
- Jalen Nailor
- Brandon Powell
- Trent Sherfield
- Lucky Jackson
- Trishton Jackson
- Thayer Thomas
- Malik Knowles
- Ty James
- Jeshaun Jones
Entering the regular season last year, the Vikings kept six wide receivers on the active roster. By October, the tally had dwindled to five. We shall see if Sherfield makes the cut on August 27th.
Minnesota’s WR3 from 2021 to 2023, K.J. Osborn, signed with the New England Patriots in March, indicating Kevin O’Connell’s offense would utilize a new WR3 this season. Because Sherfield was the only notable free-agent wide receiver added in free agency, he became a natural candidate. However, that hypothesis might’ve been prematurely formed.
Sherfield has played in 95 career games, gaining 141 targets in six years and accumulating 78 receptions for 930 yards and 5 touchdowns. With Josh Allen and friends in 2023, he was targeted just 22 times — akin to Johnny Mundt’s numbers with the 2023 Vikings.
The 28-year-old still has plenty of time to emerge with three preseason games around the bend, but with Nailor’s rapid depth chart ascension plus Powell’s steady dependability, Sherfield feels like the WR5/6. Stay tuned.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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