One Viking Won the Preseason
Minnesota Vikings fans spent about three months apprehensive about the team’s wide receiver room, mainly because the personnel after Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison didn’t feel trustworthy.
One Viking Won the Preseason
So, folks enjoyed when Jalen Nailor showed up to training camp and very much looked the part of a third wide receiver. His reemergence was welcomed, but he did not win the preseason on the whole. That title belonged to Trishton Jackson.
Jackson dazzled in the preseason — from cover to cover. The Vikings will announce roster cuts on Tuesday, and if the preseason was a reasonable indicator, Jackson should make the 53-man roster. If not, what good is the preseason?
Versus the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles, Jackson tabulated 9 receptions for 154 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. And those were statlines from partial games. He didn’t play all four quarters of each game. And on the scoring acumen, Jackson hit paydirt in all three contests. His endzone participation took no weekends off.
Here’s the Vikings WR corps at the moment:
- Justin Jefferson
- Jordan Addison
- Jalen Nailor
- Brandon Powell
- Trishton Jackson
- Jeshaun Jones
- Trent Sherfield
- Ty James
- Lucky Jackson
- Thayer Thomas
- Malik Knowles
- Justin Hall
If Minnesota keeps six wide receivers for the regular season — which feels likely because tight end T.J. Hockenson is on deck to miss the start of the season while recovering from an ACL tear — Jackson may be a shoo-in for September.
All together, Jackson had a marvelous training camp, better preseason games, and even Justin Jefferson sang his praises. Following Minnesota’s joint practices with the Browns two weeks ago, Jefferson pounded the table for his 27-year-old teammate: “He’s a dog. He’s from Detroit. He has that Detroit mindset. Just the way he comes to work every single day — he’s a hooper, so he knows how to move and how to get open.”
“The catch point of the ball, he’s definitely making plays out there. He’s showing up every time on the film, so the more he shows up, the more has a chance to be out there on the field on Sundays,” Jefferson added.
In 2023, Jackson appeared in seven games, fetching 4 targets in the passing game for 2 receptions and 9 yards. Last October — The Joshua Dobbs Game — Jackson was the guy at Atlanta who grabbed the sweet two-point conversion. He’s a playmaker.
And don’t look now, but Jackson has quietly been attached to Minnesiota’s roster (in varying capacities) for four seasons, if that can be believed.
He won the preseason, primarily because of his consistency with different quarterbacks. They all trusted him.
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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