The Vikings’ 5 Remaining Roster Battles
The Minnesota Vikings’ regular season kicks off in about three weeks, a date at the New York Giants.
The Vikings’ 5 Remaining Roster Battles
A 53-man roster will be announced on August 27th, and 700 players around the NFL will hit free agency.
But before the roster shavedowns, these are the Vikings’ five remaining roster battles, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important).
5. Punter
Contenders:
Ryan Wright
Seth Vernon
These two specialists split punting duties in the first preseason game, and Wright looked better in that contest. Wright is also probably the frontrunner through incumbency, but Vernon played well at June’s minicamp.
Punter battles aren’t terribly exciting, but Minnesota has one.
Prediction: Ryan Wright
4. CB5
Contenders:
Nahshon Wright
A.J. Green III
Jacobi Francis
Duke Shelley
Jaylin Williams
Dwight McGlothern
After Byron Murphy, Shaquill Griffin, Akayleb Evans, and Fabian Moreau on the current roster, the Vikings will likely keep one more cornerback, especially if NaJee Thompson isn’t ready for the regular season. This battle is truly wide open.
Prediction: Nahshon Wright or Dwight McGlothern
3. OLB4 and OLB5
Contenders:
Patrick Jones II
Gabriel Murphy
Jihad Ward
Owen Porter
Andre Carter II
Bo Richter
Minnesota will keep about five EDGE rushers, and Jonathan Greenard, Dallas Turner, plus Andrew Van Ginkel have claimed roster spots.
Two more will grab regular season jobs, making this joust rather fascinating.
Prediction: Jihad Ward and Bo Richter
2. WR4
Contenders:
Brandon Powell
Trishton Jackson
Jeshaun Jones
Trent Sherfield
Ty James
Lucky Jackson
Thayer Thomas
Malik Knowles
Including WR5 here would be fair, but let’s face it — that guy never really does anything on offense for a football team.
At WR4, though, the plot thickens. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor have three jobs spoken for, leaving one or two players jockeying for two jobs.
Prediction: Trishton Jackson and Brandon Powell grab roster spots.
1. DT3 thru DT5
Contenders:
Jonathan Bullard
James Lynch
Jaquelin Roy
Jonah Williams
Levi Drake Rodriguez
Jalen Redmond
Tyler Manoa
Taki Taimani
Brian Flores’ defense will showcase Harrison Phillips and Jerry Tillery in the middle of the defensive line, but it’s a crapshoot after that. A crowded crapshoot.
Minnesota has a mix of young and veteran talent at DT, and about three players from the above list will make the cut.
Prediction: Jonathan Bullard | Jaquelin Roy | Levi Drake Rodriguez
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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 MIN 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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