3 Young Vikings Who Could See More Playing Time Soon
Within the next two or three weeks, onlookers of the Minnesota Vikings will learn beyond the shadow of a doubt if the club has a fighting chance to claw back into the win column — or channel overall futility to the tune of the losing season. If the latter occurs, younger players are virtually assured to see more action.
Younger players could enter the Vikings’ lineup rather soon, especially if the season devolves into playoff-less irrelevance. These are the candidates.
The franchise has a 3-4 record, with the Detroit Lions up in one week. It’s go-time to determine whether Kevin O’Connell’s squad has the moxie to turn it around.
Vikings Players Who You Might See More Often
Bad seasons usually involve playing younger players down the stretch.
Tyrion-Ingram Dawkins (DT)
There’s a decent chance that the Vikings morph into sellers by the trade deadline — about a week from now — and offloading Jonathan Allen or Javon Hargrave because the club has defensive tackle depth makes sense.
Jalen Redmond has stood off the page, and by the numbers, he’s currently in line for Pro Bowl consideration. Subtracting Allen or Hargrave from the books would pave the way for more playing time elsewhere. Ingram-Dawkins would be the next man up.
The rookie 5th-Rounder has played about 100 snaps in seven games, with a Pro Football Focus grade approaching 60.0. He’s the perfect player to insert into the lineup if the rest of the season is about developing youngsters.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said about Ingram-Dawkins before the regular season began: “We really identified him throughout the process as somebody that could be really versatile along that front, doing as many as 3 or 4 different roles.”
“Whether you’re talking about being an inside early-down player, a 5-technique, maybe even some edge snaps as a bigger-body edge against some teams… He’s been part of the reason why you feel so great about that d-line depth.”
Dwight McGlothern (CB)
Jeff Okudah suffered a second concussion of the season on Thursday night, meaning he’s certainly headed to the injury report and might even miss extended time. Regrettably, Okudah has also played terribly when on the field, so much so that he could be benched regardless of injury.
If the Vikings don’t sign a veteran like Stefon Gilmore or trade for a veteran corner, McGlothern is the next man up, on tap for defensive action, basically by default.
McGlothern has played just 26 defensive snaps so far this season. He’s another prime candidate, like Ingram-Dawkins, for playing time if the season trends in a negative way. Get the young players some reps.
Our Janik Eckardt on McGlothern last month, “McGlothern (nicknamed Nudie) was a 2024 undrafted free agent, and the Vikings lured him to the Twin Cities. He’s been a real summer star, but the opportunities in real football games just haven’t been there for the sophomore.”
“Last year, he played 20 defensive snaps, mostly in garbage time, and in the season opener, McGlothern was limited to special teams duties. In the offseason, however, the Vikings hired a pair of new corners but allowed three guys to walk. Fabian Moreau, who was ahead of McGlothern last season, was eventually re-signed to the practice squad a couple of weeks ago, but McGlothern still seems to be the next man up.”
McGlothern is also the Vikings’ biggest cornerback on the active roster.
Eckardt continued, “His 2025 preseason didn’t quite match the level of performance he achieved in his 2024 exhibitions, but McGlothern still has an excellent track record in August, having been targeted a total of 13 times over the last 13 months for eight catches and 65 yards. He also snatched one interception, and the passer rating allowed is an embarrassing (for the passer) 42.1.”
“The DB possesses a promising athletic profile, with the requisite length at 6’2″ and a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, although it is combined with underwhelming results in broad and vertical jumps. In his 38 games in college, McGlothern accumulated 113 tackles and eight interceptions. The intriguing aspect is that seven of those came in his two final college seasons, showing his knack for the ball.”
Ben Yurosek (TE)
Two things could enable more playing time for Yurosek, an undrafted rookie free agent.
Foremost, Josh Oliver left Thursday night’s game with a bad ankle. FantasyPros noted on the injury: “Josh Oliver left Thursday night’s game early, but X-rays on his injured ankle were negative. According to head coach Kevin O’Connell, Oliver will be evaluated again Friday, but it seems the veteran TE avoided a serious injury. Oliver did not have any targets before exiting Thursday’s game. He has just five receptions on the year, but two of them have been for touchdowns.”
While Oliver appears to be out of the woods for a major injury, he could miss a game or two.
Then, if the Vikings’ season goes off the rails with another bad loss at the Detroit Lions, the team, in theory, could trade T.J. Hockenson at the deadline for a mid- or late-round pick. On the whole, that is unlikely, but it must be noted for full disclosure.
Both factors suggest more playing time for Yurosek. He’s played in five games so far this year, mostly on special teams, with one reception for five yards.
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