4 Vikings Positions Will Bring Big Battles This Summer
The Minnesota Vikings are in the midst of their OTA program, so naturally, it’s time to start thinking about how the team’s roster will shake out to begin the 2025 regular season.
In 89 days, the Vikings will face the Chicago Bears in primetime on Sunday Night Football. Before then, Minnesota will have to trim their roster down from 90 players to 53 while also deciding which 22 of those remaining players will be their starters on offense and defense.
There are a lot of big decisions to come between now and then. Here is a look at the four positions that could bring the biggest battles for those roster spots and the toughest decisions for the coaching staff.
4. Defensive Tackle
Obviously, the Vikings made their starting DT frontrunners clear with their actions in free agency. Minnesota inked Jonathan Allen (three-year/$51 million) and Javon Hargrave (two-year/$30 million contract) to join Harrison Phillips in the middle.
The waters get muddied beyond that, though, with likely on 2-3 spots up for grabs.
Minnesota added another new body to the mix by drafting Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins in the fifth round of this spring’s draft. The Georgia alum was a force to be reckoned with during his senior season, totaling eight tackles for loss and three sacks for the Bulldogs.
They also still the massive Taki Taimani fighting to make his case as a true NFL nose tackle, and the energizer bunny Levi Drake Rodriguez, who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 draft.
And who could forget Jalen Redmond, who put together six tackles for loss and a sack during his first stint of NFL playing time?
That’s four names. Likely, one or two of them will not be on the roster when the show kicks off in September.
3. Wide Receiver
Like defensive tackle, there is very little mystery at the top of Minnesota’s wide receiver depth chart. Those spots obviously belong to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
There is some mystery beyond that as the Vikings have some serious talent in this group of players.
Minnesota surprised some people when they added Tai Felton to receiver room in the third round of the 2025 draft. Felton put together big seasons in his final two seasons at Maryland and capped his collegiate career off with a stellar 96 receptions for 1124 yards and nine touchdowns.
Now, the Terrapin hopes to translate that production to the NFL level, but he will have a few players to compete with for the WR3 spot. Jalen Nailor held down that WR3 spot in Minnesota as he turned in easily his best NFL season during 2024. The Vikings also signed Rondale Moore in free agency, who has totaled 40+ receptions and 350+ receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons.
Behind them, there is maybe one roster spot left for the wide receiver group. Minnesota signed the speedy Silas Bolden as a UDFA this spring, and he could be in the mix for return duties. Then, there’s Tim Jones, who the Vikings also snatched from Jacksonville in free agency. Lucky Jackson is also entering his third season in Minnesota and could be in line to take a leap.
WR3-WR5/6 could prove to be a major battle this summer.
2. Outside Linebacker
Minnesota’s outside linebacker group could not only see a battle at the top of the depth chart, but also battles for the final couple spots on the roster.
Of course, Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel played their way to Pro Bowl selections and a few votes in the DPOY race. While Dallas Turner did have very limited production during the middle stretch of his rookie season, that type of talent ahead of him in the depth chart severely limited his opportunities.
That being said, Turner did seem to come to life over the final stretch of the regular season, and he is a far more talented pass rusher than his numbers suggested. He now has had a full NFL season under his belt and should come into Year 2 hungry for more opportunities. Perhaps he can challenge for a larger percentage of the defensive snaps this season.
Behind the Big 3 of Greenard/Van Ginkel/Turner, OLB4 could be a competitive race as well.
Gabriel Murphy was a freak of nature at UCLA, and he is headed into his second NFL season hoping to improve upon his 35 defensive snaps from last year. Bo Richter is in a similar situation after the UDFA played 29 defensive snaps in 2024.
Then there’s Chaz Chambliss who was signed as a UDFA this offseason, who while being undersized, brings grit and powerful strength at the position to not only bullrush tight ends on his way to the quarterback, but also help defend against the run.
In the end, there could be a couple key battles at the OLB spot come training camp.
1. Cornerback
Other than Byron Murphy being a solidified starter, you could probably give me any sequence of possibilities for this cornerback room, and I would believe it’s a possibility.
Perhaps Isaiah Rodgers or Jeff Okudah blossom in Brian Flores’ defensive scheme and cement themselves into a clear No. 2 position.
Or, perhaps they both end up being disappointing, and maybe a young, promising player like Mekhi Blackmon or Dwight McGlothern takes massive strides to capture a starting spot.
Tavierre Thomas, another free agent addition, has nearly a decade of NFL experience under his belt, including 22 starts from 2020-2023, along with a ton of special teams snaps. Could the veteran compete to get into the top four of this group?
Ambry Thomas also put together a few big games for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 before injury derailed his 2024 campaign. Could he build upon that and get back into an NFL starting lineup?
Many questions lay in front of the Vikings at the cornerback position with essentially all but one spot up for grabs.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Sports Reference CFB.
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