4 Vikings Starting Jobs Up for Grabs
It’s time to start thinking about the formulation of the Minnesota Vikings’ 53-man roster because training camp is 4.5 weeks away.
A few positions remain undecided as Vikings training camp nears. Here are 4 starting jobs up for grabs this summer in Eagan.
There and in the preseason, the club will subtract 37 players from the books and get to September with the leanest and meanest group possible.
Along the way, head coach Kevin O’Connell still has a handful of starters’ jobs to determine. These are those gigs listed in order of importance (No. 1 = most important starting job).
4. Punter
The Contenders:
— Ryan Wright
— Oscar Chapman
— a FA to Be Signed Later
Ryan Wright reunited with the Vikings this offseason, but his performance in 2023 and 2024 hasn’t quite replicated his glorious rookie season from 2022.
Minnesota has a punter on the 90-man depth chart from Australia, Oscar Chapman, though it is unclear if he’ll battle for Wright’s job — maybe?
The Vikings usually have one kicker or punter battle in the summer, so let’s count on a little drama at Wright’s spot in July and August.
Starting Jobs Will Be Hashed Out at Training Camp for the Vikings
Cornerbacks lead the way for Vikings’ roster mysteries this summer.
3. CB3
The Contenders:
— Mekhi Blackmon
— Jeff Okudah
— Dwight McGlothern
— Ambry Thomas
— [possibly] Isaiah Rodgers
When it’s all said and done, Mekhi Blackmon will probably earn this job title, and that’ll be that. However, there’s a scenario when Blackmon stuns the masses at training camp and wins the CB2 job, leaving the CB3 job up for grabs, possibly involving Okudah, McGlothern, and Thomas.
Because the NFL is so pass-happy, three cornerbacks often see the field for Minnesota. For example, Shaquill Griffin played about 50% of the time last year. Safety Josh Metellus also plays some slot corner.
It’s a mystery which two cornerbacks see the most playing time after Byron Murphy Jr. The suspense would heighten if the Vikings signed Asante Samuel Jr., Mike Hilton, Jack Jones, and Rasul Douglas — all reasonable options.
Our own Kyle Joudry wrote about Blackmon earlier this month: “Standing at 5’11” and weighing 178 pounds, Blackmon isn’t the largest corner. He is, nevertheless, a promising corner. He’s 26, making him a bit older than a lot of third-year NFL players. His rookie season in 2023 went reasonably well, all things considered. The No. 102 pick — the last draft slot in the 3rd Round — got onto the field for fifteen games, starting three. He earned 41 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and impressive 8 passes defended.”
“The PFF enthusiasts in the crowd will be heartened to see that the corner snagged a healthy 71.8 grade in his rookie season. The grade positioned Blackmon at 42nd among 229 corners, suggesting that he’s a reasonably strong starter (at least by that single assessment).”
It’s worth noting that, at age 26, for Blackmon, the time is now. He was an “old” rookie in 2023.
Joudry added, “Sitting atop the corner room is Byron Murphy, someone who is the undisputed top option after landing a beefy deal to keep calling Minnesota home (a trio of seasons at $54,000,000). Presumably, a world where Murphy needs time in the infirmary is a world where the Vikings see themselves in a lot of trouble.”
“After all, we’re talking about the only corner who is firmly a starter. Almost similar to J.J. McCarthy, Blackmon had to shift the focus in 2024 away from the physical component of football. Yes, there’s a physical, bodily component toward getting back to full health, but that differs from getting football reps in practice and on Sunday.”
2. WR3
The Contenders:
— Jalen Nailor
— Tai Felton
— Rondale Moore
This one very likely belongs to Jalen Nailor, but it’s listed nevertheless for two reasons.
- Nailor is injury-prone, and it wouldn’t be weird one bit if an injury rattled his summer.
- Jordan Addison could be suspended to start the 2025 regular season, which would instantly promote the WR3 to WR2 and the WR4 to WR3.
Nailor will win this job, but for the reasons listed above, monitor Felton at WR4.
1. CB2
The Contenders:
— Isaiah Rodgers
— Jeff Okudah
— Mekhi Blackmon
The number-one-with-a-bullet summer battle for the 2025 Vikings, folks want to know the identity of the second starting cornerback.
Byron Murphy Jr., now a Pro Bowler, has CB1 totally wrapped up. Yet, after his grip on that gig, it’s competition between two newcomers — Rodgers and Okudah — along with Blackmon, who missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL.
The Vikings sound like they love Isaiah Rodgers, but this battle will be tracked with the utmost attention by Vikings fans.
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