Henrique Gucciardi’s 53-Man Roster Prediction for the Vikings
The Vikings won’t play a meaningful game for another three-and-a-half months. Even training camp won’t begin until July. The only thing fans have to cling to are offseason workouts, which aren’t even set for another 10 days.
Henrique Gucciardi’s 53-Man Roster Prediction for the Vikings
With so much time between now and any resemblance of football, the best thing to do is to talk about past games/seasons or dream about the future. For this article, I’ll focus on the latter. The 2025 Minnesota Vikings are a hard team to predict roster-wise. They are pretty much set on who will be the starters and have several backups locked.
This leaves few spots up for grabs between a lot of young players wanting to prove themselves, which should make for an interesting offseason.
Quarterbacks (3)
IN: J.J. McCarthy; Sam Howell; Brett Rypien
OUT: Max Brosmer
McCarthy will be given the keys to the franchise this fall, and how he plays will dictate the team’s ambitions in 2025. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell did an amazing job building the foundation and infrastructure around the second-year QB, but now it is up to McCarthy to prove them right. Sam Howell is a good backup, and Rypien is another experienced voice in the room who is familiar with the system.
Running Backs (4)
IN: Aaron Jones; Jordan Mason; C.J. Ham; Tre Stewart
OUT: Ty Chandler; Zavier Scott
The first three names couldn’t be more locked to make the roster. Jones was brought back on a two-year deal, and Mason was traded for and also signed a two-year extension. C.J. Ham is one of the most respected voices in the locker room, a special-teams ace, and has been used increasingly on offense.
Chandler’s value lies mostly on special teams, but at the end of the day, he hasn’t been much of a factor on offense throughout his rookie deal. If someone else takes the kickoff return job from Chandler, Stewart could swoop him and take Chandler’s spot on the team.
Wide Receiver (5)
IN: Justin Jefferson; Jordan Addison; Jalen Nailor; Tai Felton; Silas Bolden
OUT: Dontae Fleming; Lucky Jackson; Jeshaun Jones; Tim Jones; Robert Lewis; Rondale Moore; Thayer Thomas
You know how I just said about taking the return job? That could be Silas Bolden, who’d bring a dynamism and explosiveness the Vikings have lacked since Marcus Sherels and Cordarrelle Patterson left the team. Jefferson and Addison are one of the best wide receiver duos in the league, and Nailor did a good job as WR3 last season. Tai Felton is also a lock as a third-round pick.
Leaving Rondale Moore out felt weird, but his injury could open the door for someone like Bolden.
Tight End (3)
IN: T.J. Hockenson; Josh Oliver; Gavin Bartholomew
OUT: Ben Yurosek; Bryson Nesbit
Again, Hockenson and Oliver are guarantees. It will be an interesting battle between Bartholomew, Yurosek, and Nesbit for the TE3 job. It will be an even dispute between the three, but as of now, Bartholomew gets the job because he was the one drafted.
Offensive Line (10)
IN: Christian Darrisaw; Donovan Jackson; Ryan Kelly; Will Fries; Brian O’Neill; Josh Skule; Blake Brandel; Walter Rouse; Michael Jurgens; Logan Brown
OUT: Zeke Correll; Henry Bird; Joe Huber; Marcellus Johnson; Leroy Watson
There are many offensive linemen on this roster, but keeping them out was difficult. The first five are your starters, and Skule and Brandel should be the primary backups. The question here wasn’t whether Rouse, Jurgens, and Brown were against each other but rather against players in different positions.
Jurgens is the safest amongst the trio for being the only center besides Ryan Kelly. If they choose to keep nine, it’s likely going down between Rouse, a sixth-round pick last year, and Brown, a former 5-star recruit who went undrafted in 2025 (my money would be on Brown, by the way).
Defensive Line (6)
IN: Jonathan Allen; Harrison Phillips; Javon Hargrave; Jalen Redmond; Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins; Levi Drake Rodriguez
OUT: Jonathan Harris; Alex Williams; Elijah Williams; Travis Bell; Taki Taimani
If the Vikings bring nine offensive linemen and a spot opens up, it’ll probably go to Taki Taimani. The starters are Allen, Phillips, and Hargrave, leaving the other players fighting for rotational spots. Early last season, Taimani was getting most of those, but an injury opened the door for Redmond, who impressed later in 2024.
Levi Drake Rodriguez was a seventh-round pick in 2024, but coaches love his motor and work ethic, while Ingram-Dawkins is the one with the most pass-rushing upside, and a draft pick this year.
EDGE (5)
IN: Jonathan Greenard; Andrew Van Ginkel; Dallas Turner; Bo Richter; Tyler Batty
OUT: Chazz Chambliss; Matt Harmon; Gabriel Murphy;
As with basically every position minus cornerback, you have the clear starters here. Van Ginkel was a 2nd-team All-Pro and recently signed a one-year extension. Greenard should have been an All-Pro as well, and Turner is someone primed for a breakout sophomore season. Richter, an undrafted free agent in 2024, played well on special teams and should solidify his roster spot with a good offseason.
This leaves Murphy, another UDFA from 2024, and Tyler Batty, a rookie UDFA. Batty’s size and ability against the run gave him the nod here.
Linebackers (4)
IN: Blake Cashman; Ivan Pace; Eric Wilson; Kobe King
OUT: Brian Asamoah; Dorian Mausi; Max Tooley; Austin Keys
It’s another blow to a 2022 draft class that has already been dragged through the mud a lot, but I think it’s time to say goodbye to Brian Asamoah as well. Eric Wilson was signed as a backup linebacker and an important piece to Matt Daniels on special teams, while King is viewed as a steal from this year’s Draft.
Due to recent injuries to both Cashman and Pace, the staff may decide to keep five linebackers as an insurance policy, but I’d rather keep younger players with untapped potential elsewhere.
Cornerbacks (5)
IN: Byron Murphy; Isaiah Rodgers; Mekhi Blackmon; Jeff Okudah; Dwight McGlothern
OUT: Keenan Garber; Kahlef Hailassie; Reddy Stewart; Ambry Thomas; Tavierre Thomas; Zemaiah Vaughn
This is the only position group with a starter job up for grabs. Murphy is in the best corner on the team, while Rodgers has received a lot of praise from Brian Flores since his arrival. This leaves Blackmon, Okudah, and McGlother fighting to see who will be the CB3. Blackmon is the favorite to win the job, as he was poised to be the CB2 last season, before a torn ACL derailed this plan.
But Okudah will bring his best, as this looks like his last shot to save his career after being the third overall pick in 2020, and McGlothern also received praise for his development as an UDFA rookie last year.
Safeties (5)
IN: Harrison Smith; Josh Metellus; Theo Jackson; Jay Ward; Bubba Bolden
OUT: Mishael Powell
Brian Flores used a lot of three-safety packages in the past two seasons, but it remains to be seen if he’ll continue to do so after Cam Bynum left for the Colts. The coaching staff believes Theo Jackson can take the next step, otherwise, they wouldn’t give him a contract extension or even let Bynum walk away.
I won’t say this will be Smith’s final season because I said that a couple of times already, and Metellus is the ultimate Brian Flores player, capable of lining up anywhere. Jay Ward and Bubba Bolden provide depth and special teams play in the backend of the safety room.
Special Teams (3)
IN: Will Reichard (K); Oscar Chapman (P); Andrew DePaola (LS)
OUT: Ryan Wright (P)
The only player from 2024 at risk here is Ryan Wright, as Reichard and DePaola don’t have competition. Wright started his career strong, ranking as one of the best punters in 2022, but has fallen off a cliff since then. Chapman could be another Australian punter who thrives in the NFL, while Reichard will look to be more like the early-season version of him rather than the post-injury one.
Andrew DePaola is amazing and the best long snapper in the league (I don’t know anything about long snapping, but he’s a two-time 1st-team All-Pro).
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