5 Key Roster Battles Still Unfolding for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have one preseason game remaining at the Tennessee Titans, with showdowns against the Houston Texans and New England Patriots in the books.
The Minnesota Vikings still have several critical roster battles to resolve as the preseason winds down. Here are five key position fights to monitor closely.
Most roster battles are decided — that’s just the way it goes, especially for a playoff-contending team — but a handful are unresolved.
Listed in order of importance, these are the remaining competitions to watch (No. 1 = most important remaining roster battle).
5 Vikings Roster Battles That Will Decide the 53
Monitor these roster competitions for the next week and a half.
5. OLB5
The Contenders: Bo Richter | Tyler Batty | Cam Gill
Gabriel Murphy seems to have locked up the OLB4 spot with a remarkable training camp and first preseason game. But then what after him?
Richter, Batty, and Gill will do battle in the next nine days to determine that verdict
Prediction: Bo Ricther
4. QB3
The Contenders: Brett Rypien | Max Brosmer
Rypien stunk in the first preseason game; Brosmer dazzled fans. Brosmer, at least for one preseason game, looks like another Kwesi Adofo-Mensah UDFA gem.
Sam Howell should have the QB2 on lock, but Rypien vs. Brosmer is still up in the air.
Kevin O’Connell said about his backup quarterback criteria this week, “Yeah, I think it’s a lot of the same things. It’s a lot of the same things. The reps, as you guys will see, are tied directly to a lot of the first-team guys, and it’s built that way because of how we’re going to handle the game and all that stuff.”
“But they’re still going to get opportunities, and they’ve got to go in and do what they are trying to do every single day, which is the same things all quarterbacks should be attempting to do, which is step into the huddle, command the huddle, have total ownership at the line of scrimmage pre snap, and then how much of that can you carry over to doing your job post snap consistently over and over and over again.”
It’s worth noting that fans absolutely fell in love with Brosmer during the first preseason game after he cooked.
O’Connell added, “I talk to these guys a lot about my personal journey of getting in there, and every shot play I was throwing it deep. Every third down, I was throwing it in tight windows and trying to win the Super Bowl on one particular play.”
“Today is not what I recommend for those guys, other than continue to do your job, make great decisions, put the ball in play, and see how many times you can stack good plays together.”
Prediction: Max Brosmer
3. RB3
The Contenders: Ty Chandler | Zavier Scott | Tre Stewart
Like Brosmer, Zavier Scott electrified fans last weekend in the preseason. For many, it was their first peek at Scott, who lived on Minnesota’s practice squad in 2024.
Chandler enters a contract year, and the Vikings always seem to find a way to trade for Cam Akers when Chandler gets close to meaningful RB touches. They don’t seem to value him to the utmost.
Stewart probably has a practice squad ceiling.
Prediction: Zavier Scott
2. Weeks 1-3 Depth WRs
The Contenders: Jalen Nailor | Tai Felton | Lucky Jackson | Silas Bolden | Jeshaun Jones | Thayer Thomas | Tim Jones | Myles Price
No Jordan Addison for three weeks to start the season. No Rondale Moore for the whole year. Tai Felton, a rookie, is raw. And some fans don’t trust Jalen Nailor.
Therefore, fans are begging for a wide receiver to blossom in the final preseason game, hoping one or two can answer the call in the regular season when it matters.
Our Janik Eckardt noted on Thayer Thomas’ quiet first preseason game: “Eight Vikings wide receivers managed to catch at least one pass, but Thayer Thomas was not one of them. He played 15 snaps and needs a productive preseason to make the team in his third try, but his odds didn’t get any better on Saturday. Fellow third-year Viking Lucky Jackson is making strides; Thomas isn’t.”
Prediction: Jalen Nailor | Tai Felton | Lucky Jackson | Silas Bolden
Note: Minnesota could also sign a free-agent wide receiver after NFL roster cuts on August 26th.
1. CB4-CB5
The Contenders: Mekhi Blackmon | Dwight McGlothern | Zemaiah Vaughn | Ambry Thomas | Tavierre Thomas
Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and Jeff Okudah are in the driver’s seat to win the main cornerback jobs. Full stop.
After the trio, however, it’s a mystery. Blackmon and McGlothern likely have the inside track to filling out the rest of the CB depth chart. Still, Vaughn has turned heads at training camp, and Thomas has ample special teams experience throughout his career.
Cornerbacks often get injured, so this battle will be important to monitor throughout 2025. The question is basically this: Who is the next man up if or when Murphy Jr., Rodgers, or Okudah misses time?
It may be a simple question of Blackmon or McGlothern.
Prediction: Mekhi Blackmon | Dwight McGlothern
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