The Vikings’ Most Crowded Roster Spots in 2025
The Minnesota Vikings have embarked on a somewhat rare era of roster depth and will hope that a Super Bowl window opens as early as September.
Unusually, the Vikings have some crowded roster sections this summer — which is a good problem. These are those.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has built the roster with purpose, and aside from J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, there aren’t too many egregious question marks.
Meanwhile, some areas of the depth chart are crowded. These are those, with No. 1 as the most crowded spot. And note: crowded roster spots are not bad.
4. Outside Linebacker
Vikings OLBs —
- Jonathan Greenard
- Andrew Van Ginkel
- Dallas Turner
- Bo Richter
- Gabriel Murphy
- Tyler Batty
- Chaz Chambliss
- Matt Harmon
Not many NFL teams have two Pro Bowl EDGE rushers and then an extra 1st-Rounder ready to wreak havoc on quarterbacks.
But the Vikings do, and their OLB room is ripe with talent, mostly young players after Greenard and Van Ginkel. Turner hopes for something akin to a full-time workload this season, while Richter, Murphy, and Batty will vie for the fourth pass rusher job.
The trio of Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Turner makes this one of the Vikings’ deepest roster spots by default.
3. Wide Receiver
Vikings WRs —
- Justin Jefferson
- Jordan Addison
- Jalen Nailor
- Tai Felton
- Rondale Moore
- Silas Bolden
- Tim Jones
- Thayer Thomas
- Lucky Jackson
- Jeshaun Jones
- Dontae Fleming
- Robert Lewis
- Myles Price
Most NFL teams have a boatload of wide receivers at this point on the calendar. Minnesota is no different.
But drafting Tai Felton in Round 3 six weeks ago made the Vikings’ WR room rather deep. One must wonder if a player like Rondale Moore will be on the chopping block — that’s how deep the depth chart has become.
Felton changed everything, chiefly because 3rd-Round draft stock for a wideout suggests he should play in his rookie season. And, of course, Minnesota already has the first three positions squared away with Jefferson, Addison, and Nailor.
2. Cornerback
Vikings CBs —
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Jeff Okudah
- Dwight McGlothern
- Ambry Thomas
- Tavierre Thomas
- Reddy Steward
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Keenan Garber
- Zemaiah Vaughn
The title of this article is “crowded roster spots” — not the most elite.
Minnesota’s CB corps may need improvement at the CB2 position, but on the whole, there are plenty of contenders. Murphy Jr. is the CB1, unquestionably. Fans think Rodgers will win the CB2 title. After that, it’s a grand mystery, and the Vikings have about six or seven corners who could make a 53-man depth chart around the NFL.
Our Kyle Joudry wrote about Jeff Okudah, one man who makes the room deep, last week.
He observed, “To be sure, there’s risk in getting too enthused about what’s taking place at OTAs, but the new Vikings corner getting some starter reps is notable enough. Jeff Okudah has had a disappointing career since going No. 3 overall to the Detroit Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft. Coming out of Ohio State, the 6’1″ corner who is a sturdy 205 pounds was supposed to develop into a true CB1, a tremendously valuable component of a team.”
“Instead, he has battled injury and already shuffled around to different teams. Does Okudah finally shine now that he’s with the Vikings? Generally speaking, a football player who marries top-level talent with a fantastic work ethic can accomplish plenty, especially since we’re talking about someone who clearly has strong intelligence given that he’s already digesting Flores’ scheme.”
Okudah in peak form is the stuff of dreams for purple fans.
Joudry continued, “Jeff Okudah isn’t making major money, but there’s a key caveat within his contract: the deal is locked in as guaranteed money. The $2.35 million cap charge comes in the form of a $1.18 million signing bonus and $1.17 million in guaranteed salary. The simple suggestion is merely that Minnesota is expecting Okudah on the final roster.”
“Okudah, 26, oozes ability and potential. He has battled injury and underperformance in his career, but Minnesota is betting on motivated talent. The early update is a positive one.”
1. Defensive Tackle
Vikings DTs —
We’re not kidding.
After years — stacked upon years — of skimpy and unflattering defensive tackle depth, Minnesota got the memo, investing heavily in the defensive line’s interior by signing Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave while drafting Georgia’s Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins in April.
The club already had Harrison Phillips and Jalen Redmond on the depth chart, but it made a statement by achieving DT depth for the first time in over a decade.
You can tell purple and gold football has changed when defensive tackle is the most crowded spot. It was never like this in the last decade.
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