Vikings Deliver First Stunning Roster Cut
The NFL preseason will continue to be a playground for regular season lies.
The Vikings delivered their first “wait, what?” roster cut on Tuesday, a move that stunned fans and raised questions about how Minnesota is maneuvering its 2025 roster.
Why? Well, arguably the Minnesota Vikings’ best player from three preseason games, outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy, apparently won’t be a part of the 53-man roster in 2025, at least not initially.
Minnesota will reportedly waive Murphy today before the league’s roster trimdown deadline.
Vikings Deliver Shocking Roster Cut Before Deadline
Say goodbye to 53-man roster hopes for Gabriel Murphy.
Say It Ain’t So! Vikings to Waive OLB Gabriel Murphy
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero delivered the blow for Vikings fans on Tuesday morning: “The Vikings plan to waive OLB Gabriel Murphy barring a trade before today’s cutdown deadline, per source. Murphy had 1.5 sacks in the preseason.”
Nobody anywhere had Murphy as a summer roster cut, so the new Pelissero tweet instantly caused head scratches.
A Stunner According to Fans
Murphy barnstormed three preseason games, so much so that he felt like a lock for the September roster. In fact, in the first exhibition contest, a win over the Houston Texans, Murphy logged 5 quarterback hits in one game alone on limited snaps. Yes, 5.
The performance banged the drum on a roster spot for Murphy, creating a no-brainer status for his roster inclusion.
Vikings fan Rylan Skye tweeted about Murphy’s waiver, “WTF … why?”
@AirMoss18 added, “I’d love to hear Kwesi’s rationale for this move… most of us expected Murphy to be a key depth piece this year, similar to the value Patrick Jones provided in 2024.”
@MN_Sports brought the heat: “This real life just pissed my tf off.”
Now What … without Murphy?
Minnesota generally keeps at least five EDGE defenders on a regular season roster, with 2025 on track to be no exception. For now, the OLB room could look like this:
- Jonathan Greenard
- Andrew Van Ginkel
- Dallas Turner
- Bo Richter
- Tyler Batty
Another undrafted free agent, Chaz Chambliss, is also still on the expanded summer roster, though most expect him to follow Murphy onto the waiver wire later Tuesday.
A Signal of an Incoming Move
Meanwhile, Minnesota could be gearing up for an unknown outside linebacker transaction. The club has plenty of late-round draft picks to trade, in addition to a free-agent market and waiver wire that will feature over 1,100 fresh faces by Tuesday night.
Most onlookers considered the OLB spot rather deep for Minnesota — before the Murphy waiver. The man was that much of a roster shoo-in.
Now, because of Murphy’s exit, the team could be in the market for a Murphy-adjacent asset, as Richter and Batty are relative unknowns in NFL roster-speak.
More on Murphy
A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness noted on Murphy one week ago, “When you look at the depth, it’s strong on the defensive line, and one of the emerging stars ready to break out is the top UDFA addition from last season in edge rusher Gabe Murphy.”
“Murphy’s performance in the first preseason game opened the eyes of many to how good Murphy could be. He was starting to impress at the beginning of his first training camp before his knee injury knocked him out for multiple weeks. That true breakout came against the Houston Texans at the beginning of August, and it was a great sight to see.”
In the end, Murphy’s preseason heroism did not matter.
Forness added, “Murphy would be the first guy off the bench when it comes to the rotation since Greenard, Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner are all considered starters. His performance so far during the preseason and in joint practices against the New England Patriots has made that apparent. How will Murphy do against starting-caliber competition on a regular basis?”
“If it’s anything like his one game with significant playing time against the Atlanta Falcons, he will be a factor this year.”
Murphy will turn 25 in October.
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