Vikings Players on the Roster Bubble This Summer
Training camp is about eight weeks away for the Minnesota Vikings, and during that event, head coach Kevin O’Connell’s depth chart will take shape.
The Vikings, like every summer, will have a roster bubble in July and August, and these players might be on it.
For now, the Vikings have 90 players on their roster, which will be reduced to 53 by early September.
So, to get you thinking about training camp and the preseason, these semi-notable Vikings players, listed alphabetically, could be on the roster bubble this summer.
1. Brian Asamoah (LB)
During Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft, the young executive yanked Brian Asamoah from Round 3, and through three seasons, the club simply doesn’t use him on defense. He doesn’t play. Asamoah is reserved for special teams.
Now, with former Viking Eric Wilson back on the roster — fresh off a stint with the Green Bay Packers — and 6th-Round linebacker Kobe King in the mix, Asmoah absolutely lives on the roster bubble. In fact, it may be a safe bet to assume he misses the cut.
2. Ty Chandler (RB)
When Adofo-Mensah green-lit a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for running back Jordan Mason in March, fans rejoiced. Mason is a stud.
The news, however, was not favorable to Chandler, who always seems to get demoted on the Vikings’ roster.
Minnesota signed undrafted free agent Tre Stewart from Jacksonville State, and when the league gets to roster trimdowns in late August, at least a dozen prominent running backs are guaranteed to flood the market.
Accordingly, Chandler is on the bubble.
3. Levi Drake Rodgriguez (DT)
Vikings fans were over the moon in March when the franchise inked free-agent defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to sizable contracts. The team finally got with the program and emphasized the interior defensive trenches.
But those maneuvers weren’t so great for Levi Drake Rodriguez, who now has two new formidable linemen ahead of him on the depth chart.
Someone will be the odd man out at defensive tackle — Drake Rodriguez or Taki Taimani — and Drake Rodriguez is on the bubble.
4. Michael Jurgens (iOL)
From undrafted free agency, the Vikings signed Wisconsin’s Joe Huber, who could be a “diamond in the rough” asset. Meanwhile, Minnesota also spent substantial funds on new interior offensive linemen, guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly.
All three transactions bussed Jurgens to the back of the depth chart, and with Blake Brandel still around, Jurgens might have to fight for a roster spot this summer.
5. Dwight McGlothern (CB)
Minnesota said goodbye to cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin this offseason, or at least, it has not re-signed either veteran.
Good news for McGlothern, an undrafted free agent last year, right? No, not really.
McGlothern’s teammate, Mekhi Blackmon, has completed an ACL tear injury recovery. The purple team signed Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah. And an unsung corner named Ambry Thomas found his way to Minnesota’s depth chart.
Some hardcore fans really love McGlothern, but outwardly, he’s on the roster bubble.
PurplePTSD‘s Kyle Joudry wrote about McGlothern earlier this offseason, “Working in McGlothern’s favor is that he stands at 6’2″, giving him the length that defensive coordinators covet in boundary corners. Still only 23, McGlothern may be able to pack on a bit more muscle to his 185-pound frame, better equipping him to handle the NFC’s bully receivers like A.J. Brown, Mike Evans, Drake London, D.K. Metcalf, and Christian Watson (among others).”
“Right now, corner is perhaps the weakest spot on Minnesota’s roster. Seeing McGlothern push his game to a point where he becomes a viable CB4 — someone capable of jumping into action and doing reasonably well — would be a major win for the Vikings given that he arrived as a UDFA who commanded just $30,000 in guaranteed cash.”
McGlothern must basically perform well enough at training camp and in the preseason to earn the CB5 post.
Jourdy concluded in February. “As a rookie, McGlothern played 19 snaps on defense alongside 17 snaps on special teams. Getting into the active lineup and contributing with regularity — even if it’s mostly on specials — would represent a nice step forward.”
6. Rondale Moore (WR)
Yes, Adofo-Mensah just signed Moore, and yes, he’ll probably make the 53-man depth chart.
Still, at the time of the Moore free-agent move, rookie Tai Feldon had not been drafted in Round 3. Couple that new development with Moore’s summer injury recovery, and there’s a world where the former Arizona Cardinals speed demon isn’t guaranteed a roster spot.
The Felton draft pick put Moore on the roster bubble, if only gingerly. Much of his bubble status also involves the injury from last summer that cancelled his fresh start with the Atlanta Falcons.
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