4 Vikings Flying Under the Radar for Roster Spots
The Minnesota Vikings will reveal their 53-man roster in 16 days, a steady march to depth chart trimdowns from a starting point of 90 players.
Four Vikings players quietly made their case for roster spots as training camp unfolded. Learn who’s flying under the radar and why they could make the 53-man.
The preseason, meanwhile, is in full swing, and the Vikings’ first regular season game is about four weeks away.
And when the team gets to roster cutdown day, August 26th, these four players have a puncher’s chance of making the final cut. They’re listed alphabetically.
Dark Horse Players Who Could Make Vikings’ September Roster
Keep an eye on these unsung guys for roster spots.
1. Silas Bolden | WR
The Vikings did not re-sign Brandon Powell this offseason, and running back Ty Chandler could be released in a couple of weeks. Those men fielded the lion’s share of punt and kick return snaps last season, meaning Kevin O’Connell and Co. could need new return men.
Well, guess what Bolden did at Oregon State and Texas? He returned kicks and punts. The speedster has the college resume to latch onto the end of Minnesota’s roster as a return man.
Minnesota will also be without Jordan Addison until Week 3 of the regular season, opening a roster spot for one more wideout.
2. Joe Huber | G
To be fair, Huber did not tear up training camp or make any true splashes among his peers. Let’s get that out there for full disclosure.
However, if the Vikings want a backup guard at each spot, left and right, Blake Brandel and someone else will be tabbed for duty. In theory, Michael Jurgens could be that guy, but he’s also on deck for backup center duty.
If Minnesota wants two true reserve guards — not just one — Huber could make the 53-man roster.
PurplePTSD.com‘s Kyle Joudry noted on Huber after the draft, “In the past, Joe Huber has overcome some long odds to find success on the football field. Could something similar occur at the NFL level? No guarantee, of course, but the Vikings have signalled their belief in him within the contract and will be looking for him to make some noise throughout OTAs, minicamp, and training camp. Huber is 23.”
3. Zavier Scott | RB
To date in the NFL, Scott is a “practice squad guy,” biding his time for an audition in the regular season.
That could come in 29 days.
RB3 Ty Chandler may or may not be waived on August 26th. If so on the waiver, Scott would be the frontrunner to earn the RB3 post, particularly if Minnesota didn’t scan the post-cutdown market for an alternative tailback option.
Scott played well at camp, and he’s a dark horse to win the RB3 job.
4. Nick Vannett | TE
Sixth-round tight end Gavin Bartholomew is on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start his NFL career, meaning the purple team needs a TE3 to emerge during and after the preseason. Most believe UDFA tight end Ben Yurosek will be that man, and the theory is sound.
But what if the Vikings signed Nick Vannell earlier this week for a reason? That is — they don’t quite trust Yurosek in the regular season.
A to Z Sports’ Tyler Forness wrote about Vannett this week, ‘This is the second time that the Vikings have added depth at the tight end position this offseason. Right before mandatory minicamp, they added Giovanni Ricci with sixth-round pick Gavin Bartholomew nursing a back injury.”
“He is still on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which is a cause for concern as we move forward in the preseason. Vannett is another veteran to add in a room with multiple rookies who could learn a thing or two. Also, he can eat up some snaps during the course of the preseason to keep both T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver off the field.”
Vannett played all 17 games for the Tennessee Titans last year.
Forness added, “What does this mean for the Vikings and the tight end position? From the onset of the addition, Vannett is a threat to make the roster, as he’s a versatile depth piece who can play a multitude of different roles on the offense.”
“It could also spell disaster for Bartholomew, as his back injury could be worse than we realize, especially with Vannett being the second tight end that has been added in as many weeks.”
Vannett would be the go-to veteran. He’s played 111 career games. The man is used to filling the TE3 role. Some might even consider him the frontrunner to win TE3 over Yurosek.
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