Vikings 53-Man Roster Projection: Nolan Teasley set to make an impact after minicamp cleared up multiple positions
We may have to wait approximately 6 weeks until the start of training camp,
The Minnesota Vikings have been entrenched in a quarterback battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, but that’s not the only area of intrigue for the team.
With minicamp now in the rearview mirror, the Vikings have a lot of decisions at hand for general manager Nolan Teasley. He will likely want to make a big splash to put his stamp on the roster, but how will that look? Our latest 53-man roster projection has some changes since the NFL Draft.
Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2026 undrafted free agents.
Vikings’ way-too-early post-draft 53-man roster projection with UDFAs
Quarterback (3)
IN: Kyler Murray, Carson Wentz, J.J. McCarthy
OUT: Max Brosmer
The skinny: There shouldn’t be a ton of discussion about this group. They will keep three quarterbacks after either Murray or McCarthy wins the starting quarterback job. The one thing to monitor is if either one asks to be traded upon losing the competition. That would likely vault Brosmer on to the 53-man roster
Running back (4)
IN: Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Zavier Scott, Max Bredeson*
OUT: Demond Claiborne*, Kejon Owens**
The skinny: It would be a surprise to see Bredeson not make the roster with the addition of Frank Smith as the assistant head coach. The intrigue here is going to be if Claiborne can beat out Scott for the third running back spot. The juice he provides, along with trading up for him, is likely going to get him the job. However, Claiborne needs to show he can do the necessary special teams and pass blocking responsibilities.
Wide receiver (6)
IN: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, Tai Felton, Myles Price, Dillon Bell**
OUT: Dontae Fleming, Jeshaun Jones, Luky Wysong**, Terrill Davis, Michael Briscoe**, Trayvon Rudolph**, Marcus Sanders Jr.**.
The skinny: The last time we broke down the projected 53-man roster, we didn’t know what the roster would look like at wide receiver. They hadn’t signed Jennings yet, and it raised questions about the group as a whole. Now that Jennings is in tow, it’s a much clearer group to parse out.
The depth players are fascinating. Felton feels like a lock, not due to his ability as a wide receiver, but his special teams acumen. There is ability yet to be extracted on offense, and year two could get it out of him. After those four, Price currently stays on the roster due to his return ability, but he could be unseated there, and Bell continues to get praise across the board.
Tight end (3)
IN: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek
OUT: Gavin Bartholomew, Bryson Nesbit
The skinny: After missing out of Kenyon Sadiq, the Vikings are going to be in a similar spot to where they were last year. Who will win the TE3 job? Bartholomew only practiced for a total of three weeks since being drafted last season, which isn’t good. That’s why Yurosek gets the nod. However, don’t discount the idea of Bartholomew beating out Bredeson for the FB/HB roster spot.
Offensive line (9)
IN: Christian Darrisaw (LT), Donovan Jackson (LG), Blake Brandel (C), Will Fries (RG), Brian O’Neill (RT), Ryan Van Demark, Michael Jurgens, Joe Huber, Caleb Tiernan**
OUT: Walter Rouse, Gavin Gerhardt*, Vershon Lee, Henry Byrd, Tomas Rimac**, Delby Lemieux**, Tristan Leigh**, Caleb Etienne
The skinny: The first of the nine draft picks that doesn’t make the roster is the last selection. Being at No. 235, it’s a small investment where the Vikings don’t have to keep them for salary cap purposes. Ideally, the Vikings would like to have 10, but it doesn’t happen. If the Vikings keep just five wide receivers, watch him make the roster.
Defensive line (6)
IN: Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Elijah Williams, Caleb Banks*, Domonique Orange*
OUT: Taki Taimani, Eric Johnson, Monkell Goodwine**
The skinny: The Vikings made a couple of additions to the room as a whole after the NFL Draft, bringing in both Johnson and Loudermilk. The latter makes the roster for two reasons: familiarity with Brian Flores in 2022 and he profiles similarly to Caleb Banks being 6-7 and over 300 pounds.
Linebacker (4)
IN: Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, Ivan Pace Jr., Jake Golday*
OUT: Jacob Roberts, Josh Ross, Keli Lawson**, Bangally Kamara**
The skinny: I think this room is really intriguing after the top three. Pace could be moved on from if we see someone step up with an unguaranteed $3.52 million on his contract. Roberts was really good for an excellent Calgary Stampeders defense and Kamara can’t be overlooked after he earned a contract after rookie minicamp. This could be a group where they keep five players if the group as a whole balls out.
EDGE/Outside Linebacker (6)
IN: Dallas Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Bo Richter, Tyler Batty, Chaz Chambliss
OUT: Arden Walker**, Cam’Ron Stewart**
The skinny: With Jonathan Greenard now playing with the Eagles, edge rusher all of a sudden has a major depth issue. They have moved Ingram-Dawkins out to work with the edge rushers, and it’s an interesting experiment. He doesn’t have the ability to bend the arc like a standard edge rusher, but the linear explosiveness, along with his length and power, can be utilized by Brian Flores on the edge.
Cornerback (4)
IN: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, James Pierre, Charles Demmings*
OUT: Dwight McGlothern, Zemaiah Vaughn, Da’Veawn Armstead**, Marcus Allen**, Tyreek Chappell**, Kahlef Haillassie
The skinny: Last year, Flores led the Vikings to the No. 2 passing defense with just three cornerbacks on the roster. With how he’s constructing this defense and the usage of three safeties, keeping four cornerbacks makes sense with 2-3 on the practice squad.
Safety (5)
IN: Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward, Tavierre Thomas, Jakobe Thomas*
OUT: Jacob Thomas**
The skinny: Harrison Smith is still going to be a major factor in how this room shakes out. If he returns, I would expect the Vikings to try and trade Jackson, as it would save them around $300k this year and still cost then $1 million next season by cutting him.
Specialists (3)
IN: Will Reichard (K), Brett Thorson (P)**, Andrew DePaola (LS)
OUT: Johnny Hekker (P)
The skinny: We are getting another punter competition this year. Thorson won the Ray Guy Award as the top punter in college football last year, and Hekker was an average player for the Tennessee Titans. It will be a fun battle to watch play out.
Final Word
With Teasley finally getting things put together in the front office, don’t be surprised if the roster starts to take on a different shape. He will want to put his own stamp on it sooner rather than later, and that could manifest in a major addition. The back end of the roster doesn’t have as many battles on it as it did last year, but they will be important nonetheless.