On Saturday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings will kick off the preseason against the New York Giants, which will be an interesting one for multiple reasons.

For Minnesota, they will get to see Kyler Murray hit the field for the first time after being named the starting quarterback. After the first two days of practices since Murray was named the starter, he’s practiced very well. Even so, seeing proof of concept will be huge for the Vikings.

It will also be the first time that general manager Nolan Teasley will get to see Kevin O’Connell’s team in action, starting the process of crafting the final 53-man roster.

On Wednesday, the Vikings released their first unofficial depth chart with some fascinating decisions.

**(This depth chart is unofficial, and may not be 100% accurate)

Offense

Position	First String	Second String	Third String	Fourth String
WR	Justin Jefferson	Tai Feton	Dontae Fleming	Marcus Sanders Jr./Terrill Davis
WR	Jordan Addison	Jeshaun Jones	Dillon Bell	Trayvon Rudolph
WR	Jauan Jennings	Myles Price	Michael Briscoe
LT	Christian Darrisaw	Ryan Van Demark	Tristan Leigh
LG	Donovan Jackson	Joe Huber	Vershon Lee
C	Blake Brandel	Michael Jurgens	Gavin Gerhardt	Delby Lemieux
RG	Will Fries	Walter Rouse	Tomas Rimac
RT	Brian O’Neill	Caleb Tiernan	Henry Byrd
TE	T.J. Hockenson	Josh Oliver	Ben Yurosek	Gavin Bartholomew; Bryson Nesbit and Marshall Lang
QB	Kyler Murray	J.J. McCarthy	Carson Wentz	Max Brosmer
RB	Aaron Jones OR Jordan Mason	Zavier Scott	Demond Claiborne	Jermar Jefferson
FB	Max Bredeson

• Quarterback isn’t surprising. I do wonder if Wentz ends up becoming the No. 2 quarterback on game days, but for now, McCarthy is the backup.
• Mason is now listed as a co-starter with Jones. That’s a very interesting development, and something to be mindful of moving forward.
• Nothing too surprising about how the wide receivers stack up. Don’t be surprised in Fleming moves himself up the ranks in the next few weeks.
• Walter Rouse has moved inside to tackle, which is a noteworthy development. He’s proven to be a liability at tackle, so trying him out at guard makes sense.

Defense

Position	First String	Second String	Third String	Fourth String
DL	Jalen Redmond	Caleb Banks	Elijah Williams	Smith Vilbert
DL	Levi Drake Rodriguez	Domonique Orange	Taki Taimani
DL	Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins	Isaiahh Loudermilk	Eric Johnson II	Jahvaree Ritzie
OLB	Dallas Turner	Tyler Batty	Cam’Ron Stewart	Arden Walker
ILB	Blake Cashman	Ivan Pace Jr.	Jacob Roberts	Bangally Kamara
ILB	Eric Wilson	Jake Golday	Josh Ross
OLB	Andrew Van Ginkel	Bo Richter	Chaz Chambliss
CB	Byron Murphy Jr.	Dwight McGlogthern	Chuck Demmings	Da’Veawn Armstead; Jarod Washington
S	Josh Metellus	Theo Jackson	Tavierre Thomas	Jacob Thomas
S	Jay Ward	Jamal Adams	Jakobe Thomas	Kahlef Hailassie
RCB	Isaiah Rodgers	James Pierre	Zemaiah Vaughn	Marcus Allen; Tyreek Chappell

• After making the roster last year, Elijah Williams is now on the third team, with Isaiahh Loudermilk being listed as a backup. They are entrenched in a battle for a roster spot.
• Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins being listed on the interior is interesting. He’s worked with the edge group a lot during training camp, but isn’t a traditional size for the position.
• Jamal Adams was listed as a backup safety and not a linebacker, which makes sense after his number shifted from 54 to 32.

Special Teams

Position	First String	Second String
Punter/Holder	Johnny Hekker	Brett Thorson
Kicker	Will Reichard
Long Snapper	Andrew DePaola
Punt Returner	Myles Price	Tai Felton
Kick Returner	Myles Price	Demond Claiborne; Tai Felton

Very few surprises here. Johnny Hekker is going to be the guy until Brett Thorson overtakes him. The return spots are going to be fascinating to watch play out. Even though Myles Price had a good season last year, there were issues that could cause the Vikings to go in a different direction.