In the final preseason game of the year, the Minnesota Vikings fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 34-6. It exposed the depth at multiple position groups, and those deficiencies were a major reason why the Vikings weren’t able to get the win.

While the offense stalled out a lot in the red zone, they were able to move the ball consistently down the field. It just didn’t result in enough points. Going into cutdown day this weekend, here’s what we learned.

Gavin Bartholomew showcases his athleticism

This was a big game for the Vikings to parse out the tight end position. After T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, there is a hole at TE3, and the hope is one of those players can develop into a contributor long-term.

Bartholomew looked the part fro man athleticism standpoint. He caught five passes for 25 yards, showing his athleticism on a screen pass where he was very shifty in the open field. I think he’s likely done enough to win the TE3 job overall, but time will tell.

Jacob Thomas and Jacob Roberts suffer injuries

Early in the first quarter, the Vikings defense was struggling against the Broncos offense. They were finding some success on the back end stopping deep shots. Charles Demmings had a nice PBU earlier in the drive, but it was a later shot to the sideline that resonated more.

Thomas, who was having a fantastic training camp, went for a ball and suffered an ankle injury. It looked pretty rough live and he didn’t return. Hopefully, we get a positive update on Thomas after the game.

Roberts left the game with a knee injury, and the training staff told head coach Kevin O’Connell when he was mic’d up on the broadcast that they were looking at him for an ACL injury. Hopefully, both players will be healthy enough to potentially play Week 1, becuase they will likely make the team if the injuries aren’t too bad.

Edge depth is a real concern

Going into the preseason, the depth at edge rusher was a concern, and that hasn’t gone away. Nobody is concerned at all with Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner, but if either guys goes down, it could be a massive issue. You can’t ask these guys to play 100% of snaps, so even in those situations when they take breathers, it could be rough.

This game doesn’t make you feel any better about the depth at the position. You might be asking yourself “why would the final preseason game factor in?” Simple: Tyler Batty, Bo Richter, and Chaz Chambliss are your depth players at edge who are likely to make the roster. They need to prioritize finding a veteran at that spot to fortify a front that has talent, but needs a little extra.