UDFA standouts highlight Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster projection changes post Texans preseason game

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Houston Texans 20-10 in the preseason opener for the 2025 season. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy got the start and threw the ball relatively well. The biggest thing was how good his process was overall, as he led the Vikings to a field goal. The biggest storylines for the Vikings came from […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Houston Texans 20-10 in the preseason opener for the 2025 season. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy got the start and threw the ball relatively well. The biggest thing was how good his process was overall, as he led the Vikings to a field goal.

The biggest storylines for the Vikings came from the depth players, who shone through and made things more difficult when it comes to general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah making those decisions at the end of August. Where did we see the biggest shakeups? Let’s dive into it.

Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster prediction post Houston Texans game

Quarterback: 3

IN: J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell, Max Brosmer
OUT: Brett Rypien

The preseason debut gave us quite a bit more information on this group After a poor start to training camp, Howell proved that he was a gamer and played very well with the second and third teamers. Along with that, Brosmer also played well in the fourth quarter, throwing a touchdown pass and getting the final drive in a goal-to-go scenario.

Rypien struggled massively during his time in the game, and it’s not a great start for him. He’s going to have to play better over the next few games.

Running Back: 4

IN: Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Zavier Scott, C.J. Ham (FB)
OUT: Tre Stewart, Ty Chandler

The running back room is very interesting, and honestly, it’s pretty strong. Chandler has been the leader to be RB3, mainly due to his special teams versatility. On Saturday, he saw his biggest competition in Scott have a great game, including playing well on special teams. We still have a long way to go, but there is a lot of intrigue there.

Wide Receiver: 6

IN: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison (suspended list), Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Lucky Jackson, Thayer Thomas, Jeshaun Jones
OUT: Rondale Moore (IR), Tim Jones, Dontae Fleming, Robert Lewis, Silas Bolden, Myles Price

Unfortunately, Moore suffered a serious injury to his left knee on a punt return in the second quarter. He is likely going to be placed on injured reserve later this week. Along with that, we saw a heirarchy start to form after WR3 with Jackson as the top option. Addison will be going on the suspended list for three games, meaning another wide receiver is likely going to make the roster. Tim Jones had a rough special teams day, and is lower on the receiver depth chart, which drops him from the team for now.

Tight End: 3

IN: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek
OUT: Gavin Bartholomew (PUP), Bryson Nesbit, Giovanni Ricci, Nick Vannett

Right now, the tight end group is one of the more boring ones on the roster. The only spot up for grabs is the third spot, and if the Vikings potentially keep a fourth. Yurosek has had a good training camp, and with Bartholomew still on PUP, it’s becoming more likely he makes the team.

Offensive Tackle: 4

IN: Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill, Justin Skule, Walter Rouse
OUT: Logan Brown, Leroy Watson

No changes in this group so far. However, Rouse is starting to make inroads to taking the swing tackle job from Skule. He’s been impressive so far during training camp, especially against Dallas Turner.

Interior Offensive Line: 5

IN: Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Donovan Jackson, Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens Michael Jurgens, Blake Brandel
OUT: Henry Byrd, Joe Huber, Zeke Correll (IR), Vershon Lee

Zero changes here, but we did see an injury, as Correll broke his ankle at the end of the game and will likely miss the entire season, hence our projection for him going to injured reserve. Huber was the highest graded player on the Vikings roster this past Saturday at 94.7, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s going to be a player to watch for moving forward.

Defensive Tackle: 6

IN: Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Harrison Phillips, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jalen Redmond
OUT: Taki Taimani, Jonathan Harris, Travis Bell, Elijah Williams

The defensive tackle group is arguably the deepest on the roster. There aren’t any changes to who makes the roster, but there are some really impressive players that don’t make the roster here. Taimani was one of the biggest surprises of last year’s training camp, and he’s been relegated to the third team. Meanwhile, Williams was one of the biggest surprises. He was added to the roster after shining in rookie minicamp, and registered four pressures on Saturday. He’s going to be a must-watch for the Vikings moving forward.

Edge Rusher: 5

IN: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Gabe Murphy, Bo Richter
OUT: Tyler Batty, Chaz Chambliss

This position group is both very talented along with contentious at the back end. There are six players who arguably deserve a roster spot, but there are only so many roster spots to go around. Murphy and Richter combined for two sacks on the day, and both looked great in attacking the quarterback around the edge.

Inside Linebacker: 4

IN: Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., Eric Wilson, Kobe King
OUT: Brian Asamoah II, Austin Keys, Dorian Mausi

Asamoah played extensively into the game, logging 23 snaps overall. That’s not a good sign for his future. King also played 29 snaps, but he was a sixth-round pick in April’s NFL Draft. That’s to be expected. Right now, Asamoah is still on the outside looking in, and it’s likely to stay that way throughout the process.

Cornerback: 6

IN: Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Mekhi Blackmon, Jeff Okudah, Dwight McGlothern, Zemaiah Vaughn
OUT: Kahlef Hailassie, Keenan Garber, Ambry Thomas, Tavierre Thomas, Reddy Steward

The cornerback group was really interesting on Saturday afternoon. Hailassie and Thomas each notched interceptions on the afternoon. Vaughn (37) and Blackmon (34) played the most snaps among the cornerbacks, but it shouldn’t be too big of a concern. Vaughn started playing with the second team and stayed in the game, getting much-needed snaps. Blackmon staying in the game is most likely due to not having played in a live football game since January of 2024. Keep an eye out for Hailassie potentially sneaking in here, as his performance was good, and he’s reportedly been impressing the coaches.

Safety: 4

IN: Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward
OUT: Mishael Powell, Gervarrius Owens

This is a pretty set-in-stone group, and both Powell and Owens are likely here just to eat snaps during the preseason. The real intrigue will be to see how much Jackson plays, as it will signal how much the Vikings really believe in him as a starter.

Specialists: 3

IN: Will Reichard (K), Ryan Wright (P), Andrew DePaola (LS)
OUT: Oscar Chapman (P)

Like our last version of this, there isn’t much mystery with this group. Chapman is an intriguing player, but he is a free practice squad player as an International Pathway Player.

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Tyler Forness

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