The Minnesota Vikings finished the preseason with a 1-2 record after losing to the Denver Broncos by a score of 34-6. It wasn’t the happiest of preseasons for the Vikings, as the offense struggled mightily to score points in the red zone, as they finished with just one touchdown across the three games.

Now that the preseason is done, it’s time to talk about general manager Nolan Teasley’s 53-man roster. This will be the first time he’s put together a 53-man roster as the Vikings’ general manager, and he can finally put his stamp on the franchise.

Will he choose to move on from J.J. McCarthy? That might be the biggest question he has yet to answer, and a resolution could be coming sooner rather than later.

Important details for 2026 roster cuts

The official cutdown day is Sunday, August 30th at 3 p.m. CT. There are a lot of nuances to the rules and you can get yourself familiar with them here.

Released

When a vested veteran (those who have accrued four seasons in the NFL) is cut from a team. These players are not required to pass through waivers and can immediately become unrestricted free agents. Sometimes that means they’ll sign with another team. Other times, teams can release these veterans and re-sign them after they’ve placed other players on injured reserve.

Waived

Players who have not accrued four seasons in the NFL are waived instead of being released. 31 NFL teams will have a chance to claim waived players on their 53-man roster by 11:00 a.m. CT on August 28. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Waiver priority this time of year is determined by team records from the previous season. The team with the worst record will get the top waiver priority, in this case, the Las Vegas Raiders. The Seattle Seahawks will have the lowest waiver priority as Super Bowl LVIII champions.

Waived/injured

If these players clear waivers they will revert to the Vikingss’ injured reserve list. They can opt to spend the season with Minnesota on IR or reach an injury settlement with the team, which will pay them for the number of weeks they’ll miss with injury and make them an unrestricted free agent. Players who opt for the latter route can rejoin the team later in the season after they’re healthy.

Injured reserve

Now, up to two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and be designated to return. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster and some good reasons to do so. First, if a player is placed on IR, he is forced to miss at least four games. Second, if a player makes the initial 53 and is placed on IR on the following day, there are eight designations to return from IR — and another two for playoff teams.

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list

Players on the Active/PUP list can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list in a move to get the roster down to 53 players. Players who are moved to the Reserve/PUP list do not count against the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings, and use team facilities for rehab, but are not allowed to practice for four weeks. After four weeks, another 21-day window opens up, where the player can practice and be activated. If they’re not activated in those 21 days, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

Reserve/Non-football injury/illness (NFI) lists

Players placed on either Reserve/NFI lists have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They do not count toward the 53-man roster. They can go to team meetings and use facilities for rehab, but they’re not allowed to participate in practice for four weeks. After that, a four-week period opens where they can return to practice and the team can choose to activate the player. If the player isn’t activated at the end of the second four-week period, they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The big difference between the NFI and PUP lists is that teams can withhold a portion of a player’s salary if they’re placed on the NFI lists.

Reserve/Retired list

Players who are placed on this list have retired from the NFL. This is a pretty rare transaction that you typically wouldn’t see in a move to get to 53 players.

Reserve/Did Not Report list

Players who are placed on the Reserve/Dd Not Report list have left their team.

Reserve/Suspended list

Players who are placed on the Reserve/Suspended list have to serve out an NFL suspension. Players on this list do not count toward 53-man roster limits and are not paid their base salary.

---

Minnesota Vikings roster cuts tracker

These are all the players who the Vikings have moved on from ahead of cut down day.