Vikings 53-Man Roster Projection: First 7 training camp practice provide fascinating blueprint for Nolan Teasley
Training camp is now seven practices deep, and the Minnesota Vikings have some really interesting roster decisions ahead of them.
The Minnesota Vikings have been entrenched in a quarterback battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, and seven practices have started to help identify who is going to be on the roster or not.
New general manager Nolan Teasley has already begun to make decisionson the future of the team, with the biggest being the extension of right tackle Brian O’Neill. Where do things sit as we navigate forward through the rest of training camp? Let’s break it down.
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: I continue to stay consistent with this group. However, the one thing that has me intrigued is the idea of a potential trade once Murray is named the starter. Would Teasley be open to trading McCarthy after the competition officially comes to a close? That is worth monitoring moving forward.
Running back (4)
IN: Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Zavier Scott, Max Bredeson*
OUT: Demond Claiborne*, Jordan Mims
The skinny: Nothing has changed with the running back room. I continue to see Bredeson being used a lot on the first team on running plays. Even so, it’s worth keeping an eye on, since the tight ends are really intriguing.
Claiborne continues to be left of the projected 53-man roster for two reasons: he hasn’t shown to be a capable player on special teams, not to mention he dropped four passes this week during practice.
Wide receiver (6)
IN: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, Tai Felton, Myles Price, Dillon Bell**
OUT: Dontae Fleming, Jeshaun Jones, Terrill Davis, Michael Briscoe**, Trayvon Rudolph**, Marcus Sanders Jr.**.
The skinny: Going into training camp, the thought was that Bell was going to separate himself from the pack. While he’s been fine, Bell hasn’t stood out at all. He’s just been there, making the prefuctory catches. Even so, he makes the team, but has a lot competition.
Fleming has balled out during the course of camp, Felton is a top contender for Mr. Mankato, Price looks like a bona fide wide receiver, and Jones feels like the next Trishton Jackson. The depth of this group is going to create some fascinating battles moving forward.
Tight end (3)
IN: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Gavin Bartholomew
OUT: Ben Yurosek, Bryson Nesbit, Marshall Lang
The skinny: The first change of the list since before training camp sees Bartholomew overtake Yurosek. Listen, it’s not even Yurosek’s fault. He’s been really good, but Bartholomew, who was a sixth-round pick last April, is showing a plus ability to attack downfield with his movement skills. Don’t be surprised if we see four tight ends with how talented they are.
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. Keep an eye on Rouse, who already seems to have dropped to third team.
Defensive line (5)
IN: Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Elijah Williams, Caleb Banks*, Domonique Orange*
OUT: Taki Taimani, Eric Johnson, Smith Vilbert**, Jahvaree Ritzie
The skinny: This could end up being a really good defensive line group for the Vikings. The depth of this group has some intereresting players, especially Williams. He was my pick for Mr. Mankato going into training camp, and he’s thrived thus far, inlcuding getting snaps with the first team. This group’s biggest question is Louermilk vs. Johnson, but neither makes the roster in this simulation.
Linebacker (5)
IN: Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, Ivan Pace Jr., Jamal Adams, Jake Golday*
OUT: Jacob Roberts, Josh Ross, Keli Lawson**, Bangally Kamara**
The skinny: I think Pace could be on the trade block with the state of his contract, but he’s played better than expected during practice. He’s had multiple pass breakups over the middle, and looks to be moving considerably better than he has in previous seasons. Will that continue? Nobody knows for sure, but it’s an interesting theme to look at moving forward.
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: Edge rusher has a major depth issue. After Turner and Van Ginkel, Ingram-Dawkins hasn’t proven himself to be good enough to be a traditional edge rusher, but in certain packages, he’s going to thrive in the playstyle of a 4-3 5T. There needs to be an addition to this group in free agency. Even with the group of solid special teams players, they need something more.
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: Demmings is shaping up to be Mr. Mankato after a string of four very impressive practices, where he had multiple pass breakups and great reps against Jefferson on multiple days. Only four cornerbacks feels low, but defensive coordinator Brian Flores only had three cornerbacks for the majority of the season last year, and the success of Demmings and Vaughn could force them to have either four or five cornerbacks.
Safety (5)
IN: Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward, Tavierre Thomas, Jakobe Thomas*
OUT: Jacob Thomas**
The skinny: The safety room is still at the mercy of Harrison Smith’s decision. If he returns, keep an eye on Jackson being the odd man out, as he was benched last year. This is also a room that could end up having an addition to it due to the uncertainty after Metellus.
Specialists (3)
IN: Will Reichard (K), Johnny Hekker, Andrew DePaola (LS)
OUT: Brett Thorson (P)**
The skinny: All summer, I’ve thought that Thorson would win the punting job. However, I’ve switched my thinking and have Hekker winning the job. The main reason is simple: Thorson will count as the international pathway player if he’s on the practice squad, and he can take over the job next season.
Final Word
How Teasley puts together this roster is going to be very interesting on a multitude of levels. There are some fascinating position battles to navigate, and how the practice squad will be structured leaves a lot of questions. We are still three weeks away from cut down day, and the questions won’t stop until then.
