Now that the Minnesota Vikings have completed their preseason and roster cuts could be announced anytime between now and Tuesday, which is the cutdown deadline. I did a 53-man roster projection a week ago and while a few things have changed since then (Harrison Phillips trade means Elijah Williams most likely makes the roster, Ryan Wright looks to have won the holder job and therefore punter job too), the initial roster seems pretty well set. And with that the strengths and weaknesses of the Vikings roster are becoming more apparent. Here are some thoughts on the Vikings roster and how it may evolve going forward.
UDFAs Continue to be Important
As many as seven rookie undrafted free agents could make the roster – Max Brosmer, Ben Yurosek, Joe Huber, Myles Price, Elijah Williams, Zemaiah Vaughn, and Oscar Chapman all have a shot, although I’d be surprised if more than five made the roster. But that’s still a pretty good haul for a UDFA class- an area the Vikings front office has been adept at leveraging the past few years. And while most are names we likely won’t hear much during the regular season, they fill needed depth and special teams roles at minimum cost with potential to develop into larger roles down the line.
Max Brosmer QB2
Some may think it’s jumping the gun a bit to consider Brosmer as QB2, and I’ve been in that camp. He’s an undrafted rookie after all and it would be better to have an experienced veteran as the primary backup according to conventional wisdom. That may be true, but this is really a choice between Brosmer and Sam Howell. Sure, Howell has a season’s worth of experience from 2023, of a kind, but is he really the best option off the bench, all things considered? My sense is Brosmer is the better option.
Brosmer has shown the poise, processing, decision making, anticipation, and accuracy during the preseason to be QB2 over Howell. He may be a rookie, and undrafted, but he passes the eye test at this point more than Howell. To be honest I was surprised Kevin O’Connell didn’t play Howell against the Titans because he could use more reps. Brosmer hasn’t been perfect out there- he’s had some turnover worthy plays- but he’s steadily improved since the beginning of training camp, shows command of the offense, and is able to not only move the offense, but also make some impressive plays in the process. QB2 isn’t a role too big for him.
Howell on the other hand has a short history that looks a lot like Nick Mullens, in style and substance. Some big time throws, but plenty of interceptions too. His decision making declines under pressure. I haven’t seen that with Brosmer. It’s true you never know how Brosmer may react if his number is called in a regular season game, but everything we’ve seen so far suggests it won’t be too big for him. Kevin O’Connell has praised his preparation and football IQ, and that along with his on field performance seems worthy of the QB2 spot over Howell.
Note: the Vikings are working out Carson Wentz as I write this, which might be a reflection on Howell.
Cornerback Depth is a Problem
There haven’t been any cornerbacks for the Vikings in training camp or preseason that have looked especially impressive overall. Certainly there is more justifiable confidence in Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers, but beyond that there is only the unproven and not much to generate confidence at this point.
Jeff Okudah is CB3 and hasn’t panned out for three teams so far. There is a reason for that. He’s basically a press-man one trick pony and beyond that can and has been exposed. The issue is that he’s slow to react in zone or off coverage and doesn’t have the speed to keep up with faster receivers. What his role will be exactly remains to be seen, but it seems doubtful he will always play press man coverage on every snap. Okudah has had some positive buzz in training camp due to his physicality, and he was playing with some confidence early in training camp, but whether he shows improvement during the regular season remains to be seen.
And beyond Okudah, there really isn’t much to inspire confidence. Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern look worse than they did last year or two years ago in the case of Blackmon. Zemaiah Vaughn has generated some buzz based on some good plays, but has been remarkably inconsistent. One play he comes up to make an aggressive tackle, another play he slips and then misses a tackle that results in a long touchdown. One play he clicks and closes well in zone, another he gives a big cushion giving away a first down reception. He’s also a rookie. The rest of the depth chart has been entirely unremarkable, although it’s true Reddy Steward has played well in limited third-string snaps mostly at the end of preseason games.
The fact that Blackmon and McGlothern seem to have regressed at this point compared to their rookie years is disappointing and the primary reason depth at cornerback is probably the top roster concern. It’s unclear who may be available that could help improve depth at this point, or if Blackmon and/or McGlothern will improve, but it would seem this is a position the Vikings will be eyeing closely for possible upgrades.
Defensive Front is Going to be Another Kind of Problem
This may be the best and deepest defensive front in the league and the best since the Purple People Eaters. At both the defensive interior and edge rusher positions, the Vikings have high end starters and quality depth. This could really be a special year for this group under Brian Flores and will be the biggest problem for every team the Vikings play this season.
They’ve dominated the Vikings starting offensive line (which is one of the best- but have been missing a couple starters) and the Patriots’ even more so. Jonathan Greenard has been on another level in training camp, and honestly I think the coaching staff may have benched Javon Hargrave just so the offense could function reasonably well at points during training camp. The Vikings did not play their first team defense in any preseason games.
In their last full season, both Jonathan Greenard and Javon Hargrave were ranked ninth in the league in pass rush win rate, and Jonathan Allen was ranked 17th. Add to that a roving Andrew Van Ginkel, an improved Dallas Turner, a blitzing Ivan Pace (4th highest PFF graded off-ball LB pass rusher last season) or Blake Cashman (3rd most QB pressures among off-ball LBs last season), and there is a possibility for a historically dominant defensive front for the Vikings this season.
The Vikings also have Jalen Redmond first off the bench among defensive tackles and Gabriel Murphy the same among edge rushers. Both have impressed during training camp and preseason. There is no shortage of quality depth beyond those two as well. That should allow for a healthy rotation without much drop off in performance. But the Vikings are not lacking for talent up front and Brian Flores knows how to use it.
Some Questions on Offensive Line, but Looks to be the Best the Vikings have Fielded in Many Years
On the other side of the trench, there are a few questions, namely when starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw will be ready to go, how well center Ryan Kelly will hold up health-wise over the course of the season, and how rookie Donovan Jackson will perform, but there are encouraging signs. Darrisaw took some reps in the first joint practice and appears to be on a slow ramp up that seems likely to culminate in time for week one, but that is not certain. Donovan Jackson has shown the ability to learn on the job in training camp and gradual improvement. He looks to have a high floor and ceiling so far as he prepares for his first NFL start. Will Fries looks to bring added toughness to the group while Brian O’Neill has been a steady high-end performer for years.
Depth is more of a question mark, particularly at center, and I would not be surprised if the Vikings added a more proven veteran should a suitable candidate become available. Michael Jurgens has shown improvement over last year, but has never started an NFL game and seems likely to struggle against starting level talent. The Vikings have Justin Skule and Blake Brandel as primary veteran backups at tackle and guard, respectively. Skule filled in well at Tampa Bay last season but had so,e rough snaps against Jonathan Greenard in training camp. Brandel has shown he can be a serviceable guard, but with a low ceiling. It was interesting that neither Brandel or Henry Byrd played in the Titans game, while Joe Huber played every snap. Byrd and Brandel have both played snaps at guard and tackle, with similar PFF grades. Byrd graded highest of the three. Brandel had only 17 snaps in preseason. I’m guessing two of the three make the roster and I would think Brandel would be one of them, but it wouldn’t be a total shock if he wasn’t. Both Byrd and Huber have played well- Byrd was the highest PFF pass blocker on the team during preseason and Huber was the highest graded run blocker. And they were both among the highest graded offensive players on the team in preseason. If the Vikings cut Brandel, they’d save $2 million in cap space, and if they were able to trade him, they’d save $3.2 million.
Special Teams Upgrade?
It would seem that Myles Price and Ryan Wright won the competition for punt returner and punter/holder, but will that be much of an upgrade? I don’t know who the primary kick returner will be, but that could be Price too and maybe Tai Felton or a running back. Price looks like an upgrade at punt returner over Brandon Powell last season, but his double-clutch on a fair catch against the Titans probably still gives the coaching staff some doubt about ball security. That doubt is probably even more so with Felton, who fumbled a kickoff return. Price also had a near mistake on a kickoff return yesterday when he almost returned a touchback in the end zone – which now provides starting field position at the 35. These may turn out to be nothing more than preseason hiccups, or they could be early signs of issues that could linger.
Ryan Wright appears to have won his competition over Oscar Chapman by virtue of being a more reliable holder, but that would seem to kill the prospect of having a better punter and improving field position on that score. Hopefully the Vikings will be able to get Oscar Chapman to the practice squad, where he won’t count against the limit by virtue of being an international pathway player from Australia, and perhaps in time could prove to be an upgrade over Wright as a punter if he’s able to be more consistent as a holder in practice.
The other question is whether the special teams units will be better this season. The Vikings lost a couple of their better core special teamers last season with the loss of Trent Sherfield and Brian Asamoah II, but added Eric Wilson and Tavierre Thomas, who were both good core special teamers last season. The Vikings struggled at the gunner and vice/jammer positions most of last season, but I’m guessing they may go with some combination Tavierre Thomas, Jeff Okudah, Dwight McGlothern, and Tai Felton assuming they all make the roster. McGlothern played vice later last season and in preseason, but the others would be new for the Vikings. How good these outside position players are on punt returns/coverage has a big influence on the success of the play and therefore field position on punts and punt returns.
Wide Receiver Depth- Short Term Problem
The 3-game suspension of Jordan Addison creates a short term wide receiver depth problem for the Vikings as Jalen Nailor has a hand injury that might keep him out week one (I’m optimistic it won’t) and we haven’t seen much from the other receivers on the depth chart that suggests they can step in and play well. Nailor himself hasn’t been particularly impressive in training camp so far, and Tai Felton hasn’t been running with the 2s as he is still learning the scheme. It may be that by Monday night in Chicago these two are ready to serve as WR2 and WR3, but we’ll see. The Vikings are actively looking to add to their wide receiver room, but what deal ultimately takes place remains to be seen. The Vikings reportedly have interest in Adam Thielen, but reports are that the Panthers’ asking price is too high- which makes sense from their standpoint as Thielen has a lot value for them still. Beyond that who knows, and it could be that they add a receiver released on cutdown day. My suspicion is the Vikings may go with more 12 personnel this season and particularly during Addison’s absence, which would mean fewer reps for a WR3, but we’ll see. After Addison returns the Vikings should be in good shape. It would be an added bonus if Tai Felton is able to grow into a WR3 this season, but that’s another question mark at the moment.
J.J. McCarthy
I don’t think we’ve seen enough of McCarthy yet to make any sweeping predictions about his regular season performance. He’s generally showed poise and command of the offense and that he can make all the throws, along with good processing and decision making skills. He’s worked on his ability to layer throws, which has improved. Arm strength has never been an issue except maybe too much velocity on some throws. The most we’ve seen from him this year was in joint practices with the Patriots, and he had an okay day and one of his best days in those two practices.
It seems to me that at worst McCarthy has a high floor as a quarterback and at best could realize a high ceiling. This isn’t Christian Ponder. But he’s going to depend on his teammates and coaches in the early going as he gets used to the NFL and finds his groove. I don’t see extended issues for him, but I’m sure he’ll have a learning curve understanding all the nuances of NFL defenses. Jordan Addison missing the first three games is likely to be a setback, regardless of who replaces him, as I’m sure opposing defenses will focus on shutting down Jefferson and making McCarthy and lesser receivers beat them. That will be the challenge early on and a known issue for Kevin O’Connell. That may mean more of a short passing attack like we’ve seen in joint practices and preseason early on, but we’ll see. He has the ability to take what the defense gives him, whatever that may be, and that bodes well for the season ahead, as does his confidence and supporting cast.
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