sides of the ball when they close out the regular season on Sunday.Head coach Matt Nagy
said that safety Eddie Jackson and wide receiver Allen Robinson will both be
listed as doubtful for their matchup with the Vikings. Jackson also missed last
Sunday’s game with an ankle injury while Robinson has been out of practice with
injured ribs.Nagy said linebacker Aaron Lynch is also unlikely to play against
the Vikings due to an elbow injury.The absences will impact the Bears’ chances
of getting a win they need in order to have a chance of moving into the No. 2
spot in the NFC playoffs. They’d also need the Rams to lose to the
49ers
Womens Everson Griffen Jersey , so the result may wind up being a moot point when all is said and done anyway.Nagy said this week he’d be keeping an
eye on that game and could adjust his plans for who plays based on the Rams’
result. Any further changes to the lineup would likely work against the Eagles,
who need a win and a Vikings loss to extend their season. It’s a little early,
but that’s okay." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal -
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Vikings PodcastsProjecting the Vikings 53-Man RosterNew,389commentsIt’s a little
early, but that’s okay.CDTShareTweetShareShareProjecting the Vikings 53-Man
RosterBruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY SportsNow that the draft has been completed, and
UDFAs signed, we have a pretty good idea of the players we have to choose from
to make the final 53-man roster at the end of training camp.Of course there
could still be some additions and subtractions in the meantime, but for now I’ll
just consider those currently on the roster.Quarterback (2)Starter:Kirk Cousins
Backups:Kyle SloterPractice Squad:Jake BrowningCut:Sean MannionThe fact that the
Vikings let Trevor Siemian go, being outbid by the Jets for his services, and
brought in Sean Mannion, who has next to no NFL playing experience, may be a
sign the Vikings are more comfortable with Sloter as their #2 quarterback.They
picked up Jake Browning as a UDFA, but neither Browning or Mannion have
superiorarm talent, confidence or play-making ability to displace Sloter as the
backup to Kirk Cousins. Hopefully the Vikings have gained confidence in Sloter
to go with the trend in the NFL and have only two QBs on the roster.Vikings QB
coach Klint Kubiak worked with Sloter when he was in Denver, and Sloter said “he
couldn’t have hand picked a better coach that he’d want to work with” and that
they have a good relationship.That familiarity could be beneficial -
particularly as Klint is close with both his Dad and Kevin Stefanski - in
helping Sloter get the nod for the #2 QB job this season. The other thing about
Kyle Sloter is next year is Cousins’ last under contract.If Cousins continues at
his current performance level, his market value could easily be higher for a new
contract now that Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson got paid.But at some point it
becomes a question of whether extending Cousins is worth it from a salary cap
perspective and being able to retain other core players. Whether a guy like
Sloter can step into a starting role without much difference in performance is
also part of the equation.Elevating Sloter to the primary backup job, and giving
him more reps in the pre-season, should help determine that a little
more.Running Back / Fullback (5)Starter:Dalvin CookBackups:Alexander Mattison,
Ameer Abdullah, Mike BooneFullback:C.J. Ham Practice Squad: Khari Blasingame
(FB)Cut:Roc ThomasI suspect the Vikings continue with two slashers (Cook and
Abdullah) and two bashers (Mattison and Boone) at running back, while continuing
to keep a fullback.I’ll give C.J. Ham the benefit of the doubt for now as he’s
done very well as a special teamer and pass blocker.But Khari Blasingame is a
big and very athletic fullback that was also a former LB and safety who did very
well on special teams in college.He had an off-the-charts pro day for a
fullback.The 6’ 233-pound fullback ran a 4.55” 40, with a 38.5” vertical,
massive 143” broad jump, 6.94” 3-cone, 4.18” 20-yard short shuttle.For those of
you into sparq and z-scores, Blasingame was second among all running backs in
this year’s draft class.Alexander Mattison was 20th.Damien Harris 39th.David
Montgomery 48th.And first-round pick Josh Jacobs was 78th.Last year Mike Boone
was 2nd.Ameer Abdullah was first in 2015.Jerick McKinnon was first in
2014.Notice a trend?Oddly, Dalvin Cook ranks by far the lowest by this measure -
125th in the class of 2017.In any case, if Blasingame can show he can block and
play special teams - he could displace Ham.One other consideration in the
fullback competition is that Ham is a restricted free agent next year.Which
means he’ll be a lot more expensive.It may be that the Vikings would like to
keep Blasingame on the practice squad for a year if they’re not entirely sold on
him yet, and potentially have him replace Ham next year.But they also run the
risk of having him poached.Meanwhile, I suspect Roc Thomas, facing a suspension,
may be cut. Tight End (4)Starters:Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith Jr. Backups:David
Morgan, Tyler ConklinCut:Cole HikutiniPractice Squad:Brandon DillonI expect the
Vikings will run more two tight end sets this season, so whether or not they
start the game that way, I included both Rudolph and Smith as de facto
starters.I expect the Vikings will restructure Rudolph’s contract to lower his
cap number this year and extend him for another year or two.Smith and Rudolph
are complementary tight-ends, and a good combo for Kubiak’s offense.Keeping
Morgan and Conklin makes sense as decent depth players.Dillon could be an
eventual replacement for Morgan, if he pans out, who’s on the last year of his
rookie deal.For now he could be a practice squad guy.Wide Receiver
(6)Starters:Adam Thielen, Stefon DiggsBackups: Chad Beebe, Jeff Badet, Olabisi
Johnson, Jordan TaylorPractice Squad:Dillon MitchellCut:Davion Davis, Alexander
Hollins, Brandon Zylstra, Laquon TreadwellQuite a bit of speculation here beyond
Diggs and Thielen.If the Vikings could manage to trade Treadwell before June 1st
it would save them $1.8 million in cap space, but otherwise they might just cut
him to give a roster spot to somebody who may be more of a factor in the
future.Treadwell hasn’t done much as a receiver, nor on special teams
Brett Jones Jersey , and even as a blocker he’s declined every year.Hopefully the Vikings can find a team to flip a 7th round pick for
him.Among the backup candidates, beyond a good, reliable receiver, the Vikings
appear to be looking for more of an outside, deep threat - and a punt returner
and special teamer.Among the newcomers, Jordan Taylor and Olabisi Johnson may be
the most accomplished special teamers - and both have returned punts too - and
may be further along in their route running.Taylor is 6’5”, 210 lbs, ran a 4.5”
40 coming out, but is also coming off double hip surgery which caused him to
miss last season with the Broncos.If he hasn’t lost anything after hip surgery,
he stands a good chance to make the team as a veteran backup.Johnson is also a
4.5” 40 guy, but not as big - 6’0”, 203 pounds.From the scouting reports, he
seems further along with his route running, and has also seen action as a gunner
and punt returner on special teams.He has some Adam Thielen similarities.Among
the draft picks and UDFAs, I give him the inside track to land a backup spot.
Jeff Badet is the small speedster - 4.3” 40, deep threat, and potential
punt/kick returner too.I don’t see any of the other smaller receivers beating
him out (Alexander Hollins, Davion Davis).Chad Beebe emerged last season as a
top backup before he was injured, but he’s not a deep threat (4.73” 40) and
didn’t do much on special teams either.He may make the team, but could also
slide a bit on the depth chart. Dillon Mitchell has the potential to displace
someone on the depth chart.6’1”, 197 pounds, 4.46” 40.He’s not as far along in
his route running or as a special teamer, and there is concern about his work
ethic and how well he takes coaching.If he can dispense with the latter two
concerns, he could make the practice squad or even the final roster if he’s able
to show enough improvement.Right now I have him on the practice squad.Brandon
Zylstra didn’t really show much last year as a receiver - didn’t really see the
field much either - nor did he stand out as a special teamer.That puts his
status in doubt as he’s not much of a deep threat either with 4.64” speed.Bottom
line, I suspect the Vikings are looking for some guys to step up behind Diggs
and Thielen to improve the depth chart.Right now it looks a bit weak right now
if either Diggs or Thielen goes down to injury. But a solid training
camp/pre-season from bigger/faster guys like Johnson, Taylor, Mitchell and Badet
could change that. Offensive Line (9)Left Tackle:Riley Reiff, Brian O’NeillLeft
Guard:Dru Samia, Aviante CollinsCenter:Garrett Bradbury, Brett JonesRight
Guard:Josh Kline, Aviante CollinsRight Tackle:Brian O’Neill, Rashod HillOther
Backup:Pat ElfleinCut:Dakota Dozier, Adam Bisnowaty, John Keenoy, Cornelius
Edison, Danny Isidora Practice Squad:Uli Odoh, Storm NortonDespite the lack of
an official announcement, I don’t think there’s any doubt Garrett Bradbury
starts at center barring injury.As a first-round pick and one of the better
center prospects to come out in recent years, he’s the new starting center for
the Vikings.I don’t think there’s much doubt that Reiff and O’Neill start at the
two tackle spots, although there is a possibility they switch spots.I also think
if Reiff were to go down, they’d slide O’Neill to the blind side and have Rashod
Hill play right tackle.For those reasons, I wouldn’t be surprised to see O’Neill
take some snaps at left tackle, even if he ultimately stays on the right side.I
also don’t think there’s any question Josh Kline starts at a guard spot - most
likely right guard.He’s being paid to be a starter, and a starter he will be.He
had a down year last season in Tennessee- their whole OL did-but prior to that
had been an average guard - above average in pass protection.That leaves the
other guard spot - most likely left guard - up for competition.The leading
contenders for that spot are Dru Samia, Aviante Collins, Pat Elflein, Brett
Jones, Danny Isidora
http://www.thevikingslockerroom.com/authentic-mike-hughes-jersey , and Dakota Dozier.At this point, Danny Isidora needs to show some real
improvement this training camp or he won’t make the final cut.He didn’t move up
at all in his sophomore season, so it’s hard to see him doing so this year.Would
not be surprised to see him cut.Similarly, after watching Dakota Dozier on tape,
it’s clear he’s a backup level talent at best, and may likely end up on the
outside looking in come September.Among the remaining four contenders, many
assume Pat Elflein will slide over to start at guard, where he played four years
ago at Ohio State.The rationale is that he played better four years ago at guard
in college, so he’ll be a better guard now than he was a center the past two
years in the NFL.I don’t buy it. I don’t buy it because Elflein trailed off as a
run-blocker in 2017 and got even worse in 2018, and run-blocking as a guard
isn’t so much different than run blocking as a center.I also don’t buy it
because he fared poorly as a pass blocker last season as a center, and pass
blocking as a guard is more demanding because you’re not uncovered as much.It’s
also worth noting that between Elflein, Collins and Samia (all roughly equal in
size), Elflein is the least athletic based on his draft measureables.He was
below average across the board except his 20-yard short shuttle, where he was
roughly average.Add to that the preference, based on free agent and draft
additions, for more physical, competitive toughness by the coaching staff, and
it’s very difficult to see Elflein winning the starting job. Even a backup spot
could be difficult to secure if he doesn’t show a lot more this off-season.Brett
Jones is another veteran option, but maybe not the most athletic option
either.He’s a decent interior backup but I suspect he’ll fall to 2nd best at the
end of the day when it comes to a starting guard spot.That leaves Samia and
Collins.These are the two most athletic options at guard, and I expect solid
competition for a starting spot.But I think Collins may be a little behind Samia
in his technique at guard (he played right tackle in college), and it remains to
be seen how his build and core strength have improved this year after breaking
his elbow at the end of training camp last year.As a rookie, he didn’t have much
of an anchor and that hurt his chances.He’s added some weight since then, but
he’ll need a strong anchor to play inside, and solid technique as well.I’m not
sure he’ll eclipse Samia in either facet in training camp, which leads me to
give Samia the remaining guard spot.Samia has started at guard for the past
three years at Oklahoma, in a zone blocking scheme, so he’s got those
advantages.He’s also got good technique most of the time, and really just needs
to improve his consistency and continue to improve his core strength.If he can
make the strides that Brian O’Neil did last year, and Samia is not seen as raw
as O’Neil was last year based on his 4-years of starting experience at Oklahoma,
then he could win the other starting guard spot.I expect Aviante Collins to
secure a roster spot as a backup based on his versatility.He could play either
guard or tackle spot if need be, and has the athletic traits desired.I also
expect Rashad Hill to make the roster as a swing tackle- hopefully improved -
and also Brett Jones as a backup center/interior linemen.That leaves Pat Elflein
in a difficult spot.Probably as an interior line backup.Oli Udoh, the ultimate
traits-based pick, Udoh is a big and athletic tackle out of Elon that if he
takes well to coaching, could become a backup tackle in a year or so, and maybe
a starter eventually.Really a practice squad guy with big upside - the MoBo of
tackles.Defensive LineRDE:Everson Griffen DT:Jaleel JohnsonNT:Linval Joseph
LDE:Danielle HunterBackups:Stephen Weatherly, Shamar Stephen, Jalyn Holmes,
Ifeadi Odenigbo Practice Squad: Armon Watts, Ade ArunaCut:Curtis Cothran, Karter
Schult, Tito Odenigbo, Anree St Amour, Tashawn BowerGriffen, Hunter and Joseph
are pretty clear starters, and I think the Vikings brought back Stephen in part
so Jaleel Johnson could play 3-tech, for which he’s better suited.Holmes will
rotate there.Stephen Weatherly has established himself as the primary DE
backup.The coaching staff appears to be high on Ifeadi Odenigbo after convincing
him to stay with the Vikings rather than get poached by the Eagles, so he’ll get
a roster spot too.The rest compete for practice squad spots, which only Watts
among the newcomers is able to crack.LinebackersStarters:Anthony Barr
Womens Tom Compton Jersey , Eric Kendricks Backups: Ben Gedeon, Jayron Kearse, Cameron Smith, Hercules Mata’afa Practice Squad:Devante DownsCut:Greer
Martini, Eric Wilson, Richard Cliett, Kentrell BrothersI'm projecting more
turnover in the linebacker group this year as the Vikings look to improve
coverage ability among the backups.Kentrell Brothers and Eric Wilson have been
top special teamers, but they’ve struggled as backup linebackers when called
up.Wilson struggled with tackling and coverage last season, and may have reached
his ceiling.In the case of Brothers, I see the Vikings making way for the more
athletic Hercules Mata’afa, who could excel in special teams while also being a
very effective base linebacker who could eclipse Gedeon in that role at some
point.In the case of Wilson, I see the Vikings making a place for Jayron Kearse
on the roster as a linebacker who can cover.Kearse has played both safety and
slot corner, and has graded very well the last two years in tackling and run
defense, so he should be able to handle traditional linebacker duties in
addition to coverage.Kearse is experienced in Zimmer’s system, and has been a
solid special teamer.I think the Vikings want to find a place for him and extend
him after his rookie deal is up this year.Moving him to linebacker now that
Anthony Harris appears to have won the second safety job makes sense.And Kearse
can still be a backup DB if need be as well.His versatility has outsized value,
as does his experience in Zimmer’s defense.Wilson and Brothers may have minimal
trade value.Beyond that, there is some competition for a practice squad spot
which I have Downs winning at the moment.Also, I could see Zimmer experimenting
with a hybrid front in certain situations, in order to give Anthony Barr more
reps as a pass rusher.He’s got enough bigger linemen this year, but he’ll need a
full compliment of versatile linebackers too.CornerbacksStarters:Xavier Rhodes,
Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander.Backups:Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, Craig
JamesCut:Nate Meadors Now that the draft is over, I doubt Trae Waynes gets
traded unless some desperate team is willing to substantially overpay for his
services.Undoubtedly the Vikings will get a compensatory pick for Waynes if he
signs elsewhere after this year, which could be as high as a 3rd round pick.So
as it stands now, the Vikings have a year of Waynes’ service, plus a
compensatory pick if he’s signed away.With Mike Hughes recovering from an ACL,
and Holton Hill suspended for the first four games of the season, the Vikings
may decide they’re better off with Waynes and let the year play out.This is a
pretty easy group to figure out otherwise, without much doubt about five of the
six spots.There will be competition between Hill and Hughes for the primary
outside backup spot (Hughes is primary slot backup), and between James and
Meadors for the final spot, but I have James holding
that.SafetiesStarters:Harrison Smith, Anthony HarrisBackups:Derron Smith, Kris
BoydPractice Squad:Micah AbernathyCut:Duke Thomas, Jordan Martin, Marcus EppsNo
question on the starters, but more competition for backup spots.I moved Kris
Boyd into the safeties group as perhaps a better fit for his skill set, even
though he played cornerback in college.I also removed Jayron Kearse and included
him with the linebackers. Special TeamsKicker:Dan BaileyPunter:Matt
WileLong-Snapper:Austin CuttingCut:Kevin McDermottI’m going with the assumption
that Cutting is able to work out a deal with the Air Force to serve his two-year
commitment and also play for the Vikings.He’s an acquisitions officer, so that
may be an element in the final arrangement.Perhaps he’ll be allowed to serve his
commitment during the off-season in 6-month chunks over four years. I don’t know
how willing/able the Air Force will be in accommodating the Vikings, but if he’s
to play anytime soon, it would have to something along those lines, if they
don’t waive it.The Navy accommodated the Patriots with the service commitment of
a long-snapper they drafted in the 5th round a few years ago.Beyond that, I
expect a full competition for kick and punt returner now that Marcus Sherels is
gone.I’m wondering with Mike Hughes’ ACL injury, if they’ll remove him from that
competition going forward.Most of the backup wide receivers have experience as
punt or kick returners, so perhaps those duties may fall on one or two of them.
Excelling as a returner would be a much surer path to a roster spot.
