Matthew Coller: 53-man roster takeaways, free agents Vikings could target

Coller identifies 15 free agents who might make sense as players the Vikings look to sign.

Aug 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Trishton Jackson (8) celebrates his touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings cut their roster down along with the rest of the NFL on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the most interesting decisions on the initial 53-man roster and where it could change going forward…

3 QBs

After having to trade for Josh Dobbs out of desperation last year, the Vikings are taking precautions this time around by keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster with Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall. The only question for cutdown day was whether they would try to sneak Hall through to the practice squad or keep him on the 53. They must have felt there was a chance that Hall could get poached after he put together two very good showings in preseason against the Browns and Eagles.

Give Hall credit for playing well in those games after getting very few preseason reps. However, the Vikings could still keep their eyes open for other quarterbacks. Darnold has never played an entire season when he was the starter. If he gets banged up, they would have to look to Mullens to save the season as they did in 2023.

Moving on from Kene Nwangwu

Another reminder that preseason stats don’t always tell us the story. The Vikings gave Nwangwu a lot of reps in the backfield both in practice and preseason and ultimately decided to cut him. If he was only a running back then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise cut since Nwangwu hasn’t proven himself as a runner and struggled mightily as a pass protector but he was one of the best kicker returners in the NFL since 2021, which seemed to give him an edge with the league expecting new kickoff rules to increase the number of chances that returners will get.

The coaching staff must have felt that they were going to need better depth in the RB room than an unproven speed-only back behind Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler and that his upside as a returner wasn’t worth the roster spot. They might also have a sense that someone else could be as good or better returning kicks. During the preseason we didn’t get much of a look at the return game as they tried seven different players at that spot and the longest return was 28 yards.

Six wide receivers

Trishton Jackson put together one of the best preseasons from any Viking receiver in recent memory with nine catches for 154 yards and three touchdowns. He has been a development project over multiple seasons, first signing with the Rams in 2020 as a UDFA and spending the last three years battling for an opportunity. He got into a couple games in 2023 and made two catches. Now it seems he could have a shot to carve out a role.

Veteran Trent Sherfield was noted for his toughness and run blocking capability and that likely pushed him over the top to make the team along with his experience on special teams. He caught seven passes for 89 yards. With Jordan Addison banged up with an ankle injury, keeping an extra receiver made sense.

Young offensive linemen stay

The Vikings picked O-linemen in the sixth and seventh rounds and both players landed on the initial 53-man roster. Tackle Walter Rouse and guard Michael Jurgens were the second and third highest graded run blockers in preseason, though Jurgens’ pass blocking grade (36.2) left a lot to be desired. With veterans David Quessenberry and Dan Feeney on the roster, the two young players can develop this year and aim to be depth for the future. With Dalton Risner on IR with a designation to return, we’ll be keeping an eye on what happens with the OL room when he comes back.

The defensive tackle and OLB rooms

The best stories of cutdown day was in the DT room. Undrafted free agent Taki Tiamani, the highest PFF graded player on defense during the preseason, ended up making the final cut. He is the type of run-stuffing nose tackle that the Vikings haven’t had in a while. Tiamani made eight run stops in 66 snaps over three preseason games, second most on the team.

Former UFL’er Jalen Redmond also made it. He was the third highest PFF graded defender in the preseason and the highest graded run defender. Redmond was with the Panthers in camp last season but didn’t catch on so he went to the Arlington Renegades and had 4.5 sacks there. The Vikings picked him up in June as a late add and he proved to be an intriguing player.

It’s worth noting that Tiamani and Redmond could still end up getting cut because the Vikings will need a roster spot to sign at least one running back.

It wasn’t a shock to see 2023 fifth-rounder Jaquelin Roy get cut after he failed to make noise during camp and graded by PFF as their worst defensive linemen in preseason action. The Vikings were probably hoping he would take a big step forward after showing a few flashes as a rookie but signing multiple veterans in the offseason and drafting a DT was probably a hint that they thought the next step might not be there for Roy.

Andre Carter II got a ton of opportunity during the preseason, playing 103 total snaps and racking up a team-high nine QB pressures. Those flashes weren’t enough for him to stick in a crowded OLB room with veterans and top draft pick Dallas Turner. It didn’t seem that Carter II developed as much physically as they might have hoped but it is possible that they put him on the practice squad and hope that he keeps improving.

UDFA Gabriel Murphy being placed on IR with a designation to return would appear to signal that the coaching staff liked what they saw and want him on the roster but a knee injury kept him from preseason action. It still remains a mystery why he wasn’t drafted after putting up huge numbers at UCLA.

Bo Richter became a fan favorite as a pass rusher but the depth chart didn’t have space for him at the bottom. He shouldn’t have any problems getting through to the practice squad.

UDFA Dwight McGlothern sticks

The Vikings’ cornerback room is another area they could make changes but at least for cutdown day they kept Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, Byron Murphy Jr., Akayleb Evans, Fabian Moreau and undrafted free agent Dwight McGlothern. The former Arkansas CB was the second highest graded PFF defensive player during preseason and shined in joint practices against the Cleveland Browns. He flashed the ability to make plays on the ball and defend against the run (four run stops in preseason, including one on a fourth down against the Eagles).

Evans seemed like he might be on the chopping block with the Vikings bringing in Gilmore and Moreau. The 2022 fourth-rounder struggled in preseason and at times during camp so they could still attempt to trade him because he has shown some capability to start in the past. That might also be a reason to keep Evans around. Through half of 2023, he was playing solidly but then sputtered to end the season. They might buy into him as a player who can give them depth rather than holding out hope he can start.

Who might the Vikings target from the waiver wire?

Here are some players who could draw the Vikings’ interest:

— QB, Desmond Ridder

— QB, Tyler Huntley (Cleveland reportedly looking to trade)

— QB, John Wolford

— QB, Adrian Martinez

— RB, D’Onta Foreman

— RB, Samaje Perine

— RB, Frank Gore Jr.

— RB, Isaiah Spiller

— RB Terrell Jennings

— RB Chris Brooks

— CB, Caleb Farley

— WR, Kadarius Toney

— WR, Noah Brown

— OL, Germain Ifedi

— OL, La’el Collins