Matthew Coller's 53-man Vikings roster prediction with 1 preseason game left

Where do things appear to stand on the roster after two preseason games?

Trishton Jackson makes a touchdown catch against the Browns in a preseason game. / Minnesota Vikings

With two preseason games in the books we now have a good amount of information to work with in determining where the Vikings will go with their roster. So let’s take a shot at projecting the final 53….

Quarterback (2): Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens

While Jaren Hall played much better against Cleveland than Las Vegas in preseason action and he seems to be appreciated in the Vikings’ QB room, it doesn’t seem likely that another team would pick him up if he’s cut.

Running back (4): Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, CJ Ham

We have seen Nwangwu improve as a running back during training camp and preseason, giving some confidence to the idea that he could play in the backfield if called upon. On 12 carries in two preseason games he gained 97 yards, including three 10-plus yard runs. It is possible that they could look for another RB on the market depending on cutdowns considering they will need Nwangwu for a heavy load of kick returns.

Wide receiver (6): Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Brandon Powell, Trishton Jackson, Trent Sherfield

The receivers have put on a show during training camp and preseason. Jackson has 139 yards receiving on seven preseason receptions and Sherfield gained 17.3 yards per reception on his four grabs. Keeping five or six receivers could be a difficult choice but Jackson and Sherfield bring different things to the table. Sherfield has a little more sandpaper to his game, whereas Jackson is good downfield tracking the ball and creating separation. Sherfield has played a lot of special teams in his career too. If they have to choose between the two, it’s hard to know which way they would go.

Tight end (3): Johnny Mundt, Josh Oliver, Nick Muse

The Vikings can put TJ Hockenson on IR with a designation to return. The toughest call might be whether to keep Robert Tonyan. He had a very good minicamp and start to training camp and then was sidelined with back spasms. In his absence Muse played well in practice and caught four passes for 34 yards in preseason. He’s been developing over the last few years and looks like he’s ready to contribute.

Offensive line (9): Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill, David Quessenberry, Dan Feeney, Michael Jurgens, Walter Rouse

We haven’t seen a lot of Dalton Risner in practice lately and he didn’t play in either preseason game. While we expected to see Risner in a competition at left or right guard, the starting lineup never changed throughout camp. So they may prefer to keep their seventh-round rookie Jurgens instead. The tough cut here is guard Tyrese Robinson, who graded an 82.5 in pass blocking in the first two preseason games.

Defensive tackle (6): Harrison Phillips, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bullard, James Lynch, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jonah Williams

LDR has been good enough to make the team. The seventh-rounder mixed into a role during practice when Bullard and Tillery were banged up and then showed up in both preseason games. The difficult call was between Williams and Jaquelin Roy. The 2023 fifth-rounder showed some flashes last year hasn’t seemed to take the next step. Williams has more experience and plays a similar style to Phillips and Bullard. It’s tough to know whether the staff saw enough from Lynch for him to make the team.

There have been other strong showings inside including Jalen Redmond and top-graded DT in the preseason Taki Taimani.

Outside linebacker (6): Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Pat Jones, Jihad Ward, Andre Carter II

The Vikings have given Carter II a ton of preseason reps. He has taken 66 total snaps, fifth most on defense and produced a handful of QB pressures and tackled well. It would seem that his experience in the system from last year and growth over the last year would put him on the 53. Bo Richter has put together a good preseason but they can probably get him onto the practice squad. Gabriel Murphy could make it based on his first impression to the coaches but he has been banged up for a good portion of camp and hasn’t played in preseason.

Inside linebacker (4): Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, Kamu Grugier Hill, Brian Asamoah

Pace Jr. and Cashman make for an impressive inside linebacker combo and Grugier-Hill and Asamoah have a lot of experience on special teams. It’s hard to find another linebacker that fits on the roster but they could seek someone who gets waived depending on how much they can trust Asamoah to play if he’s called upon.

Cornerback (5): Byron Murphy Jr., Stephon Gilmore, Fabian Moreau, Akayleb Evans, Shaq Griffin

The question here might be whether they stick with the veteran Moreau or UDFA standout Dwight McGlothern. It is possible that they could keep both and make a cut somewhere else or keep Jay Ward as a special teamer and flexible defensive back.

Safety (5): Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward

Lewis Cine’s showcase game probably isn’t enough to make an actual case to make the roster. Bobby McCain has previous experience with Flores, which might help him stick around but it’s tough to make room for him on the initial 53.

Specialists (3): Will Reichard, Andrew DePaola, Ryan Wright