Vikings 53-man roster preview: Locks, bubble players, and longshots

Let's look at the Vikings' 91-man roster and sort players into three different tiers.

Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah looks on before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Cutdown day is right around the corner. The Vikings' final preseason game on Saturday will provide one final opportunity for players looking to make an impression, and then it's decision time for the front office and coaching staff. On Tuesday, the roster will go down from 91 players to 53.

To get you set for cutdown day, let's take a look at the Vikings' entire roster and sort each player into three tiers regarding their likelihood of making the 53: locks, bubble players, and longshots. I hope those categories are fairly self-explanatory.

I can't promise that every lock will make the roster or that all longshots will get cut, but that's what we're aiming for. Longshots and bubble guys who don't make it could still wind up on the practice squad, of course.

Quarterback/Running Back/Fullback

— Locks (6): Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones, Nick Mullens, C.J. Ham, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu
— Bubble: Jaren Hall, Myles Gaskin
— Longshots: Mo Ibrahim, DeWayne McBride, Matt Corral

I combined these because it's an easy group to predict. I'm comfortable calling Nwangwu a lock, mostly due to his kick return role. He's also the logical RB3 after earning 97 yards on 12 carries (8.1 YPC) through two preseason games. Hall and Gaskin seem likely to end up the practice squad, especially because the Vikings can have the BYU product in uniform as their emergency third quarterback on game days. The Vikings also just signed Ibrahim, the Gophers' all-time leading rusher, on Thursday.

Tight End

— IR: T.J. Hockenson
— Locks (2): Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt
— Bubble: Nick Muse, Robert Tonyan
— Longshots: N’Keal Harry, Sammis Reyes, Neal Johnson

Muse seems to be a lot closer to the good side of the bubble than Tonyan, who has missed a chunk of time during training camp due to injury. Muse has been a consistent playmaker throughout camp. Rookie Trey Knox was waived with an injury designation on Thursday.

Wide Receiver

— Locks (4): Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Brandon Powell
— Bubble: Trishton Jackson, Trent Sherfield, Jeshaun Jones
— Longshots: Thayer Thomas, Lucky Jackson, Malik Knowles, Justin Hall

I can't see Powell getting cut. He knows the offense well, he's a useful gadget guy, and he was the Vikings' primary punt returner last season as well. The question here is whether the Vikings keep five receivers or six. If it's five, they'll have a tough decision between Jackson (huge preseason, some real upside) and Sherfield (proven NFL production, better run blocker). I also threw Jones in the bubble category as a potential surprise guy due to how good the rookie has been this summer.

Offensive Line

— Locks (7): Christian Darrisaw, Brian O'Neill, Garrett Bradbury, Blake Brandel, Ed Ingram, David Quessenberry, Walter Rouse
— Bubble: Michael Jurgens, Dan Feeney, Dalton Risner, Tyrese Robinson
— Longshots: Doug Nester, Spencer Rolland, Henry Byrd, Matt Cindric, Chuck Filiaga

The way I see it, the Vikings' five current starters and two backup tackles are locks. Quessenberry has been dominant in preseason action and Rouse has impressed throughout camp. What's left to sort out is the depth on the interior. You've got the rookie Jurgens, veterans Feeney and Risner, and a sleeper in Robinson, plus a few longshots. Complicating things is that both Risner and Feeney have been injured recently. Ingram isn't at risk of being cut, but he might be at risk of losing his hold on the starting RG job at some point.

Defensive Line

— Locks (4): Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Jerry Tillery, Levi Drake Rodriguez
— Bubble: Jonah Williams, Jaquelin Roy, James Lynch, Taki Taimani
— Longshots: Jalen Redmond, Tyler Manoa

I don't care if he's a seventh-round rookie, I've seen enough to move Rodriguez into the locks tier. He's been that good. Beyond the top four, you've got a handful of players competing for one or maybe two spots. Williams, with his starting experience, is the safest bet. Keep half an eye on Taimani, who is the Vikings' highest-graded player on the entire roster this preseason (per PFF).

Outside Linebackers

— Locks (3): Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner
— Bubble: Pat Jones II, Jihad Ward, Bo Richter, Gabriel Murphy, Andre Carter II
— Longshots: Owen Porter

Jones and Ward both played 600-plus regular season snaps last season. They're on the precipice of the lock section. But I just can't quite put either one in there. What if the Vikings only keep one of those two and go with more youth to round out the OLB room? Richter, Murphy, and Carter have all shown flashes throughout camp. Murphy was trending towards having a good shot at making the team until he got hurt, which could ruin his chances. The depth of this room is ridiculous; even Porter has shown some upside and could wind up on the practice squad.

Linebackers

— Locks (3): Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, Kamu Grugier-Hill
— Bubble: Brian Asamoah II, Dallas Gant
— Longshots: Jordan Kunaszyk

I think Grugier-Hill's experience and special teams value makes him a lock. Asamoah isn't far behind him, but it's worth noting that he has graded out lower than the rookie Gant in preseason action. Kunaszyk has a strong track record on special teams in the NFL, but he also hasn't been with the Vikings for very long.

Safeties

— Locks (4): Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson
— Bubble: Bobby McCain, Lewis Cine
— Longshots: None

If the Vikings keep a fifth safety, is it McCain or Cine? Or is it Jay Ward, who I'm listing as a cornerback in this exercise? McCain is the veteran option. Cine put his ability and potential on full display in Cleveland. This is a tricky one to figure out. A potential trade — Cine for a conditional sixth-rounder? — could also factor in.

Cornerbacks

— Locks (3): Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr., Shaq Griffin
— Bubble: Akayleb Evans, Fabian Moreau, Dwight McGlothern, Duke Shelley, Jay Ward
— Longshots: A.J. Green III, Nahshon Wright, Jaylin Williams

I don't think the Vikings want to give up on a player with Evans' tools just yet, but I also couldn't quite bring myself to call him a lock. Moreau, who has significant NFL experience, is probably on the good side of the bubble. I might even say the same about the rookie McGlothern, who has been consistently impressive all summer. He's a playmaker. Where does that leave Shelley and Ward? I'm not sure! Wright, who the Vikings acquired for Andrew Booth Jr., is very tall but doesn't have much else working in his favor.

Specialists

— Locks (3): Will Reichard, Ryan Wright, Andrew DePaola

Nothing to decide here. Reichard's competition (John Parker Romo) was cut weeks ago. Wright's competition (Seth Vernon) was cut this week.

In total, that's 39 locks (19 offense, 17 defense, 3 specialists). If I'm right on those, that's 14 spots that are still up for grabs to some extent. We'll find out who gets them on Tuesday.