The Vikings had an off-day on Saturday after it hit pretty hard this past week – the first of padded practices.
There do not seem to be many position matches in the sense of win-as-go-home, and among those fighting for starting positions, it would seem that the loser in most cases can still get some reps. In any case, the Vikings will have to slim down to a roster of 53 men and a training team of 16 men, so in theory only 11 boys will have to be completely cut to meet the requirements.
In addition, there is the question of the depth map, always a tricky one, especially since the Vikings have to release one more this year – for what that is worth at the moment. Still, even without the type of training camp and coverage we are used to, it is possible to gain some things from camp reports, and put together a whole lot more likely scenarios in terms of the final roster and depth map.
Here is my projection, in order of depth, with italitcs for training team, and through for cuts:
Quarterback (2)
Kirk Cousins, Sean Mannion, Jake Browning, Nate Stanley.
Hard to say who’s ahead in the QB3 league, but I would not be surprised if the Vikings first keep both QBs on the practice team to let things play out a little longer.
Backback / Fullback (4)
Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Mike Boone, Ameer Abdullah, Tony Brooks-James
FB: CJ Ham, Jake Bargas
In one slight surprise, I will project that Mike Boone defeats Ameer Abdullah on the RB depth map, while KJ Osborn takes back the tasks and puts Ameer Abdullah out of a roster spot. With the changes to the training group and rules, Abdullah was able to land there.
Wide receiver (5)
Adam Thielen, Bisi Johnson, Justin Jefferson, Chad Beebe, KJ Osborn, Tajae Sharpe, Alexander Hollins, Quartney Davis, Dillon Mitchell, Dan Chisena.
I would not have guessed it, but apparently Chad Beebe has gotten as many reps with those in 3WR sets as Justin Jefferson has, so I think that means he gets a roster spot. No news is not really good news for Tajae Sharpe getting a roster spot, so I have him go to the practice group under the new rules, but unclear if another team might stumble upon him. KJ Osborn gets a roster spot primarily as a returning man, but also potentially as a receiver. Alexander Hollins also had a good camp this year, but not good enough to get a roster spot in this very competitive group.
The Vikings do not use many 3WR sets, which is why they only keep 5 on the grid- as they did last year.
Offensive line (11)
LT: Riley Reiff, Rashod Hill
LG: Dakota Dozier, Aviante Collins, Ezra Cleveland, Blake Brandel
C: Garrett Bradbury, Brett Jones, Kyle Hinton. Jake Lacina,
RG: Pat Elflein, Dru Samia
RT: Brian O’Neill, Oli Udoh
If this off-season, and in particular after the draft, somehow said Dakota Dozier and Pat Elflein would be the starting guards this season, then the voices of dissatisfaction would have been inherited. And yet we are here. For all the talk about Oli Udoh, Dru Samia, Aviante Collins, and Ezra Cleveland, the Vikings seem to go with experience about potential and talent. Maybe she felt with the short offseason and training camp that was the safest option, but it is beyond belief that it is the best. I’m not surprised that Cleveland is not there yet with his technique – he’s a loser from the shortened off-season – but Dozier and Elflein have never been good, and it’s surprising that they at least did not look to Udoh inside guard, or that there is no one better than Elflein for the other watch. Brett Jones, for example. If you had asked me earlier this summer if Dozier, Elflein and Reiff would be on the 53-man roster, I would not have guessed for several reasons, and yet they are probably starters at this point.
The report of Friday’s intense practice was that Shamar Stephen and Jaleel Johnson had their way with the interior offensive line. As much as I would believe, this is because both defensive approaches have taken a big, and completely unusual, step forward in their game, the more likely reason being because the competition along the Vikings’ interior offensive line is simply inferior to even mediocre defenses tackled.
Prior to Friday’s practice, Mike Zimmer was asked who his starting left guard is, as he said they would probably make a decision after just a few padded practices, but he said this was still a work in progress. gong. Gary Kubiak said they would have meetings on the offensive line this weekend, but depending on how things play out, one wonders if they will give anyone else a real shot at a starting lineup. It’s quite late to get started on Udoh reps on hold, but maybe some other interior linemen giving some reps with those might be worth the effort.
And so we see here, for the whole year, almost the same situation. Why did they cut Josh Kline again? One wonders if a man like Samia, whom she expected to step up, simply did not do this. One also wonders what the plan is for Udoh, who looks like he should be among the top five, certainly compared to guys like Dozier and Elflein, and yet he seems an afterthought.
Tight-Ends (3)
Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith Jr., Tyler Conklin, Brandon Dillon, Nakia Griffen-Stewart
Next to nothing to go on about Dillon or Griffen-Stewart, but I think one of them makes the practice team. Dillon has an extra year of experience, so I will favor him now.
Defensive line (10)
DE’s: Danielle Hunter, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Jalyn Holmes, DJ Wonnum, Kelly Willekes, Eddie Yarbrough, Anthony Zettel, Stacy Keely.
DT’s: Shamar Stephen, Jaleel Johnson, Hercules Mata’afa, Armon Watts, James Lynch, David Moa.
I will go through this first, but would not be surprised by a DT free agent purchase, and Willekes will then go to the practice site.
DT Michael Pierce took off the season.
Linebackers (5)
Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Eric Wilson, Troy Dye, Hardy Nickerson Jr., Jordan Fehr. Blake Lynch.
The Vikings that Hardy Nickerson Jr. goes out and gets is a bit of a commentary on Jordan Fehr and Blake Lynch. Ben Gedeon remains on the PUP list, and Cam Smith is on the Reserve / Non-Football Illness list.
Cornerback (6)
Holton Hill, Cameron Dantzler, Mike Hughes, Jeff Gladney, Kris Boyd, Harrison Hand, Nevelle Clarke, Mark Fields II.
There is not much of a question of which six CBs make the roster at this point, although the question of who starts remains a question. Holton Hill seems to have one of the starting cornerbacks, and Dantzler makes a strong bid for the other, though Mike Hughes stays ahead of him first. Hughes is also the lead for slot corner, though Jeff Gladney was eventually able to take over that role. Mike Zimmer has said that Hughes is struggling with his confidence level, which is apparently not a problem for his competitors. Finally, I would not be surprised to see Hughes make both the lock and the outside corners. Kris Boyd is looking forward to another corner kick, while Hand could be another candidate to play in the slot.
It may not happen right away, but a combination of Holton Hill, Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney could prove very formidable. In any case, this group is well-formed.
Security (4)
Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris, Steven Parker, Nate Meadors, Brian Cole II, Myles Dorn, Josh Metellus.
The Vikings who picked up Steven Parker recently did not say much for the rookie security picks at this point, and they have also moved Meadors to take on some security representatives as well. Kris Boyd is also a candidate to play safety when needed.
Special team specialists (3)
K: Dan Bailey
P: Britton Colquitt
LS: Austin Cutting
No competition here, so easiest group to project. I will also project KJ Osborn as the new back man.
KR: KJ Osborn
PR: KJ Osborn
In general
This leaves 25 players on the grid on each side of the ball, along with the 3 specialists. I have 15 in the exercise group, so there is room for one more – maybe one of the safeties. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Vikings take a defensive tackle so things can change a bit, probably moving a DE to the training ground to make room.
