Written By Sam Ekstrom
With the first round of cuts now in the rear-view mirror, the roster has come into clearer view. Saturday’s third preseason game at Kansas City went a long ways toward determining the final 53-man roster. In my estimation, there are 60 players in the running for the 53 spots. Here is the latest prediction:
* indicates a change from the second projection
(Starters are listed in Bold and are based on a 1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR offense and a 4-3 defense.)
QUARTERBACKS (3)
QB Matt Cassel
QB Teddy Bridgewater
QB Christian Ponder
On the bubble: none
It’s official. Matt Cassel is the starting quarterback. It was announced Monday morning prior to the Vikings’ first of two practices this week. Now the only question mark surrounds Christian Ponder and whether or not the former starter will be retained as the third QB.
RUNNING BACKS (4)
RB Adrian Peterson
RB Matt Asiata
RB Jerick McKinnon
FB Jerome Felton
On the bubble: none
Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon combined for 134 all-purpose yards against Kansas City. Their workload will certainly decrease once Adrian Peterson starts playing, but both back-ups are locks to make the squad. Jerome Felton will be the team’s top fullback.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5)
WR Greg Jennings
WR Cordarrelle Patterson
WR Jarius Wright
WR Adam Thielen
WR Rodney Smith*
On the bubble: Jerome Simpson
It looks like Jerome Simpson’s days may be numbered. The wide receiver, who has struggled with off-the-field issues in his career, now faces a three-game suspension pending an appeal. Enter, Rodney Smith, who caught four passes on Teddy Bridgewater’s game-winning drive against Arizona, including a 37-yard jump ball with a hand in his face and a toe-tap touchdown catch near the out-of-bounds line. Smith has great size at 6-foot-5 and, most importantly, won’t be in peril of being suspended.
TIGHT ENDS (3)
TE Kyle Rudolph
TE Rhett Ellison
TE Chase Ford
On the bubble: Allen Reisner
The third tight end spot is still fuzzy. If anyone is going to challenge Chase Ford, it is Allen Reisner, who has three touchdowns in the last two games – all thrown by Bridgewater. The one benefit for Reisner is that he has the ability to play and impress, while Ford has been relegated to the sidelines with a lingering foot injury, though he was activated from the PUP list Monday morning. This might be a battle to watch closely.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9)
LT Matt Kalil
LG Charlie Johnson
C John Sullivan
RG Brandon Fusco
RT Phil Loadholt
G David Yankey
C Joe Berger
T Antonio Richardson
G Vladimir Ducasse
On the bubble: Jeff Baca
The offensive line is never easy to predict, especially when it comes to the depth guys. No apparent changes to this group, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the team may elect to only keep eight O-linemen. In this case, I’d say Vladimir Ducasse is the odd man out. Phil Loadholt was nicked up on Saturday but appears to be okay.
DEFENSIVE LINE (8)
DE Everson Griffen
DT Sharrif Floyd
NT Linval Joseph
DE Brian Robison
DE Scott Crichton
DE Corey Wootton
DT Fred Evans
DT Shamar Stephen*
On the bubble: Tom Johnson
Shamar Stephen started against KC and looked good for the second consecutive game. He played 34 snaps, the most of any defensive tackle. He may have the green light over Tom Johnson as the team’s fourth tackle.
LINEBACKERS (7)
SLB Anthony Barr
MLB Jasper Brinkley
WLB Chad Greenway
SLB Gerald Hodges
MLB Audie Cole
WLB Michael Mauti
WLB Brandon Watts
On the bubble: Larry Dean
It’s going to come down to the rookie Brandon Watts and fourth-year player Larry Dean for the seventh linebacker position. Dean is arguably the best special teams player the Vikings have, but Watts has the advantage of youth and upside. Based on the Vikings’ overall mindset of getting younger, I’d favor Watts at the moment.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (11)
CB Captain Munnerlyn
CB Xavier Rhodes
CB Marcus Sherels
CB Josh Robinson
CB Jabari Price
CB Shaun Prater
S Robert Blanton
S Harrison Smith
S Andrew Sendejo
S Chris Crocker
S Kurt Coleman
On the bubble: Jamarca Sanford, Antone Exum
The conundrum with the DBs is a plethora of good-not-great talent. In the end, somebody will be cut who has done good things for the team but didn’t flash enough to become indispensable. The sixth cornerback spot will probably go to Shaun Prater, especially since Derek Cox was released Monday morning. If Coach Zimmer chooses to only keep five CBs, Prater will likely be a casualty. At safety, Kurt Coleman will grapple with Jamarca Sanford for the final spot. I’m favoring Coleman right now because of Sanford’s association with some terrible pass defenses. Yes, he’s been a starter for several years, but was he helping or hurting the secondary? Coleman provides a fresh look. Plus, Sanford missed most of Saturday’s game with a quad injury.
SPECIALISTS (3)
P Jeff Locke
K Blair Walsh
LS Cullen Loeffler
Blair Walsh had a good bounce-back game against the Chiefs. After missing the gimmicky 33-yard PAT and a 51-yard field goal against Arizona, he went 6 for 6 on Saturday with three field goals and three PATs. Asked if he was concerned about Walsh, special teams coordinator Mike Priefer responded: “If it was one of those deals where he was shanking the ball or wrapping his foot or pushing the ball every time, I’d be concerned, but he’s hitting the ball well. There’s just a couple things he needs to do with his follow through.”
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.