The Minnesota Vikings will kick-off training camp with full-team workouts on July 22 and, per usual, there will be a number of intriguing storylines for fans to follow as we count down the days to the 2025 preseason.
Will ex-Minnesota Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer stick on the initial 53-man roster? Can former third-round pick Brian Asamoah II avoid getting waived or traded? Which undrafted rookies will surprise, from Texas Longhorns wide receiver Silas Bolden to Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn?
We’ll start getting answers to these questions in the coming weeks, but for now, let’s identify the key position battles and predict the Vikings’ 53-man roster with training camp just around the corner:
Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster projection
QUARTERBACKS (3)
- J.J. McCarthy
- Sam Howell
- Brett Rypien
Notable cut candidate: Max Brosmer
There’s not a more set-in-stone position group on the Vikings’ 90-man roster, except maybe the QB3 battle between Rypien and Brosmer. Rypien has the leg up over Brosmer entering camp, but we’ll see if the former University of New Hampshire standout who transferred to the Minnesota Gophers for the 2024 season can steal the job during camp.
RUNNING BACKS (4)
- Aaron Jones
- Jordan Mason
- Ty Chandler
- C.J. Ham (fullback)
Chandler enters camp on the roster bubble after Minnesota’s move to acquire Mason this offseason, but his cheap, expiring contract and versatility to help as a kick-off returner give him an edge to make the initial 53. He’ll need a strong camp, though, as the Vikings initially kept just three backs — Jones, Chandler and Ham — in 2024 before trading for Cam Akers during the season.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6)
- Justin Jefferson
- Jordan Addison
- Jalen Nailor
- Tai Felton
- Tim Jones
- Silas Bolden
Reserve/PUP list: Rondale Moore
Moore hasn’t yet participated in team activities this offseason as he works his way back from 2024 knee surgery. Given Minnesota’s depth at the position, the team could choose to take it slow and use the PUP designation (physically unable to perform) to buy some extra time over the first month of the regular season. … Bolden, an undrafted athlete, has the inside track to a roster spot thanks to his prowess in the punt return game. … Tim Jones will be looking to fend off a group of undrafted rookie receivers like Lucky Jackson, Thayer Thomas and Jeshaun Jones, but we’ll give the veteran the edge entering camp.
TIGHT ENDS (3)
- T.J. Hockenson
- Josh Oliver
- Gavin Bartholomew
No huge surprises here, as the Vikings re-signed Oliver and used a sixth-round pick on Bartholomew, a 6-foot-5 product out of Pitt. Undrafted rookie Ben Yurosek and former Carolina Panther Giovanni Ricci will also be competing for reps, so we’ll see if Bartholomew can hold them off.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9)
- Chrisitan Darrisaw
- Will Fries
- Ryan Kelly
- Donovan Jackson
- Brian O’Neill
- Michael Jurgens
- Blake Brandel
- Walter Rouse
- Justin Skule
The Vikings added some competition for Brandel at the left guard spot, but he’s a favorite to make the roster as the top reserve behind first-round rookie Jackson. … Darrisaw is built differently, but if he does need to start the season on the PUP list, Skule looks like the favorite to slot in at left tackle in his absence. … Jurgens’ versatility to play both guard and center solidifies his roster spot.
Total offense: 25
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6)
- Jonathan Allen
- Harrison Phillips
- Javon Hargrave
- Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
- Jalen Redmond
- Taki Taimani
Notable cut candidate: Levi Drake-Rodriguez
The top four here are locked in, with Redmond poised to see a major role behind Minnesota’s new "Big 3" up front in Allen, Phillips and Hargrave … This group is thin overall, which should give Ingram-Dawkins a clear path as a fifth-round rookie. … Taimani gets the edge here due to his ability to slot in as a backup nose tackle. That leaves Drake-Rodriguez, a 2024 seventh-rounder, firmly on the bubble.
EDGE DEFENDERS (5)
- Jonathan Greenard
- Dallas Turner
- Andrew Van-Ginkel
- Bo Richter
- Gabriel Murphy
Murphy has a chance to be a training camp standout this summer. He flashed in 2024 before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury. … Richter’s spot is solidified as a core special teamer.
LINEBACKERS (4)
- Blake Cashman
- Ivan Pace Jr.
- Kobe King
- Eric Wilson
Notable cut candidate: Brian Asamoah II
If not now, when for former third-round pick Asamoah II? He’ll be battling with King, a sixth-round rookie, for a reserve/special-teams role, but the edge goes to King and his fresh rookie contract. … The Vikings also reunited with Wilson this offseason, and his presence should make it even easier for Minnesota to justify either waiving or releasing Asamoah when all's said and done.
CORNERBACKS (6)
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Jeff Okudah
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Dwight McGlothern
- Zemaiah Vaughn
Vaughn could end up being a fan favorite this summer, and the undrafted rookie gets the nod over veterans like Tavierre Thomas due to his prowess at Utah as a boundary corner. The Vikings need upside at that spot, as Murphy, Okudah and even safety Josh Metellus can help lock down the nickel spot. … Okudah has a shot at the Week 1 slot corner role with Murphy and Rodgers on the outside.
SAFETIES (4)
- Harrison Smith
- Josh Metellus
- Theo Jackson
- Jay Ward
The only real surprise here is that Minnesota didn’t add another veteran to help this group in free agency. All four safeties are set to return, with the notable absence of Cam Bynum, who’s now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. The smaller group should thrust Metellus into a more full-time safety role alongside Smith, with Ward a candidate to get more reps entering his third year in Brian Flores’ scheme.
Total defense: 25
SPECIALISTS (3)
- Will Reichard (kicker)
- Ryan Wright (punter)
- Andrew DePaola (long snapper)
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