The Minnesota Vikings have finalized their initial 53-man roster and practice squad . With that in the rearview mirror, they are turning their focus toward their week one matchup against the New York Giants at Met Life Stadium
There were a lot of interesting aspects to creating the 53-man roster. Sometimes, the most talented or deserving players don't make the cut due to depth at certain positions and basic roster construction necessities.
What stood out about the Vikings' initial 53-man roster and practice squad? Let's break it down.
Jaren Hall makes the team
This was almost certain on Monday when the NFLPA vetoed the rule change regarding the emergency third quarterback. They would have to be on the roster and not the practice squad. The move essentially secured Hall's roster spot, even though his play had nearly done that for him.
Only two running backs
This was an interesting part of the discussion for the Vikings. They have technically three running backs on the roster, but one of them is fullback C.J. Ham. They brought back Myles Gaskin and DeWayne McBride back on the practice squad. It's likely that both of them will see elevations for the time being.
Why did they only keep two while likely relying on elevations? The likely story is the young defensive linemen earned roster spots so they had to trim elsewhere.
Entire draft class made the roster
This is the first time that the entire draft class of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has made the roster. We are counting the entire draft class in this sense even though fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson passed away in a tragic car accident in July.
In 2022, TE Nick Muse was waived and the same happened in 2023 to RB DeWayne McBride. Both were brought back on the practice squad but they didn't make the roster. All six remaining draft picks made the roster with Dallas Turner and Will Reichard primed to be major contributors.
Half the DL room are rookies
This is the wildest one of the bunch. The starters are Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery. The backups are all rookies in seventh-round pick Levi Drake Rodriguez, UDFA Taki Taimani and UFL standout Jalen Redmond. Will the Vikings be able to thrive with half of the defensive line room made up of rookies? That's going to be interesting.
Cornerback is in flux after the season
The Vikings have a solid cornerback room this season. Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaquill Griffin give the Vikings a solid trio of cornerbacks...for this season. All of them, including Fabian Moreau, are on expiring contracts. That would leave just Akayleb Evans and Dwight McGlothern for 2025 and just McGlothern beyond that.
That's such an interesting dynamic to have in the cornerback room. It will be fine for 2024 but what they will do moving forward is a massive wild card.
Practice squad has no new faces
Usually when you build out the practice squad, it includes some new faces of players that you liked in the predraft process. That's not how the Vikings approached it this year. They have 17 players on the practice squad and all of them spent time with the Vikings in training camp.
Is it a good strategy? That is up to interpretation but it does say that the Vikings genuinely liked the players they had in the building.
