Vikings fans might be thrilled by who's coming back this preseason

Let's be honest. The NFL preseason isn't one of the most exciting times for the league. For teams like the Minnesota Vikings, it means a lot more to the coaches and players than it will provide entertainment for fans around the world.

The Vikings have three preseason games coming up. They host the Houston Texans, have the New England Patriots come to town, then round out their exhibition schedule with a trip to Tennessee to play the Titans.

The Minnesota Vikings will face multiple former players during the 2025 preseason

It's always nice when former Minnesota Vikings players are familiar to fans when watching games. This preseason, there are several players that could stand out during these exhibition contests that could make watching even more fun.

In the Week 1 preseason game against the Houston Texans, multiple players will stand out during the game. The most notable player returning to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sept. 9 is edge rusher Danielle Hunter. Hunter is a starter for Houston and might not play a large portion of the game.

In addition to Hunter, two former Vikings draft picks will be coming to Minnesota as well. Offensive lineman Ed Ingram and tight end Irv Smith Jr. with former starter at left tackle Cam Robinson also making his return.

The only team on the schedule this preseason that will have more former Vikings players than Houston is New England, it's hard to dismiss the possible star power of Minneapolis Miracle hero Stefon Diggs coming back to U.S. Bank Stadium as a member of the Patriots.

Diggs may be the headliner, but the return of Josh Dobbs, Khyris Tonga, Jaquelin Roy, and Vederian Lowe adds familiarity to the exhibition game. The five former Minnesota contributors will add some intrigue to the contest.

There isn't a lot going for the Tennessee Titans, but the media will be pushing the third preseason game of the Minnesota Vikings as a battle of two young quarterbacks making their first career starts in 2025.

Hopefully those players will make a strong impact on the Week 3 preseason game since there isn't a lot connecting the teams. Former defensive lineman James Lynch will be a familiar face to some but unless you're a bit of a hardcore fan, that might not mean much.

The three preseason games for the Minnesota Vikings should be a lot of fun. Plus, fans will be tuning in to see how new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy fares in exhibition play anyway, so they might as well enjoy seeing former contributors for the purple and gold as well.