Vikings Starters?

The Minnesota Vikings released their "unofficial" depth chart last week. From that release we have this starting lineup.

WR  Greg Jennings
 TE   Kyle Rudolph
  T     Matt Kalil
  G    Charlie Johnson
  C    John Sullivan
  G    Brandon Fusco
  T     Phil Loadholt
WR  Cordarrelle Patterson
QB   Matt Cassel
RB   Adrian Peterson
FB   Jerome Felton

DE    Everson Griffen
DT    Sharrif Floyd
DT    Linval Joseph
DE    Brian Robison
LB     Anthony Barr
MLB Jasper Brinkley
LB    Chad Greenway
CB    Xavier Rhodes
SS    Robert Blanton
FS    Harrison Smith
CB   Captain Munnerlyn

 K     Blair Walsh
 P     Jeff Locke
LS    Cullen Loeffler
KR   Cordarrelle Patterson
PR   Marcus Sherels

Most will remain the same when the Vikings take the field in St. Louis against the Rams on September 7. The most watched position is the quarterback position. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater could still be under center against the Rams but Cassel, as of now, remains the expected starter. The one spot on the offensive line that could change in the coming month is at left guard. The starters have been together for the past two years. That sort of continuity is always sought but rarely found. Charlie Johnson's hold on the left guard spot isn't as strong as the rest. Rookie David Yankey is probably the future at the position. He could become the present. Jerome Felton was a Pro Bowl fullback in 2012. His blocking that year was terrific. Peterson ran for 2,097 yards and Felton played a role in that. More recently, he hasn't been playing at that Pro Bowl level. It's probably still an uncertainty as to what offensive coordinator Norv Turner expects from the fullback position. Second-year Zach Line might provide more of a running/receiving threat than Felton. Unless Felton starts blocking more like he did in 2012, Line could be the fullback when the season starts. As for the defense, the line is set. Linebacker could have some movement at middle linebacker. That position comes down to Brinkley and Audie Cole. Cornerback is fairly set with Rhodes and Munnerlyn. In nickel, Munnerlyn will move to the slot and then there's some competition on the outside opposite Rhodes. Josh Robinson, Derek Cox, Jabari Price, Marcus Sherels, and Shaun Prater. That's a lot of competition. It's very similar to the wide open competition at strong safety. Blanton still holds the top spot on the "unofficial" depth chart. A hamstring injury has kept him out of practice for the past week. Kurt Coleman, Mistral Raymond, Andrew Sendejo, Jamarca Sanford, recently signed Chris Crocker, and rookie Antone Exum are all in that competition. Coleman did some fine things in the first preseason game. The fact that Crocker was signed last week is a clear indication that no one has a firm grasp on the position. Crocker has played the last seven seasons for Mike Zimmer. That gives him an incredible perspective and grasp of the defense. He's also 34. Unless one of the six younger options grabs and runs away with the position, Crocker will probably open the season as the starter. It's unlikely that he was brought into the situation for any other reason.

Quarterback. left guard, and fullback all have expected starters in place. Fullback is probably the only one that is truly in question right now. The position battles at middle linebacker, strong safety, and one outside corner spot in the nickel are open. Safety and corner are wide open with about a month left to settle them.