The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. It was painful. Perhaps even more painful than the lost game were the players lost to injury. Right tackle Brian O’Neill suffered a torn Achilles and center Austin Schlottman suffered a broken ankle. Both are done for the season. With the playoffs a week away, it’s a brutal blow to the offensive line, the offense, and the roster. The Vikings were forced to tweak the roster at a time when teams desperately need stability. Championships are often won by the teams that best deal with injuries. The Vikings were fairly injury-free over the first half of the season. They haven’t been as fortunate over the second half of the season. Schlottman had been playing in place of starting center Garrett Bradbury for a few weeks. Until Bradbury returns, the Vikings will dipping deep to field a center. Guard Chris Reed replaced Schlottman against the Packers. His first snap in that game was his first in the NFL. To say things didn’t go well is an understatement. To provide some depth, and snapping experience, at the position, the Vikings signed Greg Mancz. In his eight seasons in the league, he’s started 32 games, including all 16 with the Houston Texans in 2016. More recently, he was with the Cleveland Browns. Mancz was released just before Christmas so he hasn’t been sitting around for months waiting for a call. Moving forward, the hope is that Bradbury returns. He’s trending that way but his return won’t be this week’s season finale against the Chicago Bears. For that game, it’s probably Reed. Mancz has a lot of catching up to do. The center-quarterback exchange between Reed and Kirk Cousins has to get a whole lot better than it was against the Packers. That was ugly. So ugly. As for right tackle, O’Neill is a huge loss. Oli Udoh will step in for him. He was terrible at right guard last season but he was forced into that role. He’s always been more comfortable and more natural at tackle. If Blake Brandel returns from injured reserve, he may also be an option. To provide further tackle depth, the Vikings signed Bobby Evans, recently released by the Los Angeles Rams, to the practice squad.
That game on the spongy, slippery Lambeau turf was costly.
The Vikings roster currently sits at 52. That open spot might be for tight Irv Smith Jr. or defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard. Both have been designated to return from injured reserve. Here’s a look at the Vikings roster by position after the most recent roster tweaks.
Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart
Offense (23)
Quarterback (2)
Kirk Cousins
Nick Mullens
Running Back (4)
Dalvin Cook
Alexander Mattison
Kene Nwangwu
Ty Chandler
Fullback (1)
C.J. Ham
Wide Receiver (5)
Justin Jefferson
Adam Thielen
K.J. Osborn
Jalen Reagor
Jalen Nailor
Tight End (3)
T.J. Hockenson
Johnny Mundt
Nick Muse
Tackle (3)
Christian Darrisaw
Oli Udoh
Vederian Lowe
Guard (3)
Ezra Cleveland
Ed Ingram
Chris Reed
Center (2)
Garrett Bradbury
Greg Mancz
Defense (26)
Defensive Line (6)
Harrison Phillips
Dalvin Tomlinson
Ross Blacklock
James Lynch
Khyiris Tonga
Esezi Otomewo
Outside Linebacker (5)
Danielle Hunter
Za’Darius Smith
D.J. Wonnum
Patrick Jones II
Luiji Vilain
Inside Linebacker (5)
Eric Kendricks
Jordan Hicks
Brian Asamoah II
Troy Dye
William Kwenkeu
Cornerback (6)
Patrick Peterson
Duke Shelley
Cam Dantzler, Sr.
Chandon Sullivan
Kris Boyd
Kalon Barnes
Safety (4)
Harrison Smith
Camryn Bynum
Josh Metellus
Theo Jackson
Special Teams (3)
Kicker
Greg Joseph
Punter
Ryan Wright
Long Snapper
Nick DePaola
***
Practice Squad
Dan Chisena, WR
Ryan Connelly, LB
Sheldon Day, DL
Myles Dorn, S
Bobby Evans, OT
Tay Gowan, CB
Kyle Hinton, OG
Trishton Jackson, WR
Bryant Koback, RB
Parry Nickerson, CB
James O’Shaugnessy, TE
Blake Proehl, WR
Josh Rosen, QB
T.J. Smith, DL
Josh Sokol, C
Benton Whitley, OLB
Injured Reserve/Designated for Return
Irv Smith, Jr., TE
Jonathan Bullard, DL
Injured Reserve
Andrew Booth, Jr., CB
Blake Brandel, OT
Lewis Cine, S
Ben Ellefson, TE
Akayleb Evans, CB
Thomas Hennigan, WR
Olabisi Johnson, WR
Brian O’Neill, OT
Austin Schlottman, C
Kenny Willekes, DE
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