The Minnesota Vikings trimmed their roster to 53 players yesterday. There were a couple surprises. One of the more attention-getting cuts wasn’t much of a surprise. 2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine never really got any traction after the brutal broken leg he suffered early in this rookie season. He played well in the second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. That was his Minnesota Vikings highlight. Perhaps, all Cine needs is a change in scenery. He has that opportunity now.
Some of the surprise roster cuts:
Kene Nwangwu, RB
Tyrese Robinson, G
Jonah Williams, DL
Jaquelin Roy, DL
The most surprising thing about cutting Kene Nwangwu was that it left the Vikings with only two running backs. Three, if you include C.J. Ham. At this point, I think you have to include him as the third running back. By the end of the preseason, I thought that Tyrese Robinson had a better shot at the 53-man roster than seventh-round rookie Michael Jurgens. In reality, Jurgens was the choice over Robinson. While I wasn’t all that surprised that Levi Drake Rodriguez, Taki Taimani, and Jalen Redmond are the backup defensive linemen. I really thought that Jonah Williams had done enough to make the roster. In the end, the Vikings went with the potential of younger players. I do like the potential of those three young defensive linemen.
Due to promising moments in his rookie season, I had real high hopes for 2022 fifth-round defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo in his second season. Instead of taking a big step forward heading into his second season. Instead of taking that step during his second training camp, he seemed to regress and didn’t make the 2023 roster. I did the same damn thing with Jaquelin Roy. A fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, I thought he had some promising moments as a rookie. As a result, I had high hopes for him as a breakout candidate in this, his second season. Instead of breaking out during training camp and preseason, Roy didn’t impress in practices and preseason games. He didn’t make the roster. Otomewo and Roy. Both fifth-round defensive linemen. Both impressed as rookies. Both missed the 53-man roster in their second season. I might tap the brakes a bit on the next fifth-round defensive lineman drafted by the Vikings.
The Vikings already have nine players on the various injured lists. The good thing is that three of those players are eligible to return to the roster as early as the fifth week of the season.
T.J. Hockenson
Gabriel Murphy
Dalton Risner
The bad thing is that six players are already done for the season.
Minnesota Vikings 53-man Roster
Offense (24)
Quarterbacks (3)
14 Sam Darnold
12 Nick Mullens
16 Jaren Hall
Running Backs (2)
33 Aaron Jones
32 Ty Chandler
Fullback (1)
30 C.J. Ham
Receivers (6)
18 Justin Jefferson
3 Jordan Addison
4 Brandon Powell
83 Jalen Nailor
11 Trent Sherfield
8 Trishton Jackson
Tight Ends (3)
87 T.J. Hockenson
84 Josh Oliver
86 Johnny Mundt
Offensive Linemen (9)
71 Christian Darrisaw
64 Blake Brandel
56 Garrett Bradbury
67 Ed Ingram
75 Brian O’Neill
76 David Quessenberry
78 Walter Rouse
65 Michael Jurgens
69 Dan Feeney
Defense (26)
Defensive Linemen (6)
97 Harrison Phillips
90 Jonathan Bullard
99 Jerry Tillery
50 Levi Drake Rodriguez
94 Taki Taimani
61 Jalen Redmond
Outside Linebackers (5)
58 Jonathan Greenard
43 Andrew Van Ginkel
15 Dallas Turner
91 Patrick Jones II
52 Jihad Ward
Inside Linebackers (4)
0 Ivan Pace Jr.
51 Blake Cashman
2 Brian Asamoah
54 Kamu Grugier-Hill
Cornerbacks (6)
23 Stephon Gilmore
7 Byron Murphy Jr.
1 Shaq Griffin
39 Fabian Moreau
21 Akayleb Evans
47 Dwight McGlothern
Safeties (5)
22 Harrison Smith
24 Camryn Bynum
44 Josh Metellus
25 Theo Jackson
20 Jay Ward
Special Teams (3)
Kickers (1)
46 Will Reichard
Punter (1)
17 Ryan Wright
Long Snapper (1)
42 Andrew DePoala
Injured Reserve
5 Mekhi Blackmon, CB
9 J.J. McCarthy, QB
36 NaJee Thompson, CB
41 Trey Knox, TE
63 Jeremy Flax, OL
45 Jordan Kunaszyk, LB
Injured Reserve/Designated To Return
59 Gabriel Murphy, OLB
66 Dalton Risner, G
PUP
87 T.J. Hockenson, TE
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