Minnesota Vikings Roster: By Age

In the week since the roster was trimmed to 53 players, the Minnesota Vikings signed 35-year old outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and brought back 37-year old safety Harrison Smith. With those two additions, there’s now a curious and substantial experience to the roster, in general, and defense, in particular. Here’s a look at the 53-man roster broken down by age. Van Noy was initially signed to the practice squad. Until he jumps to the active roster, his advanced age isn’t reflected in this breakdown. 

Minnesota Vikings Roster: By Age

39

Andrew DePaola

37

Harrison Smith

33

Carson Wentz

31

Eric Wilson

Andrew Van Ginkel

Aaron Jones Sr.

30

Brian O’Neill

Blake Cashman

29

James Pierre

Josh Oliver

Kyler Murray

Jauan Jennings

T.J. Hockenson

Blake Brandel

28

Ryan Van Demark

Isaiah Rodgers

Byron Murphy Jr.

Joshua Metellus

Will Fries

27

Jalen Redmond

Jordan Mason

Justin Jefferson

Theo Jackson

Christian Darrisaw

26

Jay Ward

Brett Thorson

Levi Drake Rodriguez

Bo Richter

Trevor Keegan

25

Nick Samac

Will Reichard

Ivan Pace Jr.

24

Ben Yurosek

Zemaiah Vaughn

Myles Price

Joe Huber

Jordan Addison

23

Elijah Williams

Dallas Turner

Caleb Tiernan

Jakobe Thomas

J.J. McCarthy

Donovan Jackson

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

Jake Golday

Tai Felton

Chuck Demmings

Chaz Chambliss

Max Bredeson

Gavin Bartholomew 

Caleb Banks

22

Jacob Thomas

Domonique Orange

Demond Claiborne

***

Since the Vikings have yet to announce a corresponding roster move after the addition of Harrison Smith, the roster currently holds 54 players. 

Assuming Kyle Van Noy will soon be added to the 53-man roster, the Vikings defense will occasionally have five players on the field over the age of 30.

Harrison Smith - 37

Kyle Van Noy - 35

Eric Wilson - 31

Andrew Van Ginkel - 31

Blake Cashman - 30

No worries. The Vikings also have some promising defensive players under the age of 25 playing with and learning from those graybeards.

Jakobe Thomas - 23

Jacob Thomas - 22

Jake Golday - 23

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins - 23

Chuck Demmings - 23

Caleb Banks - 23

Domonique Orange - 22

If all goes as planned, those youngsters will supplement a smart, experienced defense now and lead it in a couple years. 

Brian Flores has crafted a defense of smart players. For that defense to operate at its best, experienced and instinctive defenders like Harrison Smith, Joshua Metellus, Byron Murphy Jr., Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and Andrew Van Ginkel are needed. 

I fell for the Vikings in the 1970s when the team was filled with brilliant players in their 30s. It was an experienced group that made Super Bowl appearances routine. Winning the damn game was the difficulty. As a young Vikings fan, that was my normal. While experience is a characteristic shared by these teams separated by decades, the current Vikings team is downright youthful compared to those great teams. Hopefully, the splash of experience is what it takes to finally get back to the Super Bowl. Just win it this time!

He’s Back!

Minnesota Vikings legendary safety Harrison Smith is coming back for his 15th season. For most of the offseason, Smith’s football future had been in question. He was celebrated by team and fans at US Bank Stadium toward the end of the 2025 season. If felt like a send-off but Smith never officially announced his retirement. I figured that no announcement throughout the offseason was a clear indication of a return. I also figured that he’d return for training camp. I didn’t see Harrison Smith pulling a Brett Favre and skipping into the facilities after the “heavy” lifting of preseason work was done. I guess I was wrong on that part. I’m glad I’m not wrong about his return. I wasn’t ready for a Minnesota Vikings defense without #22 roaming the width and depth of the field. 

Harrison Smith will return for his 15th season on a one-year, $12.25 million deal with incentives that can boost it up to $16.25 million. The incentives are reportedly dependent on playoff performance so he’ll be rewarded for overall team play. Remarkably, the per year amount is one of the highest of his career. With Smith’s plans an unknown, the Vikings moved forward with newness in the safety room. An intriguing group was the result. 

Joshua Metellus

Theo Jackson

Jay Ward

Jakobe Thomas

Jacob Thomas

Adding Harrison Smith makes safety a team strength. Perhaps in a few years, the Vikings safety group is topped by the young duo of Jakobe and Jacob Thomas. For now, Harrison Smith and Joshua Metellus continue their wonderful on-field relationship. 22 and 44 together again. 

Harrison Smith will be adding to some Hall of Fame-level numbers:

Most Games in Vikings Franchise History

1. Jim Marshall 270

2. Mick Tingelhoff 240

3. Fred Cox 210

4. Carl Eller 209

5. Harrison Smith 207

Unless Smith plays into his 40s, he should retire at #3. 

Career Stats

1,180 tackles

51 TFLs

21.5 sacks

45 QB hits

39 interceptions 

4 interceptions returned for TDs

106 passes defensed

13 forced fumbles

12 fumble recoveries

If Harrison Smith has a typical Harrison Smith season, he’ll stand alone among safeties in league history in tackles, sacks, and interceptions. That’s Canton stuff. 

Welcome Back Harrison Smith.

Minnesota Vikings 2026 Team Captains

There once was a time when NFL teams had about three captains. Three captains leading the offense, defense, and special teams respectively. A few days ago, I saw that the Los Angeles Rams announced a whopping 11 captains. I get recognizing team leaders but doesn’t that leadership get a bit diluted if nearly a quarter of the players active on game day are captains? Who knows? I don’t. Maybe one in every four players needs to be a leader in today’s NFL. The Minnesota Vikings announced their season-long captains for 2026. 

Minnesota Vikings Captains

Offense:

Kyler Murray

Aaron Jones Sr.

Justin Jefferson

Brian O’Neill

Defense:

Andrew Van Ginkel

Blake Cashman

Joshua Metellus

Special Teams:

Andrew DePaola

Eight Captains. Only three were drafted by the Vikings. 

Justin Jefferson 

Brian O’Neill

Joshua Metellus

Kyler Murray, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Blake Cashman are first-time Vikings captains.

The remainder of the Vikings captains have been Vikings captains for a while.

Brian O’Neill: 6x

Joshua Metellus: 5x

Justin Jefferson: 4x

Andrew DePaola: 4x

Aaron Jones Sr.: 2x

Congratulations to this season’s captains. They will be forever remembered within the “Jim Marshall Vikings Captains Legacy.” 

Minnesota Vikings Roster: How Did They Get Here?

Here’s a look at how the players got to the roster of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Draft: First Round

Justin Jefferson (2020)

Christian Darrisaw (2021)

Jordan Addison (2023)

J.J. McCarthy (2024)

Dallas Turner (2024)

Donovan Jackson (2025)

Caleb Banks (2026)

Draft: Second Round

Brian O’Neill (2018)

Jake Golday (2026)

Draft: Third Round

Tai Felton (2025)

Domonique Orange (2026)

Caleb Tiernan (2026)

Jakobe Thomas (2026)

Draft: Fourth Round

Jay Ward (2023)

Draft: Fifth Round

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (2015)

Max Bredeson (2026)

Chuck Demmings (2026)

Draft: Sixth Round

Josh Metellus (2020)

Blake Brandel (2020)

Will Reichard (2024)

Demond Claiborne (2026)

Draft: Seventh Round

Levi Drake Rodriguez (2024)

Gavin Bartholomew (2025)

Undrafted Free Agent

Ivan Pace Jr. (2023)

Bo Richter (2024)

Max Brosmer (2025)

Chaz Chambliss (2025)

Joe Huber (2025)

Myles Price (2025)

Elijiah Williams (2025)

Ben Yurosek (2025)

Zemaiah Vaughn (2025)

Dillon Bell (2026)

Jacob Thomas (2026)

Brett Thorson (2026)

Trade

T.J. Hockenson (2022)

Jordan Mason (2025)

Unrestricted Free Agent

Josh Oliver (2023)

Byron Murphy Jr. (2023)

Andrew Van Ginkel (2024)

Blake Cashman (2024)

Isaiah Rodgers (2025)

Will Fries (2025)

Eric Wilson (2025)

James Pierre (2026)

Jauan Jennings (2026)

Restricted Free Agent

Ryan Van Demark (2026) 

Street Free Agent

Andrew DePaola (2020)

Theo Jackson (2022)

Aaron Jones Sr. (2024)

Jalen Redmond (2024)

Carson Wentz (2025)

Kyler Murray (2026)

Trevor Keegan (2026)

Nick Samac (2026)

Minnesota Vikings Roster: By College

Here’s a look at the Minnesota Vikings roster broken down by the college the players attended. 

Air Force

Bo Richter

Alabama

Dallas Turner

Will Reichard

Cincinnati

Ivan Pace Jr.

Eric Wilson

Jake Golday

Connecticut

Ryan Van Demark

Florida

Caleb Banks

Florida Atlantic

James Pierre

Georgia

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

Chaz Chambliss

Ben Yurosek

Brett Thorson

Georgia Tech

Jordan Mason

Indiana

Myles Price 

Iowa

T.J. Hockenson

Iowa State

Domonique Orange

James Madison

Jacob Thomas

LSU

Justin Jefferson

Jay Ward

Maryland

Tai Felton

Miami

Jakobe Thomas

Michigan 

Josh Metellus

J.J. McCarthy

Max Bredeson

Trevor Keegan

Michigan State

Nick Samac 

Minnesota

Blake Cashman

Morgan State

Elijah Williams

North Dakota State

Carson Wentz

Northwestern

Caleb Tiernan

Ohio State

Donovan Jackson

Oklahoma

Jalen Redmond

Kyler Murray

Oregon State

Blake Brandel

Penn State

Will Fries

Pittsburgh

Brian O’Neill

Gavin Bartholomew

Rutgers

Andrew DePaola

San Jose State

Josh Oliver

Stephen F Austin

Chuck Demmings

Tennessee

Theo Jackson

Jauan Jennings 

Texas-El Paso

Aaron Jones

Texas A&M-Commerce

Levi Drake Rodriguez

UMass-Amherst

Isaiah Rodgers

USC

Jordan Addison

Utah

Zemaiah Vaughn

Virginia Tech

Christian Darrisaw

Wake Forest

Demond Claiborne

Washington

Byron Murphy Jr. 

Wisconsin

Andrew Van Ginkel

Joe Huber

Vikings Add An Edge

For months, media and fans have been honking on and on about the Minnesota Vikings needing to add some edge depth. All that honking started when Jonathan Greenard was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2026 NFL Draft. Dallas Turner was ready to step into the starting lineup. Only a collection of undrafted players were set to step into Turner’s former backup role. The Vikings seemed to have more faith in those unheralded players. Throughout training camp and the preseason, there didn’t appear to be any interest in bringing in outside free agents. Unless it was the plan all along, that stance might’ve changed when Tyler Batty was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Whether it was the plan from the start or a late pivot, the Vikings signed a veteran edge rusher. Kyle Van Noy is coming to Minnesota. 

With his past connections to Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Kyle Van Noy was always at the top of the “Edge Wish List” of media and fans. The pair won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. When Flores was hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, he brought in Van Noy as soon as he could get him. Now, they are together again. When looking at the entirety of his 12-year career, I was surprised to see that his single Pro Bowl season was only two years ago. His 12.5 sacks with the Baltimore Ravens finally got him that post-season honor. While he’s been an impact for nearly all of his 12 years, he’s only been a full-time starter for about half of it. For the Vikings, he really only has to be what he’s always been: a smart, reliable, versatile edge player. His experience is a boost. His shared time with Flores is a boost. He may be new to the Vikings but he isn’t new to the team’s defensive architect. 

Perhaps simply to be contrarian, I was never really sold on the need for a veteran edge. That was mostly because I was intrigued by how Brian Flores and the defensive coaches might incorporate young, versatile defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, veteran linebacker Eric Wilson, and rookie linebacker Jake Golday. I really wanted to see the skills of that trio provide the needed edge depth. That was way more interesting than bringing in some graybeard. I have to admit, seeing the defensive depth chart with Kyle Van Noy on it does make the whole defense look better. I just hope we still get to see Ingram-Dawkins, Wilson, and Golday doing crazy things. 

Minnesota Vikings Practice Squad

After trimming the roster to 53 players on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings assembled their initial Practice Squad on Monday. Nearly all of the players are familiar with the facilities. 

Minnesota Vikings Practice Squad

Da’Veawn Armstead, CB

Michael Briscoe, WR

Henry Byrd, G

Gavin Gerhardt, C

Joshua Gray, G

Kahlef Hailassie, S

Bengally Kamara, LB

Marshall Lang, TE

Tristan Leigh, OL

Jack Nelson, OT

Bryce Phillips, CB

Jahvaree Ritzie, DL

Trayvon Rudolph, WR

Cam’Ron Stewart, OLB

Tavierre Thomas, S

All but one of the 15 players signed to the Practice Squad spent part or all of training camp with the Vikings. Only Jack Nelson is new to the team. Nelson was originally selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He made the team and played in ten games with no starts. The Falcons waived Nelson with an injury settlement on August 14. At 6’7” and 314 lbs, he has intriguing size. Any offensive lineman out of Wisconsin is worth a look. 

The Vikings have room for one more player on the Practice Squad. An easy guess is that one of Max Brosmer or Dillon Bell will be that player. Both were on Sunday’s initial 53-man roster but were waived yesterday when two offensive linemen were signed off waivers. I’d actually be surprised if the Vikings don’t try to sign both Brosmer and Bell to the Practice Squad. If both are added, unfortunately, one of the above will have to be let go.