Minnesota Vikings 91 - Man Roster

This past week the Minnesota made a receiver-tweak to the roster. Two undrafted receivers were signed. One receiver was waived.

Signed:

Michael Briscoe

Trayvon Rudolph

Waived:

Joaquin Davis

The transactions were the first transactions of new Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley. A curious thing about Michael Briscoe and Trayvon Rudolph is that both were recently released by Seattle while Teasley was the Seahawks assistant general manager. 

The Vikings currently have 91 players on the roster. Undrafted rookie punter Brett Thorson is one of those players. He’s from Australia and is part of International Pathways Program. As such, he doesn’t count towards the 90 - man roster limit. So, when Harrison Smith returns for his 15th season, the Vikings will have to make another tweak to the roster. 

Minnesota Vikings Post-Draft Roster (91)

Offense (45)

Quarterbacks (4)

Kyler Murray

J.J. McCarthy

Carson Wentz

Max Brosmer

Running Backs (6)

Aaron Jones

Jordan Mason

Zavier Scott

Demond Claiborne

Max Bredeson - fullback

Kejon Owens

Receivers (13)

Justin Jefferson

Jordan Addison

Jauan Jennings

Tai Felton

Myles Price

Jeshaun Jones

Dontae Fleming

Dillon Bell

Marcus Sanders Jr.

Luke Wysong 

Terrill Davis

Michael Briscoe

Trayvon Rudolph

Tight Ends (5)

T.J. Hockenson

Josh Oliver

Gavin Bartholomew

Ben Yurosek

Bryson Nesbit

Tackles (7)

Christian Darrisaw

Brian O’Neill

Ryan Van Demark

Walter Rouse

Caleb Etienne

Caleb Tiernan

Triston Leigh

Guards (5)

Donovan Jackson

Will Fries

Joe Huber

Henry Byrd

Tomas Rimac

Centers (5)

Blake Brandel

Michael Jurgens

Vershon Lee

Gavin Gerhardt

Delby Lemieux

Defense (42)

Defensive Line (11)

Jalen Redmond

Levi Drake Rodriguez

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins

Elijah Williams

Taki Taimani

Caleb Banks

Domonique Orange

Monkell Goodwine

Eric Johnson II

Isaiahh Loudermilk

Smith Vilbert

Outside Linebackers (7)

Andrew Van Ginkel

Dallas Turner

Bo Richter

Tyler Batty

Chaz Chambliss

Cam’Ron Stewart

Arden Walker 

Inside Linebackers (8)

Blake Cashman

Eric Wilson

Ivan Pace Jr.

Josh Ross

Jacob Roberts

Jake Golday

Keli Lawson

Bangally Kamara

Cornerbacks (9)

Byron Murphy Jr.

Isaiah Rodgers

James Pierre

Zemaiah Vaughn

Dwight McGlothern

Chuck Demmings

Marcus Allen

Da’Veawn Armstead

Tyreek Chappell

Safeties (7)

Joshua Metellus

Theo Jackson

Jay Ward

Tavierre Thomas

Kahlef Hailassie 

Jakobe Thomas

Jacob Thomas

Special Teams (4)

Kicker

Will Reichard

Punter

Johnny Hekker

Brett Thorson

Long Snapper

Andrew DePaola

Teasley’s First Transactions

On Wednesday, Nolan Teasley was introduced as the new general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. On Thursday, he made his first transactions as the Vikings signed two undrafted receivers.

Michael Briscoe, WR, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

Trayvon Rudolph, WR, Toledo

Both receivers are familiar to Nolan Teasley. He was the assistant general manager in Seattle when the Seahawks signed Michael Briscoe immediately after the 2026 NFL Draft and Trayvon Rudolph a couple weeks later. So, Teasley saw his former team release two receivers and his new team sign those two receivers. A more curious thing is that Briscoe was waived by the Seahawks for a “failure to disclose physical condition.” I guess the situation around the “physical condition” that was an issue in Seattle isn’t much of an issue in Minnesota. 

At Cal Poly, Michael Briscoe was a big play pass catcher. Last season, he caught 43 passes for 779 and seven touchdowns. His 18.1 yards per catch was actually a bit of a dip from the year before. In 2024, he caught 25 passes for 538 yards for a scintillating 21.5 yards per catch. Four of his 25 catches went for touchdowns. In his four seasons with the Mustangs, Briscoe also passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one. At 6’2” and 209 lbs, he brings some size to the Vikings receiver room. 

After four years at Northern Illinois, Trayvon Rudolph transferred to Toledo before the 2025 season. At Toledo, he caught 39 passes for 435 yards. His best path to the Vikings final roster is probably special teams. Last season, he returned 18 kicks for 374 yards and one touchdown. At Northern Illinois from 2020-24, Rudolph caught 151 passes for 2,032 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also returned 58 kicks for 1,312 yards. Like Michael Briscoe, Rudolph also threw a few passes in college. None went for a score. At 5’10” and 187 lbs, he doesn’t bring much size to the Vikings receiver room. 

While bringing in two receivers, the Vikings let one go. Joaquin Davis was waived. He joined the Vikings practice squad in December and signed a futures contract in January. 

With the two-for-one receiver swap, the Vikings roster is at the 90-man roster limit. When Harrison Smith comes back for his 15th season, one of the players currently on the roster will have to be released. 

First Round Signing Tracker

The 2026 NFL Draft was over a month ago. That means that teams are more than a month into the task of signing the players they drafted. Here’s a look at the signing status of the first round picks.

2026 NFL Draft - First Round Signing Tracker

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 

2.   New York Jets: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech - Signed

3.   Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

4.   Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State - Signed

5.   New York Giants: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State - Signed

6.   Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

7.   Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State - Signed

8.   New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State - Signed

9.   Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah - Signed

10. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami - Signed

11. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State - Signed

12. Miami Dolphins: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama - Signed 

13. Los Angeles Rams: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State - Signed

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami - Signed

16. New York Jets: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon - Signed

17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson - Signed 

18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida - Signed

19. Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia - Signed

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Makai Lemon, WR, USC - Signed

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State - Signed

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami -Signed

23. Dallas Cowboys: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF

24. Cleveland Browns: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

26. Houston Texans: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech - Signed 

27. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State - Signed 

28. New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

30. New York Jets: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana - Signed

31. Tennessee Titans: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn - Signed

32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

24 of the 32 players selected in the first round have signed.

Minnesota Vikings 7th General Manager

Nolan Teasley was introduced yesterday as the new general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. Over 65 years of franchise history, the Vikings have employed only six individuals with the title of full-time general manager. Teasley will be seventh. 

1. Bert Rose (1961-63)

2. Jim Finks (1964-73)

3. Mike Lynn (1975-90)

4. Jeff Diamond (1991-98)

5. Rick Spielman (2012-21)

6. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (2022-25)

7. Nolan Teasley (2026-present)

Rob Brzezinski spent the past offseason as the interim general manager. 

Unfortunately, the Vikings don’t have a sparkling GM tradition. Jim Finks and Rick Spielman were the only ones that brought legitimate scouting and team-building experience to the job. Nolan Teasley will be third. Bert Rose was brought in from the Los Angeles Rams after the Vikings franchise was granted. His role was really just to get the team going. He picked the team’s color scheme and name. When it came to selecting players, Joe Thomas was director of player personnel. He built the franchise’s first teams. The Vikings first true general manager in name and work was Finks. He was outstanding as he built the teams that went to four Super Bowls. He has a bust in Canton as one of the best team-builders in NFL history. When Finks left the Vikings in 1973, it started 24 yeas of general manager incompetence in Minnesota. Mike Lynn was a businessman. Maybe he was a good one. He was an idiot when came to football. Jeff Diamond wasn’t a football guy either as he started in public relations. Fortunately coaches and scouting mainstays Jerry Reichow, Frank Gilliam, and later Scott Studwell made most of the draft decisions during that time. When Lynn took at crack at football, it was often a disaster (Herschel Walker trade). After Diamond departed, personnel decisions were made by a collaboration of coaches, a player personnel person, and Rob Brzezinski. In 2012, the Vikings finally returned to an actual football guy as general manager when Spielman was given the title and responsibilities. When his time ran it’s course, the Vikings decided to take a big swing in hiring an analytics guy as the general manager. The hiring of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah resulted in one terrible draft and three suspect drafts. It was a gamble that didn’t work. That led to Brzezinski stepping up this offseason as the the Vikings interim general manager. 

Now, it’s Nolan Teasley’s turn. Hopefully, his run is like that of Jim Finks. Just with Super Bowl wins rather than the four losses. 

Minnesota Vikings Current Front Office

Later today, the Minnesota Vikings will introduce Nolan Teasley as the team’s new general manager. I’m guessing that one of the first question asked of Teasley at the press conference will be if he will have final say on the 53-man roster. That’s always one of the first question asked of a new GM as everyone wants someone to blame when things go awry. Perpetual critics hate a collaborative team structure because they can’t point a finger at a single person. This should be a moment of hope for the Vikings, a change in the right direction, and some are thinking only of a potentially unfortunate moment in the future. The media honks asking the “final say” question were likely around for the dreaded “Triangle of Authority” days that came out of the general manager hire in the first year of the Wilf ownership. Putting the team’s decision-making power in the hands of the head coach, personnel person, and salary-cap person wasn’t out of the ordinary 20 years ago. The all-powerful general manager wasn’t as much of a thing in the early 2000s. Having that joint setup wasn’t really a problem. Putting a name on it was. Putting a name on something that doesn’t go well isn’t just a mistake. It becomes legendary and not in a good way. People will remember it. After hiring Teasley, the Wilfs spoke of him joining head coach Kevin O’Connell and executive VP Rob Brzezinski as the team’s top decision-makers. Nearly all of the 31 other teams in the league have a similar structure. Building a team in today’s NFL is a collaborative thing. The Seattle Seahawks team that Teasley just left is an excellent example of a collaborative, team-building environment. They just won a Super Bowl. At some point, even in the most collaborative environment, there’ll come a time when one person has to step up and make a decision. I’m more than 99% certain that when he’s asked, Nolan Teasley will say that he’ll make that decision. And he and the Vikings will live with the consequences. 

After today’s peppering of questions, the first task facing Nolan Teasley as the Vikings new general manager will be the people that will populate the building. The first tough decisions probably include the job status of the assistant general managers Ryan Grigson and Demetrius Washington. The Vikings had dual assistant general managers as each had a particular expertise. Grigson is the long-time scout. Washington’s focus was analytics. My guess is that Washington is more likely to stay with perhaps a re-worked title. My further guess is that Teasley brings in a person, or more, with him from Seattle. 

Before any potential changes occur, here’s how the Vikings front office currently looks.

Minnesota Vikings Current Personnel Structure 

General Manager: Nolan Teasley 

Assistant General Manager: Ryan Grigson

Assistant General Manager: Demetrius Washington

Director of Player Personnel: Ryan Monnens

Assistant Director of Player Personnel: Chisom Opara

Director of Pro Personnel: Sam DeLuca

Senior Personnel Executive: Jamaal Stephenson

Director of College Scouting: Mike Sholiton

Senior College Executive: Pat Roberts

National Scout: Sean Gustus

National Scout: David Williams

College Area Scout (Midwest): Jake Essler

College Scout: Blaine Gramer

College Scout: Matt Kelly

College Scout: Steve Sabo

College Area Scout (Northeast): Michelle Mankoff

College Scout/BLESTO: Jack Murphy

Pro Scout: Salli Clavelle

Pro Scout: Alex Dale

Pro Scout: Shane Normandeau

Senior Player Personnel Analyst: Taylor Brooks

Senior Football Operations Manager: Kaitlin Zarecki

Senior Manager of Football Administration: Emily Badis

Senior Manager of Family Engagement: Quinn Gjersvig

Football Quantitative Methods Senior Analyst: Chris French

Football Quantitative Methods Analyst: Cole Bransford

Director, Football Information Systems: Luke Burson

Database Administrator: Mike Desplenter

Football Information Systems Developer: Anthony Caron

Football Information Systems Developer: Derek McCormick

Football Administration Associate: Austin Lavitt 

Player Personnel Consultant: Paul Wiggin

Scouting Associate: Dabness Atkins

Scouting Associate: Brian Schnorr

Football Operations Associate: Jordyn Hall

Family Engagement Associate: Michela Brown-Mayfield

SQL Database Associate: Grace Liebi

Football Quantitative Methods Associate: Claire Morrison

Unsigned Draft Picks: By Round

The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement made the signing of draft picks a fairly breezy process. Each of the teams have their process and the players are signed when the teams wanted to get it done. In recent years, getting agreements with players selected in the second round became a little problematic. Agents for those players decided that they wanted to get contract guarantees similar to those previously reserved for players selected in the first round. It appears teams and agents have worked out those issues as the second-round signings are sailing along. Here’s a look at the unsigned draft pick status for each of the seven rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. The first round, of course, is shown in detail.

Unsigned Draft Picks: By Round

First Round

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 

2.   New York Jets: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech - Signed

3.   Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

4.   Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State - Signed

5.   New York Giants: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State - Signed

6.   Kansas City Chiefs: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

7.   Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State - Signed

8.   New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State - Signed

9.   Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah - Signed

10. New York Giants: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami - Signed

11. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State - Signed

12. Miami Dolphins: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

13. Los Angeles Rams: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State - Signed

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami - Signed

16. New York Jets: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon - Signed

17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson - Signed 

18. Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida - Signed

19. Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia - Signed

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Makai Lemon, WR, USC - Signed

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State - Signed

22. Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami

23. Dallas Cowboys: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF

24. Cleveland Browns: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

26. Houston Texans: Keylan Rutledge, G, Georgia Tech

27. Miami Dolphins: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

28. New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

29. Kansas City Chiefs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

30. New York Jets: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

31. Tennessee Titans: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn - Signed

32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame - Signed

13/32 players are unsigned.

Second Round

9.   Cincinnati Bengals: Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M

11. Miami Dolphins: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

23. New England Patriots: Gabe Jacas, Edge, Illinois

25. Chicago Bears: Logan Jones, C, Iowa

4/32 players are unsigned.

In recent years, those numbers would’ve been reversed at this stage of the pick-signing process. 

Third Round

1.   Arizona Cardinals: Carson Beck, QB, Miami

2.   Denver Broncos: Tyler Onyedim, DT, Texas A&M

3.   Las Vegas Raiders: Keyron Crawford, Edge, Auburn

4.   Philadelphia Eagles: Markel Bell, OT, Miami

5.   Chicago Bears: Sam Roush, TE, Stanford

6.   San Francisco 49ers: Romello Height, Edge, Texas Tech

11. Miami Dolphins: Caleb Douglas, WR, Texas Tech

12. Pittsburgh Steelers: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

23. Miami Dolphins: Will Kacmarek, TE, Ohio State

30. Miami Dolphins: Chris Bell, WR, Louisville

10/36 players are unsigned. 

Fourth Round

1.   Las Vegas Raiders: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

2.   Buffalo Bills: Jude Bowry, OT, Boston College

3.   New York Jets: Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State

4.   Arizona Cardinals: Kaleb Proctor, DL, Southeastern Louisiana

5.   Los Angeles Chargers: Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State

6.   Houston Texans: Febechi Nwaiwu, G, Oklahoma

7.   San Francisco 49ers: Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma

30. Miami Dolphins: Trey Moore, Edge, Texas

38. Miami Dolphins: Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh 

9/40 players are unsigned.

Fifth Round

18. Miami Dolphins: Michael Taaffe, S, Texas

37. Miami Dolphins: Kevin Coleman Jr., WR, Missouri

40. Miami Dolphins: Seydou Traore, TE, Mississippi State

3/41 players are unsigned.

Sixth Round

19. Miami Dolphins: D.J. Campbell, G, Texas

1/35 players are unsigned. 

Seventh Round

16. Los Angeles Rams: Tim Keenan III, DT, Alabama

22. Miami Dolphins: Max Llewellyn, Edge, Iowa

2/41 players are unsigned. 

42/257 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft are unsigned. 

Nearly a third of the unsigned players were selected by the Miami Dolphins. 

Nolan Teasley Thoughts

As the Minnesota Vikings general manger search wound down, Seattle Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley had emerged as my favorite for the job. It’s a funny thing as my initial list of preferred targets didn’t include him. My favorite in February and my favorite up until he removed himself from the process was Los Angeles Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander. After that, my favorite eventually landed on Teasley. Vikings ownership ultimately had five finalists for the job.

Rob Brzezinski - Minnesota Vikings interim general manager

John McKay -  Los Angeles Rams assistant general manager

Terrance Gray - Buffalo Bills assistant general manager

Reed Burkhardt - Denver Broncos assistant general manager

Nolan Teasley - Seattle Seahawks assistant general manager

In February, I looked at the front office of the Seattle Seahawks. They’d had about a a dozen years of success. A Super Bowl win in 2013 and another in 2026. Those 13 years were the 13 years Nolan Teasley spent with the team. In February, I skipped past Teasley and circled VP of Player Personnel Trent Kirchner as my preferred Seahawk for the Vikings GM job. My reasoning of favoring Kirchner over Teasley was the 27 years the former had scouting in the league. When Teasley was a Vikings GM target rather than Kirchner, I dove further into Teasley’s career. I think the Vikings lucked out in running an unusual May GM search. If they’d waited until to the 2027 offseason, there would’ve been competition for Nolan Teasley. Now, they have him and the team’s future feels a whole lot brighter. 

At a Sports Management conference earlier this year, Nolan Teasley was asked what separates a good evaluator from a great general manager. His answer:

Being open minded and organized are the two things I’m gonna tell you. Because when I think about our process and how we make decisions on player acquisition- I don’t have enough hubris, I’m not arrogant enough to tell you I’m better at watching football than you are- but I do have a process and I think my superpower is the ability to take in information from a lot of different people that have different areas of expertise, then implement that and build a process off of that, that ultimately leads me to try and make sound decisions in a short period of time.“

The first time I saw that response, it gave me chills. The Daily Norseman posted it in their dive into Nolan Teasley and it gave me chills. The fact that he has a self-realized superpower is one thing. The fact the superpower involves collaboration and listening to the input of others shouldn’t be a startling thing. Media and fans want the name of one person that’s making all decisions. I have truly come to believe that people desire one person to blame when things go to shit. They accept collaboration when it results in wins and championships. They thrive on blaming one person when the wins don’t come. Throughout this offseason, Vikings interim general manger Rob Brzenzinski stressed collaboration and reaching a consensus. Many found it annoying. I believe that they found it annoying because a consensus eliminates their singular target. Anyway, the media and Vikings fans now have one to person to blame if the Vikings season, any Vikings season, goes off the rails. Here’s hoping that there’s no reason for finger-pointing. 

Over 66 years of franchise history, the Vikings had hired only two general managers that climbed through the football scouting ranks. The first was Jim Finks. He has a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the Super Bowl teams he built in Minnesota. The second was Rick Spielman. 66 years of Vikings football and only 26 of them were guided by an individual with legit football team-building experience. Nolan Teasley is the third. It’s a damn shame the Vikings had spent so much time being guided by individuals that really had no business building an NFL team. It’s as much a reason as any for no Lomabardi Trophies being in that barren cabinet. That’s in the past. The now is a Vikings future guided by Nolan Teasley, Kevin O’Connell, and Brian Flores.