It sure looks like the Minnesota Vikings are trying to keep the roster at 80 players. I'm not sure why I ever thought otherwise. I suppose that I just didn't like the idea that some players would no longer be on the roster simply because of a hacked-up situation. Everyone has to make adjustments during a global pandemic, whether you like it or not. It still doesn't feel right that the football dreams of many players were taken out of their hands before they even had a chance on a professional field. Between shuffling players on and off the Reserve/COVID-19 list and releasing a few players, the Vikings have stayed on that voluntary 80-player limit. It makes sense as that allows the entire roster of players to be in the facility at the same time. If the team had more than 80 players on the roster, they would've had to do split-squad workouts. Which is the main reason I was a fool to think that the Vikings might bring to training camp the entire roster that was put together in the offseason.
Since the start of training camp the Vikings have released:
Davion Davis, WR
Kemon Hall, CB
Bralon Addison, WR
Tony Brooks-James, RB
The following have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list:
Justin Jefferson, WR
Blake Brandel, OT
Brian Cole II. S
Tyler Higby, OG
Anthony Barr, LB
Ifeadi Odenigbo, DE
Cameron Smith, LB
Oli Udoh, OT
Happily, the following have been removed from the Reserve/COVID-19 list:
Justin Jefferson, WR
Blake Brandel, OT
Brian Cole II. S
Anthony Barr, LB
Ifeadi Odenigbo, DE
Unhappily, Tyler Higby was taken off of the Reserve/COVID-19 list today and released without ever receiving the opportunity to do any on-field football work. It's a messed-up time.
The biggest hit to the 2020 Vikings roster came when defensive tackle Michael Pierce decided to opt out on the 2020 season due to health concerns during this global pandemic. Due to severe, life-long asthma issues, he's at a greater health risk than most. It's a big loss but Pierce has to do what's best for him and his family.
Last week, the Vikings acquired defensive tackle P.J. Hall from the Las Vegas Raiders for a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick. Hall failed his physical and was sent back to the Raiders. He didn't impact the 80-man roster since he was never actually on it.
The most recent roster tweak was the addition of free agent linebacker Quentin Poling. The Vikings became a little linebacker-needy with the news yesterday that second-year linebacker Cameron Smith is in need of open-heart surgery. This was shocking news for a wide range of reasons. For one, you don't often see "open-heart surgery" when it comes to an NFL player's health. For two, it's open-heart surgery. Smith was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus. During a more thorough examination because of the positive test it was discovered he had a congenital heart issue that requires surgery. In an odd twist, contracting the virus may have saved Smith's life. Best wishes on a quick and complete recovery.
As a result of the roster massaging since the start of training camp, we currently have a Minnesota Vikings 80-man roster that looks something like this. Hopefully it's stable for more than a few moments after posting.
Offense (39 Players)
Quarterbacks (4)
8 Kirk Cousins
4 Sean Mannion
3 Jake Browning
7 Nate Stanley
Running Backs (4)
33 Dalvin Cook
25 Alexander Mattison
23 Mike Boone
31 Ameer Abdullah
Fullbacks (2)
30 C.J. Ham
40 Jake Bargas
Receivers (10)
19 Adam Thielen
18 Justin Jefferson
81 Olabisi Johnson
11 Tajaé Sharpe
17 K.J. Osborn
12 Chad Beebe
15 Alexander Hollins
13 Dillon Mitchell
14 Quartney Davis
85 Dan Chisena
Tight Ends (5)
82 Kyle Rudolph
84 Irv Smith Jr.
83 Tyler Conklin
86 Brandon Dillon
89 Nakia Griffin-Stewart
Offensive Tackles (7)
71 Riley Reiff
75 Brian O'Neill
72 Ezra Cleveland
69 Rashod Hill
76 Aviante Collins
62 Blake Brandel
67 Brady Aiello
Guards (4)
65 Pat Elflein
73 Dru Samia
78 Dakota Dozier
68 Kyle Hinton
Centers (3)
56 Garrett Bradbury
61 Brett Jones
63 Jake Lacina
Defense (37 Players)
Defensive Ends (7)
99 Danielle Hunter
96 Ifeadi Odenigbo
57 D.J. Wonnum
79 Kenny Willekes
92 Anthony Zettel
90 Stacy Keely
52 Eddie Yarbrough
Defensive Tackles (7)
93 Shamar Stephen
96 Armon Watts
94 Jaleel Johnson
92 Jalyn Holmes
51 Hercules Mata'afa
66 James Lynch
60 David Moa
Linebackers (8)
55 Anthony Barr
54 Eric Kendricks
50 Eric Wilson
45 Troy Dye
47 DeMarquis Gates
48 Blake Lynch
49 Jordan Fehr
43 Quentin Poling
Cornerbacks (10)
21 Mike Hughes
20 Jeff Gladney
24 Holton Hill
27 Cameron Dantzler
38 Harrison Hand
29 Kris Boyd
34 Nevelle Clarke
26 Nate Meadors
32 Mark Fields
36 Marcus Sayles
Safeties (5)
22 Harrison Smith
41 Anthony Harris
44 Josh Metellus
39 Brian Cole II
46 Myles Dorn
Special Teams (3 Players)
Kicker
5 Dan Bailey
Punter
2 Britton Colquitt
Long Snapper
58 Austin Cutting
Active/Physically Unable To Perform
42 Ben Gedeon, LB
Reserve/COVID-19
59 Cameron Smith, LB
74 Oli Udoh, OT
Reserve/Opt-Out
98 Michael Pierce, DT
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