Minnesota Vikings 53-man Roster

 This might be the first time since the roster was initially set that the Minnesota Vikings website has 53 players on the active roster and 16 players on the practice squad. Players have come and gone with such frequency and injuries have removed players often enough that it was tough to keep up with the roster action. No players were seriously injured on Sunday and the only tweak to the practice squad was Monday's addition of undrafted rookie defensive back Luther Kirk and releasing Nate Meadors. It's only Wednesday so there's still time for roster juggling before Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. If there is any roster juggling, hopefully it's not due to injuries. 

The Linebackers

The Vikings were all set to enter the 2020 NFL season with their best linebacker depth in years. Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, and Eric Wilson are a strong starting trio. Ben Gedeon, Cameron Smith, and fourth-round rookie Troy Dye are diverse and solid backups. The linebacker group was swimming in talent and numbers. That depth started being whittled away from the start of training camp. A false positive COVID test led doctors to discover that Smith has been living with a significant heart condition. Open heart surgery to fix that condition has forced him to miss the season. If all continues to go well, he should be able to continue his football career next year. Perhaps less optimistic is the situation with Ben Gedeon. He apparently hasn't been cleared for concussions that he suffered last season. In light of those scary health situations, the foot/ankle injury that Troy Dye suffered against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 seems cute. He's on injured reserve. So, all three expected backups are now on three different injured lists. Dye could return in as few as three weeks. Gedeon could be activated as soon as he clears the concussion protocols. Then we get to Anthony Barr. The play-caller and leader of the defense was lost for the season when he tore a pectoral muscle against the Colts. Four of the Vikings' expected six linebackers are out from weeks to the entire season. The unfortunate circumstances forced the installation of a special door at TCO Performance Center for new linebackers. Former Cal standout (Go Bears!) was added during training camp. Former New York Giants starter Ryan Connelly was a waiver addition on cut-down weekend. Former Denver Broncos starter Todd Davis was signed last week after Barr was placed on injured reserve. While the Vikings' linebacker situation isn't great it's fortunate that experienced linebackers like Connelly and Davis, in particular, were available when they were desperately needed. The expectation here is that once he's learned more of the intricacies of the Vikings defense that Davis will join Kendricks and Wilson as the linebackers when three are on the field. Injuries are a part of football but it's a brutal thing to have such a concentrated injury hit on one position group. 

Here's a look at the Vikings roster in advance of their Week 4 game against the Houston Texans. 

Offense (26 Players)

Quarterbacks (2)
 8 Kirk Cousins
 4 Sean Mannion

Running Backs (4)
33 Dalvin Cook
25 Alexander Mattison

31 Ameer Abdullah
23 Mike Boone

Fullbacks (1)
30 C.J. Ham

Receivers (7)
19 Adam Thielen
18 Justin Jefferson
81 Olabisi Johnson
12 Chad Beebe
11 Tajaé Sharpe
17 K.J. Osborn
85 Dan Chisena

Tight Ends (3)
82 Kyle Rudolph
84 Irv Smith Jr.
83 Tyler Conklin

Offensive Tackles (4)
71 Riley Reiff
75 Brian O'Neill
69 Rashod Hill
74 Oli Udoh

Guards (3)
78 Dakota Dozier

73 Dru Samia
72 Ezra Cleveland

Centers (2)
56 Garrett Bradbury
61 Brett Jones

Defense (24 Players)

Defensive Ends (5)
91 Yannick Ngakoue
95 Ifeadi Odenigbo
57 D.J. Wonnum

90 Jalyn Holmes
52 Eddie Yarbrough

Defensive Tackles (5)
93 Shamar Stephen
96 Armon Watts
94 Jaleel Johnson
51 Hercules Mata'afa
66 James Lynch

Linebackers (5)
54 Eric Kendricks
50 Eric Wilson

40 Todd Davis
57 Ryan Connelly

47 Hardy Nickerson Jr.

Cornerbacks (6)
21 Mike Hughes
20 Jeff Gladney
24 Holton Hill
27 Cameron Dantzler
29 Kris Boyd
38 Harrison Hand

32 Mark Fields II

Safeties (3)
22 Harrison Smith
41 Anthony Harris

44 Josh Metellus

Special Teams (3 Players)

Kicker
 5 Dan Bailey

Punter
 2 Britton Colquitt

Long Snapper
58 Austin Cutting

Practice Squad

  3 Jake Browning, QB
  7 Nate Stanley, QB
15 Alexander Hollins, WR
86 Brandon Dillon, TE
40 Jake Bargas, FB
76 Aviante Collins, G/T
68 Kyle Hinton, G
64 Blake Brandel, T

67 Albert Huggins, DT

66  Abdullah Anderson, DT

48 Blake Lynch, LB

49 Cale Garrett, LB

43 George Iloka, S
32 Mark Fields II, CB

35 Luther Kirk, DB

  7 Chase McLaughlin, K

Here are the players that have been placed on the various reserve lists:

Reserve Lists

Reserve/Physically Unable To Perform
42 Ben Gedeon, LB

Reserve/Injured

99 Danielle Hunter, DE

55 Anthony Barr, LB

65 Pat Elflein, G

45 Troy Dye

79 Kenny Willekes, DE

46 Myles Dorn, S

Reserve/COVID-19
None!

Reserve/Non-Football Illness
59 Cameron Smith, LB

Reserve/Opt-Out
98 Michael Pierce, DT