Minnesota Vikings: Final 53-man roster projection for the 2018 season

After four preseason games, who stood out the most for the Minnesota Vikings and earned a spot on the team’s regular season roster?

It’s that time of year again where the Minnesota Vikings have to figure out which players give them the best chance for success in the regular season.

But unlike previous years where the Vikings had two separate cut-down days during the preseason, Minnesota has to make one big trim on Saturday to decrease the amount of players on their roster from 90 to 53.

The Vikings have until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to decide who will be wearing their uniform during the 2018 regular season.

Minnesota likely already knows what their starting lineup is going look like for this year, so figuring out which players will make up their depth for 2018 is what the team will be doing this weekend. As they have learned in the recent past, who the Vikings select as their backups can have a tremendous impact on the team’s success during the regular season.

When Minnesota does eventually decide which players will be making their final 2018 roster on Saturday, they will also be saying goodbye to some pretty talented guys. The Vikings will be hoping to add a number of their cuts to this year’s practice squad, but some of them might be too talented to not get picked up by other teams.

So who will be the 53 players that make up Minnesota’s final roster for the 2018 season?

Quarterbacks

1. Kirk Cousins
2. Kyle Sloter
3. Trevor Siemian

Siemian gets a spot on the roster thanks to his experience, but Sloter has earned the backup job behind Kirk Cousins with his play this preseason. Sloter’s play on Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans really made the choice over Siemian even easier for the Vikings.

In four preseason games this year, Sloter led Minnesota to a touchdown on five drives while Siemian only had two of his drives this preseason result in trips to the end zone (and one was due to a screen pass that Roc Thomas turned into a 78-yard touchdown).

Running Backs

1. Dalvin Cook
2. Latavius Murray
3. Mike Boone
4. CJ Ham (fullback)

Boone gets the nod over Roc Thomas for Minnesota’s third running back job after having himself an impressive preseason. In three of the Vikings’ four exhibition games this year, it was Boone who ended up leading the team in rushing.

Minnesota might be able to sneak Thomas onto their practice squad, but it wouldn’t be surprising if another team decided to sign him before he clears waivers.

Wide Receivers

1. Stefon Diggs
2. Adam Thielen
3. Laquon Treadwell
4. Kendall Wright
5. Brandon Zylstra
6. Chad Beebe

Some may believe that Wright didn’t show enough in training camp or the preseason to deserve a roster spot. But if Diggs or Thielen are forced to miss anytime this year, Wright could be a valuable asset in the slot during their absence.

Zylstra has been getting praise all offseason and his touchdown catch on Thursday against the Titans proved why. Even though he didn’t play during the Vikings’ preseason finale against Tennessee, Beebe did enough on offense and on special teams during Minnesota’s other three exhibition games to earn a spot on the team’s final roster.

Tight Ends

1. Kyle Rudolph
2. David Morgan
3. Tyler Conklin

No real surprises here. Keeping three tight ends is a must for the Vikings this season and no one else did enough in camp or the preseason to persuade the team to not keep Conklin.

Embed from Getty Images

Offensive Line

1. Riley Reiff (LT)
2. Tom Compton (LG)
3. Pat Elflein (C)
4. Mike Remmers (RG)
5. Rashod Hill (RT)
6. Danny Isidora (OG)
7. Brian O’Neill (OT)
8. Aviante Collins (G/T)
9. Brett Jones (C/G)

As much as the Vikings have shuffled around their offensive line this preseason, the team’s picks for their final roster should not be too surprising.

Elflein is likely going to be taken off the PUP list to avoid him sitting out the first six weeks of the season. Minnesota just made a trade for Jones, so letting him go doesn’t seem too likely.

Collins, Isidora, and O’Neill all showed potential in this year’s camp and the preseason and each should be capable of filling in for starters when needed this season. The Vikings may even throw one of them into the starting lineup at some point this year if they’re not happy with the play of Compton or Hill.

Center Cornelius Edison had a shot at making Minnesota’s final roster this season. But that went out the door as soon as the Vikings made the trade for Jones last week.

Defensive Ends

1. Everson Griffen
2. Danielle Hunter
3. Brian Robison
4. Tashawn Bower
5. Stephen Weatherly

Typically, the Vikings would probably keep only four defensive ends. But Bower and Weatherly would likely get signed by another team if Minnesota tried to stash one of them on their practice squad, so both will have to remain on the active roster.

Some may believe that Robison is a possible surprise cut candidate, but his experience in the NFL and in Mike Zimmer’s defense is too valuable to remove from the Vikings’ locker room.

Defensive Tackles

1. Linval Joseph
2. Sheldon Richardson
3. Jaleel Johnson
4. Jalyn Holmes
5. Ifeadi Odenigbo

Odenigbo really took advantage of his time on the field during this year’s preseason and deserves a spot on Minnesota’s final roster. His ability to also play on the outside as a defensive end is something that gives him an edge over a guy like David Parry.

Linebackers

1. Anthony Barr
2. Eric Kendricks
3. Ben Gedeon
4. Eric Wilson

Wilson was really impressive in training camp and the preseason this year. He will be a vital part of the Vikings’ special teams this season and should be plenty capable of filling in for Barr if needed at any time in 2018.

Cornerbacks

1. Xavier Rhodes
2. Trae Waynes
3. Mackensie Alexander
4. Mike Hughes
5. Terence Newman
6. Holton Hill
7. Marcus Sherels

Sherels defeats the odds once again this year as his skills on special teams are just too valuable for Minnesota to pass up. The last thing the Vikings need this season is a new guy fumbling a few punt returns and costing the team a game or two.

Hill is still very raw, but he’s too talented for Minnesota to try and keep him on the practice squad. It will be a good season for the rookie to sit on the bench and learn from arguably the best current group of cornerbacks in the NFL.

Safeties

1. Harrison Smith
2. Andrew Sendejo
3. George Iloka
4. Anthony Harris

The Vikings parting ways with Iloka seems unlikely considering how much Mike Zimmer adores him. His experience in Zimmer’s defensive scheme should allow Minnesota to add some new wrinkles to their defense this year.

Due to his impressive preseason and his ability to play both safety spots, Harris gets the nod over Jayron Kearse for a spot on the Vikings’ final roster.

Specialists

1. Daniel Carlson (kicker)
2. Ryan Quigley (punter)
3. Kevin McDermott (long-snapper)

Ever since Carlson was selected by Minnesota in last April’s NFL Draft, these three figured to be the guys the Vikings would enter the 2018 season with.

Although, Minnesota does seem to be taking quite the risk by putting their faith in a rookie kicker this year. It’s not like the Vikings have ever had problems with kickers in the past though, right?