5 surprising Vikings players who could make the 2020 roster

Steven Parker – S

The Vikings signed Steven Parker earlier this month and when hearing the news, many fans said, “who?”

It was a fair question to ask because Parker is by no means a familiar name in NFL circles. When doing research on the young safety, the numbers show that he could be a nice depth piece for the Minnesota safety group this season.

Parker was undrafted out of Oklahoma and he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams following the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent his rookie year on the Rams practice squad, but he couldn’t crack the starting lineup in 2019, and he was cut.

The Miami Dolphins picked him up and he ended up starting four games for them last season. During his four starts and 14 appearances last year, Parker had 20 total tackles, three pass breakups, and two interceptions.

He clearly has some ball skills and he isn’t afraid to come up and make a hit. The Vikings were wise to bring him in since they only had rookies as the primary backups to safeties Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris. Having a safety on the depth chart with even a little experience is huge.

When Smith got a day off in practice this summer, it was Parker who played with Minnesota’s first-team defense. That shows how highly thought of he is in Vikings camp and with Brian Cole II already released, the veteran’s chances of making the team this year are quite high.