4 thinnest positions on the 2021 Minnesota Vikings roster

Safety

The safety position was easily the thinnest on the Vikings’ roster in 2020, and while it is a bit more fleshed out in 2021, it remains an issue if the team suffers some injures.

Harrison Smith returns to what could be his final season in purple. Despite his age, he’s still one of the best in the NFL.

Anthony Harris left in free agency, but Minnesota did well in replacing him with Xavier Woods. Woods is coming off an up and down season with the Dallas Cowboys, but he is a guy who has shown in the past to be strong in run support and can stick close to receivers in coverage.

The question is behind those two. The Vikings didn’t keep any backups at safety last season, and for the most part, they got away with that gamble. However, when Smith was ejected from a game last year, the team had to turn to George Iloka, who hadn’t even practiced at the position prior to that.

Minnesota’s safety group will be better this year with fourth-round pick, Cam Bynum, in the mix. Since he is a rookie, he will be raw, but at least he’ll be working at this position in camp, and he will have an idea what his role and assignments are in the defense if forced into action. Josh Metellus will also compete for a spot on the roster, as will Myles Dorn.

The Vikings have two solid starters at safety, but lack experience after them. If Smith or Woods goes down for an extended period of time next season, Minnesota could be in trouble.