Final Vikings 53-man roster projection for the 2021 season
By Adam Carlson
Wide receivers (6)
- Chad Beebe
- Justin Jefferson
- Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- K.J. Osborn
- Adam Thielen
- Dede Westbrook
Losing Bisi Johnson for the year opened up the door for some other Minnesota Vikings pass-catchers who might not have gotten an opportunity due to the number of competitors for spots this year.
Star receivers Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson will be the one-two punch the team knows and loves but the real story of this offseason has been the emergence of K.J. Osborn as the guy who should be the team’s third wide receiver.
Honestly, past those three, the depth gets jumbled. However, guys like Chad Beebe, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and even Dede Westbrook can get warmed up on special teams while getting sprinkled into the offense when needed.
Watch for Westbrook to emerge as a receiver as the season goes on. His playstyle is a nice compliment to the way Kirk Cousins likes to deliver the football and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him competing with Osborn for that WR3 role as the season goes on.
The hard cut here is Dan Chisena, who has a ton of speed as a gunner on special teams. Keeping 7 receivers would be too much though, and he ends up on the chopping block.