3 key takeaways from the Vikings final 53-man roster for 2022
By Luke Parrish
The Minnesota Vikings have made their final cuts to get the roster to 53 players before the 2022 season begins in less than two weeks.
The Minnesota Vikings have made the necessary moves to get their roster in good standing to make any additional moves that could come before they kick off the regular season.
New Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have taken hold of this roster and made drastic changes in their first offseason in charge of the team. The way they have built the roster is certainly worth noting, especially given some of the names that were left off of this initial 53.
What are the key takeaways from the final roster? Minnesota can paint a better picture of their upcoming season now that the roster is finalized, especially considering the lack of surprise moves.
Takeaway No. 1
Minnesota has better offensive depth than defensive depth
Depth will always be a crucial issue for NFL teams given the nature of the game and how quickly injuries can disrupt the flow of a season. The Vikings have dealt with a handful of injuries in training camp and throughout the preseason which has resulted in unfortunate cuts and IR designations already.
Luckily for Minnesota, there seems to be plenty of depth on the offensive side of the ball. The running backs looked excellent in exhibitions which made Alexander Mattison expendable, though no trade has occurred as of now.
Even with Bisi Johnson tearing his ACL for the second season in a row, the Vikings have enough depth at wide receiver to make it a non-issue. Sure, having Bisi as the WR5 on the depth chart would be nice, but his absence opens the door for another youngster to step up.
There also seem to be plenty of solid backups along the offensive line after some impressive preseason showings. The offense is in a good spot heading into meaningful action.
Defensively, depth has been a concern all summer long. There are too many inexperienced players at key positions with injury-prone players above them on the depth chart.
T.Y. McGill, a preseason standout, has been placed on IR and Minnesota quickly lost depth along the defensive line. Minnesota lacks proven pass rushers behind Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith and has waived Janarius Robinson, a player that fits that mold of rusher.
The Vikings lack contributors on the bottom of the depth chart across the defense, and that could be a killer by the end of the season.