6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023

D.J. Wonnum – OLB

Remember when D.J. Wonnum was tabbed as someone who could turn into the next Danielle Hunter for the Vikings? That hasn’t exactly happened, has it?

Wonnum actually had a pretty solid season for Minnesota in 2021 when he generated 30 total pressures and eight sacks. But he took a bit of a step back last season, finishing with just 13 pressures and four sacks despite appearing in 16 games.

This offseason, the Vikings signed former New Orleans Saints pass rusher Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal. This signing was just a year after Minnesota also signed outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith to a multi-year contract.

If Minnesota was confident in Wonnum being able to help them achieve their goals on the defensive side of the ball, then they probably wouldn’t have decided to spend a bunch of money signing Smith and Davenport during the last two offseasons.

Perhaps new Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will want to see if he can bring the best out of Wonnum in 2023. But don’t be surprised if Minnesota decides to move on from the pass rusher before the start of next season also.