For the Minnesota Vikings, training camp and the preseason have both concluded, and now the team must figure out which players should be kept on their final 53-man roster for the upcoming 2025 season.
Most of the starting spots on the Vikings' roster have already been known for the last several weeks, so the team will really be focusing on their depth when making final cuts during the next few days.
Minnesota has until Tuesday, August 26th, at 3 p.m. CST to trim its roster all the way down to 53 players. So which group of 53 will the Vikings choose to enter the 2025 season with?
Final Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster prediction for the 2025 season
Specialists (3): Will Reichard (K), Ryan Wright (P), Andrew DePaola (LS)
After some holding troubles by undrafted rookie punter Oscar Chapman in Friday's preseason finale, Ryan Wright holds onto his punter job, at least on the initial 53.
Don't be surprised if Minnesota still decides to replace Wright before the start of the 2025 season by either claiming someone on waivers or making a trade.
Defensive Linemen (6): Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Elijah Williams
The Vikings just traded Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets a few days ago, and a big reason why was due to the impressive amount of talent inside Minnesota's defensive line room this year.
With Phillips off the roster, a spot opens up for undrafted rookie Elijah Williams, who was consistently one of the top performers for the Vikings this summer.
Edge Rushers (5): Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Gabriel Murphy, Bo Richter
No real surprises here as Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner lead a very talented pass-rushing group that has some intriguing young talent at the bottom of the depth chart in Gabriel Murphy and Bo Richter.
Inside Linebackers (4): Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., Eric Wilson, Kobe King
Minnesota decided how this group was going to look earlier this month when they cut Brian Asamoah. Eric Wilson was a sneaky good addition this offseason, given his starting experience and what he can add to the Vikings' punt and kickoff coverage units.
Cornerbacks (6): Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah, Mekhi Blackmon, Dwight McGlothern, Zemaiah Vaughn
After Byron Murphy Jr., there are so many questions surrounding Minnesota's secondary. The Vikings like Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah, but neither of them have really proven to be consistently reliable starting corners in their pro careers.
This is definitely a position group that Minnesota could look to add to before the start of the 2025 season with a waiver claim, trade, or free-agent signing.
Safeties (4): Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward
Are we about to witness Harrison Smith's final year in the NFL? If it is, it's been extremely impressive how Smith has been able to play at a high level for basically his entire football career.
Quarterbacks (3): J.J. McCarthy, Skylar Thompson, Max Brosmer
While the Vikings would probably like to stash Max Brosmer on their practice squad, it's highly unlikely that he would clear waivers in order for that to happen, considering how well he played in this year's training camp and preseason.
Unsatisfied with both Sam Howell and Brett Rypien, Minnesota decides to send a late-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Skylar Thompson, who finished the 2025 preseason with a 73.2 completion percentage, 498 passing yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and a 116.5 passer rating.
Running Backs (4): Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Zavier Scott, C.J. Ham (FB)
Zavier Scott did exit Friday's preseason finale with an ankle injury, so his roster spot depends on the severity of that. But Scott did more than enough this summer to earn the Vikings' No. 3 running back spot over Ty Chandler, who will be the latest member of the team's 2022 draft class to head out the door.
Wide Receivers (5): Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Tim Jones, Myles Price
The noticeable omission here is obviously Jordan Addison. But since Addison is suspended for the first three games of the 2025 season, he's not eligible to be a member of the active roster until Week 4.
The other notable part of this group is the addition of Adam Thielen. Rumors about Minnesota wanting to trade with the Carolina Panthers for Thielen heated up on Friday, and it seems like it's just a matter of time until a deal is completed between the two teams.
Tight Ends (3): T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Nick Vannett
It's pretty difficult to figure out who the Vikings are going to keep in this group behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Undrafted rookie Ben Yurosek has a chance to be given that third spot, but Minnesota will probably play it safe and stick with the veteran Nick Vannett, who has been in the NFL since 2016.
Offensive Linemen (9): Christian Darrisaw (LT), Donovan Jackson (LG), Ryan Kelly (C), Will Fries (RG), Brian O'Neill (RT), Blake Brandel, Walter Rouse, Joe Huber, Michael Jurgens
They haven't even stepped on the field for a regular-season game together yet, but the Vikings' projected starting offensive line already feels like it's going to be better than any other group of blockers that the team has had during the Kevin O'Connell era.
It seems like Christian Darrisaw should be good to go for Week 1 despite suffering a torn ACL last October, which is great news for Minnesota's first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy.