4 Vikings players barely hanging onto a 2023 roster spot

Player No. 4

DeWayne McBride - RB

This one is a bit different because it doesn't apply to the active roster. DeWayne McBride's best chances of sticking in the NFL are to be placed on the Vikings practice squad, and even his spot on that is hanging by a thread.

McBride looked timid and scared in his first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. He was used as a kick returner, and it looked like he just ran straight ahead as fast as he could, not looking for any lanes to open up. As a runner, he turned his body on contact and didn't look like he belonged on the field.

His second preseason game with Minnesota was a little better, and it looked like the nerves were out of his system. He did score a goal-line touchdown, but he averaged just three yards a carry.

McBride's production hasn't been great, but that's not the main issue. The main issue is that the Vikings have signed a couple of running backs off the street, and in the brief time they've been with the team, they look like far superior players than the seventh-round pick.

In the game against the Seahawks, it was Abram Smtih who ran with more patience and poise than McBride. In game two, it was Aaron Dykes who ran with more burst and speed than what McBride has shown.

The fact that he was a 2023 seventh-round pick favors him landing on the practice squad, but the Vikings were able to sign two players who looked just as good, if not better than McBride, making keeping him around, even as a practice squad player, a worthless endeavor.