The Minnesota Vikings will play their first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, and if you’re a fan, you know what’s coming next.
Earlier this week, the Vikings released their first unofficial depth chart before the Raiders game on Saturday. And while this should be taken with a grain of salt (Ivan Pace Jr. was listed as a third-string linebacker in the Vikings' first depth chart in 2023), the depth chart will be overanalyzed and discussed heavily going into Saturday’s game.
Many will obsess over the fact that J.J. McCarthy hasn’t overtaken Sam Darnold, and some of their camp sleepers aren’t listed on top of the depth chart yet. But it might be more productive to see which players have slid down the depth chart and have a lot to prove against the Raiders.
4 Minnesota Vikings already tumbling down the depth chart
Andre Carter II - OLB
Andre Carter II’s fall down the depth chart began last offseason when he was the last man on the depth chart after Danielle Hunter signed with the Houston Texans. Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Blake Cashman were signed within a five-hour stretch, and the Vikings added Dallas Turner in the draft to push Carter further down the depth chart.
The decline has continued for Carter in training camp. Carter has the size (6-foot-6) and explosiveness to be an impact pass rusher, but the strength hasn’t developed as he sits behind another free agent acquisition, Jihad Ward, and fellow UDFAs Owen Porter and Gabriel Murphy.
Carter was considered by some as a potential first-round pick coming out of Army for the 2022 draft, but it appears that if he’s going to fufill his upside, it’s going to be outside of Minnesota.
Jaquelin Roy - DL
The Vikings’ defensive line feels like the land of opportunity, but Jaquelin Roy hasn’t converted, as he’s listed in the second pairing on Tuesday’s depth chart.
Roy was a fifth-round pick out of LSU in the 2023 draft, but he couldn’t get regular playing time in a similar situation. While incumbents Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard remain on the roster, free-agent acquisitions Jerry Tillery and Jonah Williams have received more snaps with the first team.
Roy’s fall may not be over, as 2024 seventh-round pick Levi Drake Rodriguez has also been generating buzz. If Rodriguez finds his way onto the roster, it could mean bad things for Roy, who is firmly on the roster bubble.
Andrew Booth Jr. - CB
This was set to be a big training camp for Andrew Booth Jr. and became even bigger thanks to the Vikings' laundry list of injuries at cornerback. But while the opportunity has been there, Booth is listed as the No. 5 cornerback.
Booth should have a chance to change that, as Shaq Griffin is out with an injury, and Byron Murphy Jr. is unlikely to play in the preseason as the team’s top corner. But Booth isn’t even listed on the second team, as Akayleb Evans and recent pickup Fabian Moreau occupy those spots.
Booth has never seemed to fit in with the defense since the arrival of Brian Flores last year, and he hasn’t done anything to make him change his mind during camp. If Booth doesn’t flash in preseason games, he could be a cut or trade candidate when the Vikings make their final roster later this month.
Lewis Cine - S
Lewis Cine’s situation will be forever linked to Booth. Both players were selected early in the 2022 draft and neither player could earn the trust of Flores. Cine’s situation is a little different thanks to a broken leg in his rookie season but he hasn’t gained traction when he’s on the field.
It hasn’t helped that the Vikings' safety room has become loaded since Cine’s arrival, with Harrison Smith returning for another season, Camryn Bynum occupying the other spot, and Josh Metellus becoming a Swiss army knife. But Cine has also fallen behind Theo Jackson and recent addition Bobby McCain.
A lower leg strain threw another wrench in Cine’s comeback tour this summer, and it appears he could be on the block – via or cut or trade – by the end of the month.