4 most surprising players to make the Vikings final roster in 2023

Player No. 3

Andre Carter II - EDGE

Keeping Andre Carter II was a move the Vikings may have already decided they were going to do after the draft. They gave Carter an unheard-of signing bonus for an undrafted free agent, almost assuring him a spot on the roster.

The reason Minnesota did this is because Carter possesses traits a coach can't teach. He has a 6-foot-6 frame with arms that are basically tentacles.

The only real knocks were that he needed to add some bulk and strength to his frame and that he is basically rawer than uncooked bacon. The guy just needs time to develop, and apparently, the Vikings are more than willing to grant him that.

Carter's place on the team did get a bit murky after a pretty quiet preseason. He didn't stand out a ton in practice and flashed even less in the exhibition games, mostly seeing time late in the third or fourth quarter.

Again, though, Minnesota had already likely decided on Carter's future prior to this, which was evident when they were willing to waive Luiji Vilian, who had a much better preseason than Carter did and was progressing nicely as an edge presence.

Time will tell if this was the right move or not. For now, Carter is on the Vikings roster, and they'll hope he can reach his vast potential.