Vikings bubble player shares bold message for his doubters online

Earlier this month, third-year wide receiver Jalen Nailor was mentioned by The Athletic's Alec Lewis as a player who could be left on the outside looking in when it comes time for the Minnesota Vikings to make their final cuts before the 2024 regular season.

Nailor has participated in a number of Vikings OTA practices this spring, however, an illness forced him to miss the team's entire mandatory mini-camp last week. His absence from mini-camp only fueled the doubts about his future in Minnesota further.

On Friday, Nailor made it known that he is clearly aware of his skeptics with a story he shared on his personal Instagram account.

What are the chances of Jalen Nailor making the 2024 Minnesota Vikings?

With only 12 catches in his first two seasons with the Vikings, it's completely fair to doubt Nailor's chances of securing a spot on the team's final 2024 roster.

At best, he is probably fourth on Minnesota's wide receiver depth chart heading into training camp, behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Brandon Powell.

In order to hold onto that fourth spot, Nailor will have to perform better than guys like Trent Sherfield, Trishton Jackson, Malik Knowles, Lucky Jackson, and Thayer Thomas this summer. Since the Vikings still have more than $25 million in cap space, don't rule out them also adding another veteran receiver to the mix before players return for training camp at the end of July.

When Minnesota is evaluating all of the receivers behind the top three guys on the depth chart this year, they will be attempting to answer a few questions.

Can this receiver fill in well enough if someone above him on the depth chart has to miss time due to injury? Has he already reached his ceiling when it comes to his potential in the NFL? And can he make an impact on special teams if he doesn't get regular snaps on offense?

The majority of Nailor's snaps during his two years in the league have come on special teams, so that experience could give him the edge over some of the other wide receivers on the roster bubble this summer.

We don't know if he can fill in well as a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver because he's never really been given a legitimate chance to do that during his time with Minnesota yet. With that being said, no one can really conclude that Nailor has reached his ceiling yet, either.

Despite his doubters, the best bet still currently seems to be Nailor landing a spot on the Vikings' final 2024 roster. Whether or not that continues to be the case throughout the summer is something that remains to be seen.

More Vikings News and Analysis