After a long five-plus weeks of competition, the Minnesota Vikings and all other NFL teams have released their initial 53-man rosters for the opening week of the 2025 regular season. The Vikings had some intense competitions when it came to some position groups such as the defensive line, linebackers, backup offensive linemen, wide receivers and running backs. In the end, there were some surprises and some open spots for prospective players(rookies and practice squad layoffs) to grasp onto due to injuries and a couple of trades. The competition for who would be the backup quarterback behind J.J McCarthy went nowhere as the Vikings had mostly sloppy play from two out of their three backup QB options and in the end acquired a veteran QB available on the open market to be the initial backup behind McCarthy.

In other news, wideout injuries to Rondale Moore(who suffered a season-ending leg injury in the first preseason game while trying to return a punt) and Jalen Nailor opened up a spot for receivers who were trying to make the final cut onto the roster. With a lack of depth in the wide receiver room early on in part due to Jordan Addison’s three-game suspension, the Vikings front office decided to bring back a player who played the first 9 seasons of his career as an undrafted free agent for the team. His return had been rumored to occur for weeks and it finally occurred on the day after final cuts were made. The return of this prodigal Minnesota son will definitely bring hype to Vikings fans everywhere as they look to compete big time this season in order to return to the playoffs and go on a magical run all the way to a chance to play for the Lombardi Trophy itself. So, let’s break down the roster, the most notable players who didn’t make the roster(and the most notable ones who did) and the trades that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made to improve the roster and gain potential future draft capital.

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The Backup QB Competition Explored: Max Brosmer Shines In Preseason Play While Sam Howell And Brett Rypien Fall Apart, Leading To An Awkward Signing Of A Former Opponent On A Team That Denied The Vikings Greatness Many Years Ago

So, after three preseason games and some joint practices, the Vikings finally have clarity on their backup QB situation behind J.J McCarthy, who only played for one drive in preseason play. McCarthy competed in joint practices with the New England Patriots as well as Kevin O’Connell took those practices as virtual game reps against an opposing defense. So, the competition for two open spots in the QB room was on between Sam Howell, Brett Rypien and undrafted free agent Max Brosmer. Howell was acquired on draft day from the Seattle Seahawks, Rypien returned after being the primary emergency third QB in 2024 and Brosmer played his college games locally at the University of Minnesota, so it was going to be a fair competition. Brosmer showed out well from the start, while Howell and Rypien had their struggles with backups and reserves looking to make the team or at least be on the practice squad. Brosmer threw a combined 364 yards, along with two TD passes, in all three of the preseason games. Having efficient passing with backup wideouts such as Tim Jones, Dontae Fleming and Lucky Jackson, Brosmer was very good in game action and in practice sessions.

Meanwhile, Howell struggled in practice and in the second game he appeared in. His first game appearance in the preseason was relatively good as he was getting a high amount of snaps with the second-team offense. But in a home preseason game against the Patriots, Howell was very bad, only completing one of his five passes and throwing an interception as well. Only 13 yards on the one pass he completed and he was off to the bench, permanently. Rypien, being a QB with sufficient backup experience in a couple of different locations around the league, had a better second game than Howell, having thrown for 83 yards and completing 7 of his 11 passes. For the final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on the road, Brosmer and Rypien were the only QBs deployed by Kevin O’Connell. Rypien completed half of his 14 passes and threw one interception to go with just 62 yards of completion. So, when cutting time started to creep in, Rypien was released and Howell was traded to a team in need of a backup QB. Howell was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a couple of future late draft picks. Howell was traded to Philly because they needed an experienced backup behind Jalen Hurts following an injury to their self-appointed backup in Tanner McKee. So, a good trade was made for both sides. Meanwhile, the Vikings acquired a former Eagles QB who was once seen as a star and he had a massive decline after suffering a traumatic injury to his ACL and MCL during a season when he could have won the MVP award if he had stayed healthy all the way through.

The Vikings signed free-agent veteran QB Carson Wentz to a one-year deal to be the primary backup QB behind McCarthy. Wentz and McCarthy have one thing in common(besides being first-round picks): they both suffered traumatic knee injuries in the early parts of their careers. We all know about McCarthy’s meniscus tear in the 2024 preseason that caused him to sit out for all of his rookie season. But way back in the 2017 season, Wentz was having himself a great year in leading the Eagles to a potentially high seed in the NFC playoffs(which they would eventually attain). But in Week 13 of that season, Wentz suffered a torn ACL and MCL after getting hit hard in one of his knees when diving for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, who were then playing on the field of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Wentz was done for the year and Nick Foles stepped in for the rest of the way for Philadelphia, who went on to clinch home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs and they defeated the Vikings in the 2017 NFC Championship Game to deny them a chance at playing in a Super Bowl at U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The Eagles won Super Bowl LII over the Patriots with the help of the unholy Philly Special play. Vikings fans might have wondered(and probably still do) about if Wentz was the Eagles’ QB in the NFC Championship Game, could the Vikings have potentially won that game? Some of that can be confirmed with the fact that the Vikings beat the Eagles twice with Wentz as the starting QB in 2018 and 2019, but Kirk Cousins was the QB for the Vikings in those games. In that NFC Championship Game, Case Keenum had his magical run topped off with the Minneapolis Miracle ruined by a relentless Philly defense, so it might not have mattered who the QB was for Philly, who also had a solid offensive line and dynamic offensive players that allowed Foles to have one of the best games of his career.

Wentz was unseated after a horrible 2020 season by Jalen Hurts and went on to be a starting QB for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, when he struggled staying on the field due to multiple reasons. Then, he went to play for the newly-named Washington Commanders in 2022, where he was a starter part-time due to his poor play. Wentz has been a backup these past couple of seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, the latter of whom just lost in Super Bowl LIX to Wentz’s old team in the Eagles. So, Carson Wentz now returns to his old Upper Midwest stomping grounds, sort of. He played his college ball at North Dakota State, where he led the Bison to a few FCS titles in Fargo. Wentz is projected to be the backup behind McCarthy, and that means Max Brosmer will serve as the emergency third-string QB in all likelihood. The way that Brosmer played in the preseason looked way better than what Wentz has put on tape over the past few seasons, but you can’t discredit experience as a starter for a backup QB. And Wentz has years of starting experience in the NFL. With the Vikings’ backup QB dilemma explored, we must explore another important position group on the team, and that is the defense, where a couple of trades were made with a couple of significant players to free up roster space and acquire some future draft picks.

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The Defense Remains The Same, Except For Big Harry And Mekhi Blackmon Being Traded To Make Space For A Couple Of Young Defenders To Be On The Roster On Opening Week

So, the Brian Flores defense had a solid preseason, with most of the starters competing in joint practices against New England and sitting out all three of the preseason games. The main questions were who was going to make the team among the young defenders looking to break the mold from the practice squad. Young linebackers and defensive linemen along with young defensive backs were competing for a minimum amount of roster spots up for grabs. Those spots became more expansive due to a couple of trades made by the front office regarding a couple of defenders who could have both made the final cut. In the matter of a week, both Harrison Phillips and Mekhi Blackmon were traded to different teams in the AFC for late round draft picks.

Firstly, Phillips was traded on Aug. 20 to the New York Jets in exchange for a couple of sixth-round draft picks in each of the next two drafts(one for 2026, another for 2027). The front office was stacking up on draft capital to be used in potential future trades, including one that just happened(get to that in a bit). Phillips had a good three seasons on the defensive line for the Vikings as he was good in penetrating the middle offensive line in forcing pressures on opposing QBs and tackling running backs for losses of yardage. Phillips was injured in the final game he played as a Viking in the 2024 Wild Card Game against the Rams. He was also somewhat critical of Kevin O’Connell’s cultural approach to dealing with mistakes that players made on the field while going over film coverage. Phillips was a captain on the defensive side who got some help on the defensive line with the acquisitions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave in free agency. But due to the amount of young defensive linemen on the roster(including on the practice squad), a hard choice had to be made. Trading Phillips to the Jets, who are coached by a defensive mastermind in Aaron Glenn, was the direction that the front office went in. This meant that there could be extra room for a young D-lineman looking to make the cut, and that young defender turned out to be Elijah Williams, who had himself a good training camp as an undrafted free agent. Dominating in getting valuable tackles in game action along with a couple of QB pressures and sacks has made Williams a popular player among his teammates. Also making the roster on the defensive line are Jalen Redmond(who has had himself an impressive couple of seasons bouncing around rosters on the NFL and United Football League) and Levi Drake Rodriguez(who spent the majority of the season last year on the practice squad after being a late-round draft pick in 2024). The final spot taken on the defensive line belongs to 2025 fifth-round pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who is the latest in an impressive round of young elite defenders to come out of the University of Georgia.

Another trade made by the front office occurred shortly after the final preseason game when Mekhi Blackmon, a cornerback drafted in 2023 who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, was traded to the Colts, who gave the Vikings a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft in exchange for another failed draft selection under Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s general manager tenure. So, that freed up a spot among the defensive back group for Minnesota. Only four full-time cornerbacks made the roster for the Vikings and the only one with minimal playing experience is Dwight McGlothern Jr. The other three CBs currently on the roster are Byron Murphy Jr, Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah. A potential need for acquiring another cornerback on the open market or in another trade scenario could occur, but thankfully the Vikings have flexibility in their defensive back room that can allow a couple of their safeties to play as a cornerback. Specifically in the nickel formation, something that safety Theo Jackson has mastered. Notable safeties to make the roster(alongside Harrison Smith and Joshua Metellus) are Jay Ward and Tavierre Thomas, who made it out of a tight competition among defensive backs.

Notable defenders who didn’t make the roster, but are now on the 16-player practice squad are outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy(who made the roster last year after being placed on IR in the preseason), defensive linemen Jonathan Harris and Taki Taimani, cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn and safety Kahlef Hailassie. Another defensive addition to the practice squad is Fabian Moreau, who played some games at cornerback last season for the Vikings when veteran CB Stephon Gilmore was inactive with an injury. So, Moreau’s return could provide some veteran depth at cornerback if necessary. The most notable linebacker to make the team was another undrafted free agent in Austin Keys, who beat out fellow undrafted free agent and former college teammate Dorian Mausi for that last spot. Keys and Mausi played together as teammates for the Auburn Tigers these past couple of seasons, but Keys was better in the role of middle linebacker that both were auditioning for. Keys will now be a backup behind middle linebackers Ivan Pace Jr, Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson(another UDFA named Kobe King made the roster as an inside LB as well). Another guy who got onto the roster in a similar fashion to Gabriel Murphy last year is Tyler Batty, who had himself a good training camp before being placed on injured reserve with a designation to return later on in the season. Finally, the two most notable outside linebackers to make the roster are Bo Richter and Chaz Chambliss, who will mostly be featured on special teams defensive coverage and be backups to Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner as edge rushers. So, that’s how the defense shakes out. Now onto wide receivers and the return of a special someone to Minnesota.

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Wideout Depth Was Tested, But A Couple Of Surprise Guys Make It Initially, Only For One Of Them To Be Moved Onto The Practice Squad Due To The Return Of The Recent Birthday Boy Who Received The Best Gift Ever In Returning To His Childhood Team

For wide receivers, the Vikings had a lot of them to decide between in this training camp. A lot of wideouts were looking to make the roster/practice squad in catching passes from the same QBs competing for that coveted backup spot behind J.J McCarthy. Guys with names such as Lucky Jackson(he’s been on our practice squad and training camp roster for a couple of seasons now), Thayer Thomas(another training camp vet), Dontae Fleming, Tim Jones, Jeshuan Jones and others got reps in place of the usual suspects of Justin Jefferson(who was sidelined with a hamstring injury for most of training camp), Jordan Addison(facing his three-game suspension to start the season) and Jalen Nailor(who suffered a hand injury in joint practices). So, after some evaluating in practice and in games, the cuts had to be made. And the initial guys who made the cut featured 2025 third-round draft selection Tai Felton(a lock to make the roster), Tim Jones and Myles Price(a running back who is labeled as a wideout due to his ability to return punts). But the veteran Jones got bumped down to the practice squad on Wed, Aug. 27 because of a trade that the front office made to acquire a receiver from another team. And this wasn’t just any random wideout, he is one who has earned the love and respect of Vikings fans and NFL coaching staffs everywhere.

Adam John Thielen has returned to the place where his football career started and where his entire young life occurred as a native Minnesota-born child from Detroit Lakes, many hundreds of miles northwest from the Twin Cities. Thielen is the ultimate example of an undrafted free agent making a living catching balls from QBs and scoring clutch touchdowns in the red zone. Having his college years of playing occur at Minnesota State University at Mankato(where the Vikings training facility used to be located), Thielen would literally try out for the team in the 2014 training camp as a punt returner/gunner. And he did well in that role and made the team. Eventually, Thielen ascended to be a full-time wide receiver and started catching passes from many QBs. From Teddy Bridgewater to Kirk Cousins, Thielen was a great target to throw to for Vikings passers as he was a master in the slot. Teaming up with Stefon Diggs and then Justin Jefferson to create amazing WR duos, Thielen was among the league leaders in red zone scoring and receiving yards in balls caught in between the numbers. Thielen is another undrafted gem for the Vikings, who also had John Randle and others as notable undrafted free agents that made a name for themselves while wearing purple jerseys. Thielen eventually was allowed to test free agency after the 2022 season and he signed with the Carolina Panthers on a three-year deal at 32 years old. Thielen was a target for young QB Bryce Young to rely on in the red zone and was more experienced than most of the other offensive players on Carolina, which has struggled mightily as a franchise in trying to compete in the weaker NFC South division. So, there were rumors that Thielen might be a trade target and wideout injuries that the Vikings had in training camp only supercharged those stories of Thielen’s potential return.

An apparent sign of this was Thielen being shown working out with J.J McCarthy on a grass field in Minnesota in between mandatory minicamp and training camp. This was a signal to the Vikings’ front office to go out and get Thielen, who truly wants to bring a championship to his home state and finally give his team the one thing they have been fighting for throughout so many years of failure and heartbreak. On Wed. Aug 27, 2025, just five days after turning thirty-five years old, Adam Thielen got the news that he was returning back to the team that he rooted for and played on for nine years, as the Vikings traded a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for him and a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The Vikings are going to pay the remainder of Thielen’s salary for his current contract. It feels nice having Thielen back with Jefferson and a couple of strong young wideouts. It is ironic that Jordan Addison’s legal troubles off the field in terms of drunk and risky driving allowed this to happen, but this is more than likely a one-year thing. Thielen will probably retire at the end of this season, but he actually gets to do it back on the team that he loves the most. There are a lot of notable Vikings who finished their careers elsewhere and had to sign one-day contracts to retire as Vikings. Jared Allen is one of those players and he just got enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So, a potential future Canton enshrinee and a definite Vikings’ Hall of Famer in Adam Thielen is back on the roster. He will definitely be an important target in the red zone for McCarthy to throw it to and even though his production might not be the same as it was in his first stint in purple, Thielen will still be wheelin’ and dealin’ on the field as he looks to give Vikings fans a good feelin’ about the team’s prospects of going on a magical run for this 2025 season.

Notable wideouts who were cut but kept on the practice squad are Lucky Jackson(whose luck of staying on the Vikings continues), Tim Jones(bumped onto the squad due to number 19’s return), Dontae Fleming(who wore number 19 in preseason games, so he’s gonna need a new number to wear), and Jeshaun Jones. So, with the receivers sorted out, there are only a couple of notable position groups left to go over and that is running backs and tight ends.

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Tight Ends And RBs Are Solidified, With A Couple Of Hurt Players Allowing Some Fortunate Dudes To Make The Initial 53-Man Roster

Now onto running backs and tight ends, who are just as important to the offensive scheme as wide receivers and the quarterback. These two groups not only provide production in terms of rushing yards and/or catching balls for big yards after catch(or contact) gains, but they are also crucial in providing blocks against opposing defenders looking to disrupt the rhythm of the quarterback. The main characters at these positions are Aaron Jones/Jordan Mason at running back and T.J Hockenson/Josh Oliver at tight end. Those guys had secure roster spots, but there were other players looking to compete for backup spots behind these combo duos.

One guy that stood out in game action during the preseason running the ball was Zavier Scott, who had himself some tough runs through contact in gaining plenty of first downs in game action. Scott was getting more reps than Ty Chandler, whose roster security was in question initially due to his lack of being an efficient backup RB behind Aaron Jones last year. But Chandler still has value as a potential kick returner in the dynamic kickoff format and especially now with the new change that a ball kicked into the end zone or out of it will result in a touchback that has the ball come out to the receiving team’s 35-yard line(it was at the 30-yard line for last season only). So, Chandler made the roster in spite of a lack of rushing reps in preseason play. Meanwhile, Scott beat out fellow halfbacks Tre Stewart and Xavian Valladay(acquired in a separate trade with the Jets) for that final roster spot, which was made possible due to an injury suffered by a long-time veteran on the Vikings roster. C.J Ham, the fullback for the team since 2017, was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, but he will return when the time is right. With Ham’s injury, Scott could potentially serve as a fullback in the Vikings’ offensive scheme, or they could also not utilize a fullback until Ham returns.

A tight end could potentially serve in the fullback role, as there were three of them who made the roster. Obviously the first two are Hockenson and Oliver, who have done well in their few seasons in Minnesota with pass catching and run blocking. The third tight end who made the roster initially was Ben Yurosek, who beat out other candidates such as Bryson Nesbit and Nick Vannett(both of whom are on the practice squad). Yurosek also benefited from drafted tight end Gavin Bartholomew being injured and on the physically unable to perform list. So, he could serve in a fullback role if necessary but will more than likely have special teams coverage on the edge of the line be his main thing.

The only other notable group to discuss is the offensive line and there was some competition between those looking to make the roster or stay on it. For insurance reasons, the Vikings decided to have five backup offensive linemen on their initial roster along with the main five starters of Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries and Brian O’Neill. The lucky five big uglies who made the Final Cut are Blake Brandel(who has been a Viking since 2021), Walter Rouse, Michael Jurgens, Justin Skule and Joe Huber. In keeping some depth, the practice squad also features big men like guards Vershon Lee and Henry Byrd along with the required international pipeline player Max Pircher, who hails from the beauty country of Italy.

So, the Vikings roster and practice squad are fully set in stone for the most part. Other moves could be made between now and opening night in Chicago against the Bears, but overall this team is ready to play some real football again. The 2025 regular season is almost upon us and the Minnesota Vikings can definitely prove themselves as one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL this year.