On Sun, Aug 30, the final 53-man rosters were announced for all NFL teams throughout the league. The Minnesota Vikings were one of those teams who had interesting competitions on their roster to determine backup positions for the most part after coach Kevin O’Connell named Kyler Murray the starting QB on Aug 11. With other roster spots to be decided, plenty of backups and roster invitees had their chances to shine on the preseason stage. Although there were some unfortunate injuries that ended the seasons of a couple of Vikings players before they began, general manager Nolan Teasley had his first chance to determine the makeup of a roster in his career. Let’s see who made the roster(some obvious choices along with some less than certain players) for this 2026 Minnesota Vikings squad.
The QB Dilemma: Murray is the Starter While McCarthy Makes the Team in Spite of Major Struggles in Preseason Games & Right Ankle Injury
First, we go to the quarterback situation where Kyler Murray was named the starter after being signed to a one-year contract in the offseason. Murray’s command of the offensive playbook through training camp was most commendable and although he appeared in just one drive in the preseason that ended with a field goal, he has clearly shown that he is a starting-caliber QB. Meanwhile, J.J McCarthy tried his best to do well as the backup in the two preseason games that he appeared in, but he had his struggles in performing with the second-team offense. In the Aug 15 game against the New York Giants, McCarthy went 4-7 passing with 34 passing yards and he got sacked once while not leading any scoring drives. In the second preseason game at U.S Bank Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens, McCarthy completed one deep pass to Tai Felton, but he failed to finish that drive with a touchdown as he threw a 4th & goal pass high and fast above the hands of Myles Price, who was one of McCarthy’s favorite targets to throw the ball to. Once again, McCarthy didn’t lead any drives that resulted in a score and he completed five out of ten passes for 81 yards. McCarthy was relieved both times by Carson Wentz, who played admirably with the third-team offense as he led plenty of drives that ended in scores during his preseason action.
McCarthy was unable to play in the third preseason game due to an ankle injury suffered in the 13-3 loss to the Ravens as he continued suffering ailments that have held him back in his career thus far. Wentz and Max Brosmer took all the reps in a 34-6 loss to the Denver Broncos on Fri, Aug 28. There were rumors that McCarthy was going to be bumped down to the third QB on the depth chart for Minnesota or that he could be traded by Nolan Teasley, who is the successor to the general manager that drafted McCarthy in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. At this time, it appears that McCarthy will stay on the roster and be the backup QB to Murray if healthy. In spite of his struggles, McCarthy still holds value as a dual-threat QB and can learn some efficient moves from Murray while standing on the sidelines. Wentz and Brosmer also made the roster, meaning that the Vikings will have four quarterbacks on the sideline on Opening Day against the Green Bay Packers. Joining the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles as teams with four QBs on their active roster, Minnesota will try their best to see the stats of the QB improve as Murray takes the reins of an offense featuring some of the most talented skill players in the NFL at their positions. With four 4,000-yard passing seasons, Murray will look to lead this Vikings team back into the playoffs while also staying healthy. If anything bad should happen to Murray, whether McCarthy serves as the backup full-time will be unveiled in time. There is still time for Teasley to make a trade, but for now four QBs are on the roster and however long that lasts will be determined over time. Now onto the skills players and the components of them.
Skill Players for Vikings Include Usual “J” Suspects, With a Couple of Surprising Players Making the Roster After Solid Training Camp/Preseason Showings
The skills players on this Vikings team are set at the starting spots, with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings being the starting wide receivers, Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason being the 1-2 combo at running back for the second straight season, and T.J Hockenson and Josh Oliver returning as the top-two tight ends. But there are also some rookies and new faces who were lucky to make the final cut and stay in Minnesota.
The two rookies who made the cut are Demond Claiborne and Max Bredeson, who were both selected in middle-to-latter rounds in the 2026 draft. Claiborne will be the third running back on the roster and also will serve as the main kick returner for the Vikings on the dynamic kickoff this season. If Jones and/or Mason suffers through any injury, Claiborne will look to replicate the success that he had at Wake Forest with 26 rushing touchdowns and 28 receiving touchdowns in his time on the Demon Deacons football team. Meanwhile, Bredeson is essentially a fourth RB as a fullback in continuing the legacy of the Vikings having a fullback on their roster full-time. Succeeding C.J Ham, Bredeson will look to be a good blocker and a solid strong rusher whenever he is handed the football.
Other than the rookies, the skill players who made the cut as backups include Tai Felton in his second season, Myles Price in his second season(serving as the main punt returner), and surprisingly Dillon Bell, who potentially has a drunk driving suspension for one of his fellow WR teammates to thank for making the roster. Jeshaun Jones was performing admirably in his second preseason, but he was suspended by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy by driving drunk in the week leading up to the final preseason game. Jones had six catches for 63 yards in his 2026 preseason action and after serving his suspension will either be waived or placed on the practice squad. Meanwhile, Bell makes his first regular season roster following a seven-reception and 59-yard game log as a receiver in the third and fourth team offenses. Beating out other candidates such as Dontae Fleming, Trayvon Rudolph and Terrell Davis, Bell will likely be used as a special teams blocker and tackler but could get offensive reps should injuries arise to the top WRs. Felton will take on the role of being the fourth wideout in case there is an injury to one of the “Killer Js” trio.
Another surprise in the skills player department for the Vikings is that there will be four tight ends on the opening week roster. Joining Hockenson and Oliver are Ben Yurosek and Gavin Bartholomew, who were battling out to make the roster as if there would only be three tight ends. Due to the recent injury history of Hockenson, having four tight ends seems to be a smart move for Minnesota. Bartholomew is blessed to be on the roster following an entire rookie season missed due to a lower back injury. So, the Vikings have their skills positions set for Murray to lead. Let’s see what the offensive line looks like heading into September.
The O-Line Gets Shaved Down to Eight Players as Only One Big Ugly in a Roster Spot Competition Makes It Through Training Camp
The offensive line in Minnesota has a desperate need to improve and stay healthy in 2026 following a rough 2025 season. The main five starters on the O-Line this season are Christian Darrisaw(left tackle), Donovan Jackson(second-year left guard), Blake Brandel(taking on the reins as the center), Will Fries(returning as the right guard) and Brian O’Neill(who in his ninth season is the longest tenured offensive player on this Vikings squad). The backup linemen who made the roster are Caleb Tiernan(rookie out of Northwestern dealing with a left ankle injury), Ryan Van Demark(backup tackle along with Tiernan, but with previous experience playing on the Buffalo Bills) and surprisingly guard Joe Huber(who was a practice squad player last season). Huber made the roster over other potential linemen such as Michael Jurgens(who was placed on injured reserve), Henry Byrd(another fellow guard) and Vershon Lee.
Huber was aided in making the roster due to Walter Rouse being traded to the New England Patriots in exchange for a sixth-round pick in next year’s NFL draft. Rouse was mostly a backup in his two seasons in Minnesota and will look to provide stability to a Patriots offensive line in desperate need of protecting Drake Maye. But for now, the Vikings offensive line is set, with plenty of those O-Linemen who didn’t make the final 53 certainly being candidates for the practice squad. Now let’s shift to the other side of the ball and analyze the defense.
The D-Line Features Rookies Banks and Orange Joining Four Other Young Beasts, With a Couple of Veteran Candidates Being Cut in a Trimdown to Six Behemoths
The defense is younger and better than ever under the leadership of Brian Flores, who looks to keep the Vikings near the top of the league in terms of tackles for loss, points per game allowed and turnovers forced. The defensive line is the one part of the defense that has undergone the most change for Minnesota as they let go of veteran signings from 2025 in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave and invested in young stars such as rookie draft picks Caleb Banks(first round pick) and Domonique Orange(third-round pick). Surrounding those two rookie defensive linemen are Jalen Redmond(looking to lead this group after having a career breakout in 2025), Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Elijah Williams.
The Vikings clearly want to use the young defensive linemen that they have to put pressure on the interior offensive linemen that they will face in 2026. Banks will look to prove himself worthy as a starter and stay healthy after missing a lot of games in his final season with the Florida Gators. But according to the depth chart, Banks will be the starting nose tackle whenever he is used while Orange will be a backup nose tackle behind Banks. Rodriguez is also an eligible nose tackle, although he will spend more time as a defensive end on the left side of the line opposite Redmond, who is the main guy on the right side. Williams was lucky to beat out veteran candidates on the defensive line such as Jonathan Harris(who was signed this past week and could be a practice squad member), Isaiahh Loudermilk(a veteran with experience on the Steelers) and Taki Taimani(who got placed on injured reserve and was waived). So, the Minnesota defensive line will be filled with a bunch of young guys while being flanked by veteran edge rushers with loads of potential to get a lot of sacks.
The Linebackers & Edge Rushers Are Revitalized With Returning Vets & Young Guys, Including Rookie Middle LB Jake Golday
The linebacker corps for Minnesota were reconstructed following the draft-day trade of Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles and the drafting of Jake Golday in the second round. The edge rusher duo in the linebackers core of Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner will look to be a power-combo in getting sacks. Also, the middle-linebacker duo of Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson shall also look to tally up a lot of tackles as well. But the backups behind them include the struggling Ivan Pace Jr, who is looking to have a bounce back season following a rough 2025, Bo Richter(who made the roster as a backup behind Van Ginkel) and Chaz Chambliss(who made the roster following a six-tackle rookie season).
Golday’s addition to the roster is the most intriguing one, as he looks to do well with his other defensive rookie teammates. As a backup behind Wilson and Cashman, Golday will look to be a good middle linebacker if called upon to play due to an unforeseen injury to either of those two veterans. A tough injury that determined Chambliss getting onto the roster was Tyler Batty tearing his ACL and being placed on season-ending injured reserve. Another one regarding a guy who started training camp as a linebacker and then transitioned back into being a safety was Jamal Adams, who was signed to a one-year deal to provide depth in the secondary and linebacker corps. Unfortunately, Adams suffered a torn right quad tendon in the opening preseason game against the Giants and was ruled out for the season. Signing Adams was seen as a good move at the time, but he was a victim of the preseason game injury bug. So, the Minnesota linebackers and edge rushers will definitely have a new look to it and so will the secondary, which also awaits the potential return of a franchise legend who hasn’t decided on whether he is going to permanently retire from football yet.
The Secondary Has a Brand New Look With Rookie DBs and Experienced Vets, But the Return of a Legendary Safety Could Occur Sometime in Middle of Regular Season
The secondary for the Vikings looks to continue their dominance in getting interceptions and forcing turnovers in unconventional ways. The main guys who have taken ahold of the starting positions are Joshua Metellus(strong safety), James Pierre(signed in free agency to be a nickel back), Theo Jackson and Byron Murphy Jr. Jay Ward will also have a bigger role as a safety to be used on specific play sets. The one guy whose role will be new in the secondary is Charles “Chuck” Demmings, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2026 draft out of Stephen F. Austin University. Demmings will seek to be a strong rookie addition to the secondary alongside Jakobe Thomas, who was drafted in the third round with the 98th overall pick.
There is an oddity in the secondary with two guys making the Final Cut with the same surname. Jakobe Thomas is being joined by Jacob Thomas, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the preseason game in Denver. Jac. Thomas is an undrafted rookie out of James Madison University and he made the roster after recording five solo tackles. So, the “Thomas Bros” are both on the roster as backup safeties and could be important in the future of the team.
Notable guys who didn’t make the roster in the secondary group include Kaleef Hailassie, who got an interception in the game against the Broncos, Dwight McGlothern(who was waived), Tavierre Thomas and Da’Vean Armstead. But there remains one guy who could return onto the roster at some point during the season in spite of him not being signed to a contract on the Vikings roster currently. This is obviously referring to Harrison Smith, who many people thought would announce his retirement from football at the end of the 2025 season. Unlike C.J Ham, Smith did not make an announcement regarding his retirement and his one-year contract expired with the new league year. Smith has not signed with any other team, nor has he expressed any interest with signing with another team besides the one he has played 14 seasons for. With a lot of amazing career marks for a safety in terms of sacks, interceptions and tackles, the Hitman could make his return if there is an injury to one of the main safeties on the Vikings. But for now, Smith’s status is unknown and he could make a mid-season return like plenty of other good players throughout the years have done.
Finally, one last surprise move on the roster is that Brett Thorson was chosen as the punter in winning the competition over Johnny Hekker, who apparently wasn’t good enough as a veteran signing. Thorson has the perfect name for a player on the Vikings and in preseason action he averaged 47.8 yards of distance per punt. Thorson will also serve as a good holder for Will Reichard, who looks to continue kicking balls through the goalpost as one of the best kickers in the entire NFL.
The Vikings roster is now set for their season opener on Sun, Sept 13 against the Green Bay Packers, who will appear as a less lethal team with a few of their key players either sidelined due to injury or suspended. Hopefully this roster will help get a lot of wins for this Minnesota team looking to reclaim the NFC North and go on a deep playoff run.
Kent Bewley's News Story Collection 
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