Vikings roster cuts, reports and rumors

The Minnesota Vikings must finalize their 53-man roster by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Some cuts have already been announced by the Vikings and more are on the way. Let’s dive into the latest facts, reports, and rumors…

Risner will start the season on injured reserve, meaning he’ll be out for at least the first four weeks of the regular season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If the Vikings place tight end T.J. Hockenson on injured reserve to start the season, that would fill two spots on the injured reserve list and likely mean undrafted free agent Gabriel Murphy will be a casualty of roster cuts.

Jaren Hall is going to make the team. That’s been a given since Tom Pelissero announced that the league had informed teams that the third-string quarterback emergency rule had to be on the 53-man roster and couldn’t just be signed off the practice squad. That’s good news for Hall and bad news for someone else who could have made the team.

The first round of cuts has been announced and includes QB Matt Corral, RB DeWayne McBride, TE Sammis Reyes, RB Mo Ibrahim, CB Jaylin Williams, TE Neal Johnson, WR Justin Hall, OLB Owen Porter, OL Chuck Filiago, OL Doug Nester, OL Matt Cindric, OL Spencer Rolland and DL Tyler Manoa. Minnesota also terminated the contract of CB AJ Green III.

These 14 players bring the squad down from 91 to 77. That leaves 24 important decisions to make.

It’s probably logic talking at this point, but Alec Lewis of The Athletic mentioned in his 53-man roster prediction that Minnesota could “try to trade” linebacker Brian Asamoah before the deadline. He also says cornerback Akayleb Evans is a logical trade candidate.

Minnesota’s cornerback room appears to be in constant flux, and after playing 15 snaps in the final preseason game against the Eagles, it could be a surprise candidate for a cut. That’s what Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press thought during a postgame podcast with Coller.

“The only other thing I found a little interesting is that Akayleb Evans has played a lot. Are we sure he’s not a surprise Cup contender?” Mizutani speculated.

Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin are guaranteed to make the team at cornerback. Some of the depth cornerbacks who could be in the mix include Duke Shelley, Fabian Moreau, Evans, Dwight McGlothern, AJ Green III and Nahshon Wright. Jay Ward has also transitioned to cornerback, but his positional flexibility could help him make the 53-man roster.

Is it possible that McGlothern, who is an undrafted rookie, was so good during camp and the preseason that he made the team instead of Evans?

Could the 2022 first-round pick be traded before Tuesday’s deadline? ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks he’s a logical candidate to get a fresh start elsewhere.

“At this point, a change of scenery would be beneficial for Cine, who doesn’t seem likely to earn meaningful minutes in Brian Flores’ defense,” Barnwell wrote. “It would be a surprise if a team were willing to pay even the $4 million in guarantees remaining on his contract, so the Vikings might need to spend money to acquire a draft pick for him. Given Cine’s injury history, a trade might not be possible.”

Alec Lewis of The Athletic believes there are seven key players on the offensive line. The seven that Lewis identifies are Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill, David Quessenberry and rookie tackle Walter Rouse. The question will be how many linemen the Vikings will keep, with most experts predicting they will keep nine or 10.

In a 53-player prediction by the Star Tribune, Andrew Krammer predicts that Dalton Risner will be among the players cut by the Vikings, instead of betting on Michael Jurgens and/or Tyrese Robinson. It’s worth noting that Jurgens is the only player on the roster with experience at center, behind starter Garrett Bradbury.