The Minnesota Vikings enter a consequential weekend with their preseason concluded and the NFL-mandated cutdown from 90 players to 53 looming at 5 p.m. Sunday. General manager Nolan Teasley and coach Kevin O’Connell must make a series of difficult personnel decisions that will shape the opening of the regular season.
Quarterback decisions under scrutiny
At the top of the list are choices at quarterback, where the projection heading into the weekend shows the Vikings carrying three signal-callers: Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz. McCarthy, the highly touted rookie, did not play in Friday’s preseason finale against the Denver Broncos because of an ankle issue that left his availability in doubt.
“[Game] reps, as we talked about earlier in the week, they’re so massive. Just couldn’t get him there,”
O’Connell’s comment after the game captured the staff’s concern that McCarthy missed an important development opportunity. The coach also said the team considered McCarthy “day-to-day,” underscoring that the club has not publicly ruled out carrying him into the season despite the missed appearance.
The Vikings have not appeared to be actively shopping McCarthy, though the roster spot and development timeline create theoretical trade leverage if a suitable offer materialized. For now, the expectation in the latest projection is the team will keep the trio of quarterbacks intact.
| Projected QB spots | Players |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kyler Murray |
| 2 | J.J. McCarthy |
| 3 | Carson Wentz |
Roster battles across the depth chart
Beyond the quarterback room, roster decisions will be particularly thorny along both offensive and defensive lines and in the receiver corps. The preseason revealed several young players whose emergence could force the Vikings to make uncomfortable choices between promising youth and veteran experience.
Linebacker Chaz Chambliss remains a player to watch; his versatility has been highlighted as a potential asset in helping him secure a spot on the initial 53-man roster. The coaching staff will weigh such positional flexibility when finalizing personnel.
- Deadline: 5 p.m. Sunday — teams must reduce to 53 players.
- Preseason status: Vikings’ preseason concluded Friday.
- Key uncertainty: J.J. McCarthy’s ankle and availability.
The team also made an early roster move public by waiving quarterback Max Brosmer, trimming down the competition for those final spots. That move signals the front office and coaching staff are beginning to settle on the framework for certain position groups even as other decisions remain open.
What the final decisions will mean
How the Vikings approach these cuts will have immediate and longer-term implications. Keeping younger players could accelerate their development but might require sacrificing short-term depth or veteran leadership. Conversely, favoring experienced players could stabilize the roster for immediate games but slow the club’s investment in its future core.
Special teams and practice-squad candidacies will also factor into final choices. Players who do not make the 53-man roster might still be retained on the practice squad, offering the Vikings a way to keep promising talent in-house while preserving roster flexibility.
For fans tracking the situation, the next 48 hours will bring a steady stream of official transactions from the team. The Vikings are expected to announce their final roster before the league’s deadline on Sunday, and with injuries and last-minute calls always possible, the composition of the squad could shift right up to game time.
As the Vikings prepare for the regular season, decisions this weekend will set the tone for how the coaching staff balances winning now with building for the future. The organization’s choices on quarterbacks, along the lines and in the receiving corps will draw particular scrutiny as the season-opening roster becomes official.
(Reporting based on the Minnesota Star Tribune’s final roster projection and comments from coach Kevin O’Connell following the preseason finale.)
