Your 2021 Minnesota Vikings

[Guest]

@"VikingOracle" said:

A couple of thoughts to consider (good job by the way):

• I think Chisena and Metellus are in a special category.  They are special team standouts and I don't think they are the typical developmental young player you would put on the PS.  I think both of them would have easily passed through waivers.  So, I think neither are candidates to be cut at this point.  I am surprised that Chisena has made the roster for 2 straight years but perhaps he is the new Marcus Sherels (though not a returner).
• I actually have come to the conclusion that there is not going to be another QB on the roster.  If they brought a QB onto the roster that has no experience in the system, the QB coach will have to devote time to getting him up to speed.  This will be to the detriment of Mond's development.  I think Browning on the PS is basically the back-up.
• I think the Vikings go with 6 LBs and 6 corners.  The back-up linebackers are so young.
• I am surprised Holmes/Weatherly are on the roster -- I expected one to be gone.  I am guessing that the Vikes may be looking for a trading partner for one of them.
• Rose will be on the PS and will serve as the 4th RB.

You're right, I kinda "ignored" Special Teams a little bit. I wasn't even aware that Chisena was on the roster last year...and actually played in 14 games. So him and Metellus should have a good chance of staying put. I also didn't dive very deep into the possibilities that the new PS rules offer (with basically 2 more rosterspots each week, even though it's limited to two games per player before you have to put him on the "official" 53), so I can see where you're going with the idea of Browning being on the PS and serving as an "emergency #2/3" essentially. 

So, after further review  :p , the players who are most likely to be gone from the 53 before the season starts would be: Holmes and/or Weatherly, Blake Lynch and/or Connelly and maybe James Lynch? Of course, they could put all of them on the PS theoretically, almost certainly the younger guys.

[Guest]

@"GermanVike" said:
There will be quite some changes in the upcoming days, probably looking like this:

1. the Chris Herndon trade will not become official until tomorrow. So there's either your first cut or a player to short term-IR. (Nwangwu, Smith Jr, maybe Darrisaw, Barr or even Westbrook)
2. Griffen, DePaolo and/or Abdullah will be re-signed since they don't have to go through waivers. Maybe for players on short-term IR, maybe for a cut of a another backup.
3. They will put some waiver claims in (e.g. LB, S, TE, CB, maybe a QB?). If they get awarded a player, somebody else has to go as well. Same goes for veteran FA-signings.

So there are quite a few players on the "so called" 53-Man Roster right now that we won't see on the team coming Week 1. My main candidates for getting cut for the aforementioned players would be:
- WR Dan Chisena
- LB Ryan Connelly
- DE Jalyn Holmes
- DT James Lynch
- LB Blake Lynch
- S Josh Metellus

Also remember that you can put up to 16 players on the PS (which is a lot) and 6 of those can be veterans who before 2020 weren't eligible.


So here's a guess for the roster come opening day. It certainly could and probably will not look exactly like this, but I think that Griffen, Abdullah und DePaolo will be back on the team by then (and no, please NO Dakota Dozier...):

QB: (3)
- Cousins
- waiver claim /FA
- Mond

RB: (4)
- Cook
- Mattison
- Abdullah
- Ham

TE: (4)
- Conklin
- Herndon
- Dillon
- waiver claim / FA

WR: (5)
- Jefferson
- Thielen
- Osborn
- Westbrook
- Smith-Marsette
OT: (3)
- Hill
- O'Neill
- Brandel

OG/C: (5)
- Bradbury
- Cleveland
- Udoh
- Cole
- Davis

Total Offense: 24

DE: (5)
- Hunter
- Wonnum
- Griffen
- Weatherly
- Jones III

DT: (5)
- Pierce
- Tomlinson
- Richardson
- Watts
- Lynch

LB: (5)
- Kendricks
- Barr
- Vigil
- Dye
- Surrat

CB: (7)
- Peterson
- Breeland
- Alexander
- Boyd
- Dantzler
- Hand
- waiver claim / FA (can't ever have enough Corners, huh? lol)

S: (4)
- Smith
- Woods
- waiver claim / FA
- Bynum

Total Defense: 26

Specialists: (3)
- Joseph
- Colquitt
- DePaola

TOTAL: 53


Short Term-IR:
- Nwangwu
- Smith Jr.
- Darrisaw (just a guess, he might not go there, but who knows...)


Cuts would then be the players I mentioned above, except for Lynch who I did keep here.
- WR Dan Chisena
- LB Ryan Connelly
- DE Jalyn Holmes
- LB Blake Lynch
- S Josh Metellus

Some, if not most of them would be go to the PS if not claimed by other teams. Heck, they even could stash Holmes there, who somehow is still here...

Wow, good breakdown. Agree with pretty much everything, except the Lynches. I could be wrong but I think Blake Lynch has flashed some exciting ability and they'll find a way to keep him, especially with Barr questionable. I know you end up keeping James, but he was a 4th rounder and former Big12 defensive player of the year, who had a good camp. I don't think they'd expose him to the wire. 

[Guest]

There's obviously a few moves left to be done, but I don't think it will change much. Certainly nothing significant. 

[Guest]

Wow, good breakdown. Agree with pretty much everything, except the Lynches. I could be wrong but I think Blake Lynch has flashed some exciting ability and they'll find a way to keep him, especially with Barr questionable. I know you end up keeping James, but he was a 4th rounder and former Big12 defensive player of the year, who had a good camp. I don't think they'd expose him to the wire. 

Thanks! 

Regarding the Lynches: Yeah, it could go either way with those 3rd string guys, it's just that I've personally seen more from James than Blake overall (hey, he got a sack on his very first NFL snap!  B) ). And I have them keeping James, he's just a possbile candidate for the PS if they choose to keep only 4 DTs initially.

[Guest]

[Guest]

Game One is going to be very interesting. 

[Guest]

@"StickyBun" said:
Game One is going to be very interesting. 

Vikings have been waiting months to open the throttle on this roster. Months of injury, controversy, red jerseys, vanilla game plans, sitting starters. Vikings get to let out some frustration in Cincinnati. I'll be shocked and horrified if this game is close. 

[Guest]

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"StickyBun" said:
Game One is going to be very interesting. 

Vikings have been waiting months to open the throttle on this roster. Months of injury, controversy, red jerseys, vanilla game plans, sitting starters. Vikings get to let out some frustration in Cincinnati. I'll be shocked and horrified if this game is close. 

And yet you have this:

https://twitter.com/ChadGraff/status/143...2916080642

[Guest]

@"StickyBun" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"StickyBun" said:
Game One is going to be very interesting. 

Vikings have been waiting months to open the throttle on this roster. Months of injury, controversy, red jerseys, vanilla game plans, sitting starters. Vikings get to let out some frustration in Cincinnati. I'll be shocked and horrified if this game is close. 

And yet you have this:

https://twitter.com/ChadGraff/status/143...2916080642

This won't be the first time Chad has been wrong. Could we come out and look like shit on offense? You bet. We did last year. It's certainly possible this year. Offensive regression? Yeah, that's possible too. We were top 5 last year. Wouldn't surprise me if we fell between 5 and 10.

But unless Cousins does a repeat of early season 2020 or misses games due to Covid, a team with JJ, Adam and Dalvin, with an improved offensive line (that's where he's wrong) is not going to suck all that much. 

[Guest]

Here's the crux of Graff's article:

What’s more likely, in my opinion, is an offensive regression. The Vikings got worse on the offensive line and worse at tight end — especially with the loss of Irv Smith Jr. for much (if not all) of the season — while returning essentially the same group at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Plus, they have a new offensive coordinator as Klint Kubiak tries to fill the massive shoes left behind by his Super Bowl-winning father, Gary.
The Vikings allocated more resources to their defense this year in part because that’s where they were worse a year ago, but also because the Vikings believe that Cousins, Cook, Jefferson and Adam Thielen are good enough to return the Vikings to their success of last season. But they reached that level with remarkable health, a legendary play caller and a better offensive line. It seems like a big ask to trust that your four top players won’t get hurt, your offensive line featuring a swing tackle at the most important spot will improve, and a new play caller will be as good as the one who helped invent the scheme other teams have adopted.
OL is worse? At LT, definitely a step down until Darrisaw gets in there. Every other position on the OL is either better or the same.
Kube Sr is LEGENDARY? No. Unless running consistently on 2nd and long is the thing of legends.
Is there an offense in the league that could survive injuries to their top 4 weapons on O? No.
It's a deal article that spent the majority of the time talking about the D. An editor worth his/her salt would have told Graff to try again.