Vikings roster projection: McGlothern and Hall in, Evans and Risner out

All NFL teams have to have their rosters trimmed to 53 players by 3 p.m. (CT) Tuesday, meaning it’s decision time for front offices and coaching staffs.

Several Minnesota Vikings fighting for roster spots finished their summer auditions with a bang in Saturday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Here’s our best guess on who makes the cut in Minnesota, who could be practice squad-bound and who will be looking for another team. (Note: Players on IR don’t count toward 53-man roster limit)

Quarterbacks (3)

IN: Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall (J.J. McCarthy already out for season on IR)

OUT: Matt Corral

Did Hall do enough on Saturday to lock down a spot? The 2023 fifth-round draft pick finished the preseason really strongly, which may force the Vikings to keep him on the 53-man instead of trying to pass him through waivers to the practice squad. It wouldn’t be surprising if they still tried to get Corral on the practice squad to see if more time and work could get the former third-round pick on track.

Running Backs (4)

IN: Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu, C.J. Ham

OUT: Myles Gaskin, DeWayne McBride

Nwangwu was really the only question here going into the preseason but he offers return ability, which could be more valuable with the new kickoff rules this season, plus he was actually involved a bit and looked solid in the backfield this preseason. Gaskin also looked worthy of a spot but there’s no need to keep five running backs, so look for the Vikings to try to get him and McBride on the practice squad.

Wide Receivers (6)

IN: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield Sr., Trishton Jackson

OUT: Lucky Jackson, Malik Knowles, Thayer Thomas, Jeshaun Jones, Justin Hall

Remember when this position looked like one of the weakest for the Vikings heading into training camp? Suddenly, there are talented players that the Vikings will have to cross their fingers and hope get through waivers so they can be on the practice squad. That’s a huge credit to wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell. The Vikings will surely want some, if not all, of those top four cut on the practice squad, but Nailor looks great and just needs to stay healthy, Trishton Jackson showed out in the preseason and Sherfield has already proven to be a steady veteran with good run-blocking abilities to make it a really nice and versatile group.

Tight Ends (3)

IN: Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse (T.J. Hockenson on IR to return, Trey Knox already out for season on IR)

OUT: Robert Tonyan, N’Keal Harry, Sammis Reyes, Neal Johnson

I firmly believe Tonyan would’ve made the roster if he even had some preseason action but the veteran has been sidelined since the end of July due to what was termed as back spasms. While he could be valuable while Hockenson works his way back, he’s missed out on a chance to build a rapport with Darnold and is likely out of a spot because of it. The one possible route to his inclusion seems to be if Muse, who has missed some recent practice time and the preseason finale, is going to be sidelined long-term, although it doesn’t seem that way at this point. It’s still tough to say when Hockenson could return but expect plenty of Oliver, Mundt and Muse in the meantime.

Offensive Line (9)

IN: Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill, David Quessenberry, Dan Feeney, Walter Rouse, Tyrese Robinson (Jeremy Flax already out for season on IR)

OUT: Michael Jurgens, Dalton Risner, Spencer Rolland, Henry Byrd, Doug Nester, Matt Cindric, Chuck Filiaga

Risner seems to be in a similar spot as Tonyan in that he feels like he would’ve been a shoe-in if he would’ve just been healthy during the preseason, and maybe he could’ve even earned the starting right guard spot over Ingram. Instead, he’s been sidelined for weeks and now may miss the cut. Again, if the Vikings are still uneasy about Ingram, they could try to keep Risner on IR and designate him to return, but that’d be the final IR to return slot (with Hockenson), which may be the deciding factor. Robinson looked good all preseason and is also only 25, and the Vikings certainly need more young talent along the O-line.

Defensive Lineman (6)

IN: Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Jerry Tillery, Jonah Williams, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Jalen Redmond

OUT: James Lynch, Taki Taimani, Jaquelin Roy, Tyler Manoa

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Vikings keep Taimani over Redmond but the Vikings will hope whichever one they don’t keep will make it to their practice squad, as they both looked good this preseason. Redmond gets the edge here because of his strong finish to the preseason, where he rated as Minnesota’s highest-graded defender — although that was Taimani against Cleveland. Roy and Lynch just didn’t flash a lot but I’m sure the Vikings would be happy to keep either on the practice squad.

Edges (6)

IN: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Patrick Jones II, Jihad Ward, Andre Carter II (Gabriel Murphy on IR)

OUT: Owen Porter, Bo Richter

Another tough spot to project, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Vikings opt to keep Porter or Richter instead of Carter but I’m giving Carter the nod due to his familiarity from last year and his strong finish to the preseason, like Redmond. Carter totaled nine pressures and two sacks over the final two preseason games on top of six stops. He seems headed in the right direction while Richter faded after a strong start to the slate and Porter played well but just wasn’t quite as good. Whoever is cut will absolutely be a priority for Minnesota’s practice squad if they clear waivers. As for Murphy, it’s still unclear what his injury is but he’s been sidelined for a couple weeks so IR at least keeps him around, and if the Vikings think he could play later, they can designate him to return (this is where the Risner/Tonyan decisions will also have an effect).

Inside Linebackers (3)

IN: Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., Brian Asamoah II

OUT: Kamu Grugier-Hill, Dallas Gant, Jordan Kunaszyk

The Vikings can really only afford to keep three guys here. The level of trust in the veteran Grugier-Hill and the lack of trust in Asamoah makes it seem like Grugier-Hill will get the spot, especially if there’s any concern over Cashman’s finger injury. Still, Asamoah finished the preseason strong and, for a team shifting toward a younger roster but struggling to hit on draft picks, it seems unwise to part with Asamoah yet. I don’t know that he’d make it through waivers but the Vikings may try that route and see if they can retain him that way if they opt to keep Grugier-Hill, but Gant should also be a priority for the practice squad after his strong preseason.

Cornerbacks (5)

IN: Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr., Shaquill Griffin, Dwight McGlothern, Fabian Moreau (NaJee Thompson already out for season on IR)

OUT: Akayleb Evans, Duke Shelley, Nahshon Wright, A.J. Green III, Jaylin Williams

It’s tough to part with Evans for the same reasons it’d be tough to part with Asamoah. However, unlike Asamoah, Evans struggled all preseason, finishing each of the final two games among the two lowest-graded defenders, per Pro Football Focus. Injuries may have been part of it but he just hasn’t worked out, the coaches don’t seem to trust him and he isn’t really a special teams contributor. McGlothern has to be included after his outstanding summer and adds a young corner with good upside into a room that desperately needs that. Shelley is also tough because he’s seemingly the best backup slot corner, but Moreau has some experience there so maybe he could fill that role or Shelley could return later. The Vikings also have several versatile safeties that defensive coordinator Brian Flores used there last year. Green, Wright and Williams could be practice squad options, too.

Safeties (5)

IN: Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward

OUT: Lewis Cine, Bobby McCain

As said with Evans, it’s tough to give up on Cine, especially considering how highly he was drafted. Still, the Vikings have five guys clearly in front of him and, despite his one great preseason game, he hasn’t been able to consistently find or maintain any great level of production. Maybe the Vikings can trade him for a late-round pick but his time with the Vikings is over. In addition to the top three, expect to see more of Jackson and Ward this season, too, possibly at nickel back.

Specialists (3)

IN: Will Reichard, Ryan Wright, Andrew DePaola

The easiest spot to project, as these guys are all set. Wright clearly won the punting competition over Seth Vernon, who was released last week, but still hasn’t been amazing. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings at least considered other options at punter, but Wright still seems like the Week 1 guy.