Worried About the Vikings Cutting Your Favorite Training Camp Underdog? Don’t Be.

The NFL Preseason is 2/3 of the way over . Not only did Kevin O’Connell win the first preseason game of his tenure as Minnesota Vikings head coach, but he won two. Unfortunately, those W’s won’t go toward the official count. Nonetheless, winning is fun.

What does count, though, is the daily position battles that are happening throughout the roster. That’s especially true for about 10-15 players who are jockeying for the final 5-10 spots on the 53-man roster. Think about what is on the line for those guys. Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of dollars.

Remember, not every NFL player has a $100 million contract. Most of the youngsters on Minnesota’s current 90-man roster are living paycheck to paycheck, like the rest of us (probably worse). For fans, it’s another year of NFL training camp cuts.

For those players, it’s the difference between playing football for life-changing money, or picking up garbage on Tuesdays… maybe doing our taxes in a few months. Both are incredibly respectable occupations, but neither provides the same type of pay or life experience.

Minnesota Vikings youngsters on the 53-man roster bubble

Cutdowns are just over a week away (3 p.m. CDT on August 27). There are a lot of young players who have made their names known at Vikings training camp, one way or another. The defensive front seven is one group that stands out, in that regard.

Roster bubble youngsters who have caught the eye of fans and media members all over the 90-man training camp roster include (but are not limited to):

• Levi Drake Rodriguez (iDL) – 24 y/o
• Gabriel Murphy (EDGE) – 23 y/o
• Bo Richter (EDGE) – 24 y/o
• Dallas Gant (LB) – 24 y/o
• Dwight McGlothern (CB) – 22 y/o
• Tyrese Robinson (G) – 24 y/o
• Jeshaun Jones (WR) – 24 y/o
• Jaren Hall (QB) – 26 y/o

In reality, only two or three of the players listed above will make the Minnesota Vikings final 53-man roster. Sad, I know. But it’s OK. More than likely, every player listed above will have a job in the NFL after cutdown day, and it will probably be with the Vikings. Why? Because practice squads are way bigger than they used to be.

NFL’s expanded practice squads era will keep most quality youngsters in house

Long gone are the days when teams could only employ 5 practice squad players (1993-2003), or the 8 allowed for the next decade (2004-2013). Even from 2014 to 2019, only 10 players were allowed per NFL practice squad.

Then, amid all the changes in 2020, practice squad rosters in the National Football League were expanded to 16, a massive leap from what they had been. Not only have they not been decreased, since, but this offseason an additional spot was created for international talent.

Related: Does Stephon Gilmore Fix the Minnesota Vikings’ Cornerback Issues?

That’s right. In 2024, NFL teams can roster 17 practice squad players, in total. The more, the marrier. Allowing a larger practice squad makes roster cutdown day easier for coaches and for over 100 young football players around the league..

Of course, it is possible that any of the players cut from the Vikings roster later this month are claimed by other teams. But, those teams would have to put said player on their active roster. Most teams across the league aren’t going to do that with a young, unproven player that they haven’t seen all summer,.

How much money do practice squad players make in the NFL?

A minimum salary for final 53-man roster players in their first to third year in the league is $795K to $985K. That’s a lot more than those who are summoned to the practice squad will make. Nonetheless, a WEEKLY practice squad salary of anywhere from $12,500 to $21,300 sounds a lot better than whatever they’d be making “in the real world”.

Related: Did Jaren Hall Take the Vikings QB2 Job from Nick Mullens on Saturday?

Not only that, but the practice squad allows these guys to develop as football players, keeping their hopes to play in the NFL (for lots more money) alive. Meanwhile, teams like the Minnesota Vikings get to keep and continue to develop their best “honorable mention” young talents. Guys that they still believe in, but who aren’t quite capable of making the NFL roster. Win/win.

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