Projecting a 53-man roster is never easy, and inevitably wrong because of the number of trades or after-cut waiver pickups make any prediction wrong.
We might as well have some fun with it by adding in some trades or potential pickups from cuts and the waiver wire. For that, we’ll invent some trades that should at least be plausible on the surface and grab some highlight names that are rumored to hit the waiver wire.
This may seem like an overly optimistic or unrealistic projection given how favorable the waiver pickups and the trade may look to be, but it’s well within the realm of possibility and is grounded in prior team interest for players that aren’t cutting it for their current squad.
There are some changes to the 53-man roster prediction made before the preseason games started, notably the waiver pickups, a trade, and fewer offensive players than last time.
Offense
First, let’s take a look at the offense.
The name that sticks out is probably Eric Winston, in no small part because he’s written in red. Winston hasn’t been able to secure the starting right tackle spot with the Bengals and will likely be the casualty of a youth movement for a group of offensive linemen that includes five draftees from the 2014 class or later. There are a number of 53-man projections that leave him off, and the ones that leave him on only do so when there are 10 offensive linemen and injuries elsewhere along the offense.
It’s no incredible recommendation that it seems as if former Viking Andre Smith has beaten out Winston, but it should also be said that Winston looked better last year than Smith by a good margin. Winston isn’t a great tackle right now, but over the past four years has played a good deal better than a number of backup offensive linemen and certainly better than what Willie Beavers, Reid Fragel or Jeremiah Sirles may be able to offer. He should provide more reliability there than they’ve had in the past, even if it’s at a journeyman level.
The offensive line otherwise stays the same, especially with center Pat Elflein moving substantially ahead of Nick Easton in the battle for the starting spot with a superior performance in Week 3 against the 49ers.
If not Winston, other offensive linemen to keep an eye on include current free agent Jah Reid, potential Texans cut Breno Giacomini or Cowboys rookie Kadeem Edwards.
At quarterback, Case Keenum stayed ahead of Taylor Heinicke despite a fairly good showing in the final preseason game against the Dolphins; Heinicke made most of his waves in the second half of his performance before a concussion kept him on the sideline — he was erratic, if exciting, earlier in the contest. Keenum has had a better preseason and though Heinicke remains an intriguing developmental option, he won’t be the primary backup this year.
In this roster, the Vikings keep a fullback again, because C.J. Ham has been playing excellently in that role, but have to forgo a fourth tight end. Kyle Carter is someone the Vikings like, and he performed well in training camp. But with significant priorities on the other side of the ball as well as a relatively quiet preseason, the Vikings may be better off stashing him on the practice squad until they have to call him up mid-season or the next year.
The first four receivers to make the roster aren’t a surprise, and it should be clear by now that Stacy Coley has outperformed Rodney Adams as a receiver and as a special teamer. That locks up a fifth spot, and the real question is whether or not there’s room for a sixth receiver.
I don’t think Adams has proven he’s worth expanding that corps for the moment, especially with good kick return options in Jerick McKinnon and Marcus Sherels available.
Defense
There are a few surprises here. The first might be that Stephone Anthony is on the roster, and is even available to begin with. Anthony has been consistently named a player who will likely be cut by the Saints. He doesn’t make 53-man roster projections and sometimes isn’t even mentioned as a possibility to make the team. This piece from NOLA.com scribe Larry Holder may underscore it best:
Some readers reached out after last week’s projections and thought I was too generous in leaving Stephone Anthony on the 53-man roster. My patience has officially run out.
The 2015 first-rounder missed his second straight preseason game. He hasn’t carved out a role on defense. He hasn’t been able to play special teams. It’s time to cut the cord.
After a stellar rookie season, Anthony fell off a cliff. Originally a middle linebacker, Anthony was moved to the weak side after New Orleans signed James Laurinaitis. Anthony suffered from injury problems, but generally didn’t look good even when healthy. This year, he’s moved to the strong side and despite injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, hasn’t been able to see many reps with the ones or even twos in training camp. Given that he’s missed three preseason games, the Saints might just be willing to cut bait with him.
Minnesota may be interested in the former first-round pick. The Vikings met with Anthony during his pro day and is a fantastic scheme fit for the Vikings, in part because of his prodigious ability to blitz the passer from a double A gap look during his time at Clemson, but also because he can be the kind of player that can move from the A gap to shutting down the screen game on the same play — something that Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr can do, but no one else on the roster.
The linebacker corps isn’t particularly strong behind the starting pair of Kendricks and Barr. No clear candidate to win the weakside linebacker spot has emerged and after a very rough preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, it seems doubtful that Edmond Robinson can win it. Given Ben Gedeon’s affinity for performing in the run game, the Vikings may play him there in the hopes that they can take him out on the majority of snaps and not have to worry about his coverage woes.
Emmanuel Lamur could be an asset but despite his athleticism doesn’t show the kind of consistent improvement that really demonstrates achievable upside. Instead, the Vikings can invest in a former first-round pick who could rival Barr in pure athletic talent and has shown higher highs in actual NFL play than Lamur.
Because Anthony doesn’t provide much as a special-teamer, this may force the Vikings to roster Eric Wilson (who had a fantastic game against Miami), Kentrell Brothers and Edmond Robinson, all able special teams contributors.
Other linebackers to watch out for include Cleveland’s James Burgess, Houston’s Dylan Cole and New England’s Jonathan Freeny.
The other big standout name on the above list is Phillip Gaines, who ends up on the roster as a means of securing cornerback depth. Trading away Stephen Weatherly after a great game against the Dolphins stings a little, but I think there’s a lot of long-term potential in Tashawn Bower and Ifeadi Odenigbo. In the meantime, the trio of Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter and Brian Robison will hold down the fort.
The Kansas City Chiefs met with Weatherly in the runup to the 2016 draft and have significant issues at edge rusher. Both starter Tamba Hali and rookie Dadi Nicolas are likely to enter the regular season on the PUP list. Though Dee Ford improved substantially over his prior two years, he’s still a question mark. Behind Ford, there’s not really much talent at all. The Chiefs could certainly use an athlete like Weatherly, especially with the injury and age issues they’ll be forced to deal with in the coming years.
Phillip Gaines is somewhat like Anthony insofar as he had a stellar rookie year but poor showings afterward, driven in part by an ACL injury in his second season. Gaines has generally been kept on a number of roster projections for the Kansas City Chiefs, but never without some discussion about the challenges of keeping him, Steven Terrell, Kenneth Acker and Terrance Mitchell. Now that Mitchell is healthy, the Chiefs have some room to play with on their depth chart. At the same time, the Vikings can grab a player who has shown high-level play in both the slot and the outside, has phenomenal athleticism (a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and a 6.62-second three cone speak to his movement capability) and has the size Zimmer likes (32-inch arms and a 6-foot frame, carrying 193 pounds). If pressed, the Chiefs would keep Gaines — but seemingly would be willing to dig into the depth they have at the spot if it means bolstering a spot elsewhere.
Other possibilities include a trade with the Oakland Raiders for CB Antonio Hamilton or a trade with the Patriots for either Eric Rowe or Justin Coleman (both of whom seem like optimistic grabs).
That trade for cornerback depth will be important, given the uncertain nature of starters Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander, as well as questions about whether or not Terence Newman has lost a step. After him, there haven’t been any cornerbacks to step up, and the next-best player, Jabari Price, has strung together a number of poor games — including this most recent one against the Dolphins.
While Antone Exum can offer some support in a pinch, especially in the slot, there’s not much answer to the question of what can be done on the outside when the injury bug strikes. That versatility should also help solidify Exum’s spot as the fifth safety, and means eleven defensive backs. It’s not injury-proof by any means, but it’s much more resilient.
The move to grab Phillip Gaines shed the Vikings of Weatherly and keeps intact the three most impactful defensive ends while giving some room for Bower. Along the defensive line, the Vikings should also start versatile tackle Jaleel Johnson next to Linval Joseph, with the option of rushing Tom Johnson in nickel packages.
I’ve been an ardent defender of Datone Jones’ play, but with extra space now being given to the linebacker corps and defensive backs, he has to be the odd man out.
Special Teams
Kevin McDermott makes the squad, naturally, and it looks like he’ll be joined by the more consistent Kai Forbath instead of big-legged Marshall Koehn. At punter, Ryan Quigley seems to have beaten out Taylor Symmank, and there’s the added bonus that if the Vikings need to eschew 50-yard field goals because of Forbath’s limitations, Quigley has better control in short-field punting situations.
Practice Squad
The toughest cuts were the first practice squad candidates of course, and even though that created some positional monotony, it may be worth it.
| Player | Pos |
| Terrell Sinkfield | CB |
| Ifeadi Odenigbo | DE |
| Willie Beavers | OT |
| Elijah Lee | LB |
| Jeremiah Sirles | OT |
| Jack Tocho | S |
| Nick Truesdell | TE |
| Rodney Adams | WR |
| Cayleb Jones | WR |
| Kyle Carter | TE |
This practice squad features two receivers, two offensive tackles and two tight ends. Not only that, it has two defensive backs when the regular roster has eleven.
Nevertheless, these players might represent the highest upside, or the type of talent that was marginally close enough to make a roster. Beavers finally showed signs of improvement before a disastrous Week 4 preseason showing, and Sirles has had good moments, especially at guard.
Carter is roster-worthy, but seems unlikely to be picked up in the waiver process, so he could provide shadow depth to the roster and act as a functional fourth tight end ready to be called up when and if an injury occurs.
Terrell Sinkfield has been fantastic at cornerback, but needs some more time. If Gaines doesn’t work out next year, there should be a few spots open for Sinkfield to contest, especially if Newman retires as he is expected to. Elijah Lee has flashed in camp, but never enough in games that he felt like a serious threat to be picked up on waivers or enough for him to overcome the plethora of linebackers potentially ahead of him.
Jack Tocho is a talented safety, but right now there doesn’t seem to be room to roster a player like him, who still needs time to grow into the position after converting from cornerback. Odenigbo is playing exactly like a player who would typically be an agonizing cut on most teams. Instead, with the Minnesota Vikings, he’s one of many talented players that will have to cut their teeth next year in training camp.
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