Football season officially starts in about two weeks, as the Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to reconvene at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan on July 22 to begin training camp for the 2025 season.
As usual, the Vikings will field a competitive 90-man roster this summer. After making just five total selections in the NFL Draft, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and crew added a number of rookie free agents who could push veterans for the limited spots still up for grabs on the team’s projected 53-man roster.
Here are five veterans who could find themselves on the roster bubble when the Vikings open their preseason slate on Aug. 9 against the Houston Texans:
RB Ty Chandler
Chandler’s roster spot is far from secure after a season that saw him average just 3.3 yards per carry. That the Vikings had to acquire Cam Akers during the 2024 season to shore up their RB2 spot kind of speaks for itself.
The Vikings re-signed starter Aaron Jones this offseason and traded for former 49ers standout Jordan Mason. Chandler retains some value on special teams as a kickoff returner, but with Jones, Mason and fullback C.J. Ham all virtual locks to make the initial 53-man roster, Chandler’s spot could boil down to a numbers game.
LB Brian Asamoah II
Adofo-Mensah would hate to cut ties with another high draft pick from Minnesota’s class of 2022, but Asamoah will face increased competition this summer after the team reunited with veteran Eric Wilson in free agency, and drafted Penn State’s Kobe King in the sixth round.
Asamoah’s most valuable on special teams, as he’s only logged 191 total defensive snaps over his first three pro seasons. Wilson was a core special teamer for the Packers, and King is a sure-tackling run defender who should fit Brian Flores’ mold at the linebacker position.
Minnesota’s new additions could leave Asamoah, a former third-round pick, on the outside looking in come cut-down day.
WR Rondale Moore
Moore was an intriguing free agent addition for the Vikings back in March, as he’s only 25 and could develop into a sneaky weapon if healthy thanks to his sub-4.3 speed. He’s still working his way back from last summer’s season-ending knee injury, though, and the Vikings added some juice to their wide receiver room in rookies Tai Felton, Silas Bolden and others.
Felton is a roster lock as a third-round draft pick. Bolden signed as an undrafted free agent, but he has a path to the 53-man roster thanks to his prowess as a punt returner with the Texas Longhorns. That leaves limited room on the depth chart for Moore, who could potentially get stashed on injured reserve to start the season, with a designation to return.
Moore’s $2 million contract included just $250K in guarantees, so an outright release could also be in play.
LG Blake Brandel
Brandel is the lone man standing from Minnesota’s starting interior offensive line from 2024. He stands to lose his job, however, as first-round rookie Donovan Jackson projects as the Vikings’ starting left guard for Week 1.
That leaves Brandel in a backup role, working to fend off young undrafted players like Joe Huber, Zeke Correll and Henry Byrd. Brandel is still a favorite to win a roster spot, but after a rough 2024 campaign — especially in run blocking, which will be a point of emphasis for the team this year — he’s far from a lock.
To save a little cash, Minnesota could cut Brandel and spread his $1.7 million dead-cap charge over the next two years.
QB Sam Howell
Acquired in a trade with the Seahawks on Day 3 of April’s draft, Howell enters training camp as the clear No. 2 quarterback to J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings simply have no competition behind their top two, with Brett Rypien and undrafted rookie Max Brosmer battling for QB3 honors.
That doesn’t make Howell a lock to make the roster, though. The Vikings gave up next to nothing to acquire him, and they could easily pivot to a better solution should one arise this summer. If, say, the Falcons finally cave and cut Kirk Cousins, would Minnesota be interested in bringing back their former signal caller on what would be a veteran minimum deal?
Time will tell, but Howell still has plenty to prove in camp, even if he currently has zero competition for Minnesota’s backup QB job.
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