The Minnesota Vikings’ regular season starts in 19 days with a game in New Jersey against the New York Giants.
All eyes are on 3 popular Vikings in the roster bubble
Before that, the club will reduce its squad from 91 to 53 players within a week.
And as the deadline approaches, three prominent Vikings are on the list. These are the men in alphabetical order.
1. Lewis Cinema (S)
Minnesota defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-12 in Saturday’s preseason game, and Cine was used extensively. During that encounter, he had the best game of his NFL career, recording an interception, a sack, a huge QB hit and 11 total tackles.
The young defender looked like a first-round pick, the first time in the last 28 months that a Vikings fan could make such a statement. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made Cine the first draft pick of his tenure – notoriously passing over Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton in the process – and the former Georgia product has disappointed so far, primarily due to a broken leg in October 2022.
But will one “meaningless” game be enough to keep Cine in a deep safe room? All in all, he might be the safest on this list.
2. Dalton Risner (OG)
The Vikings will likely release Risner during the roster reduction, two sources report VikingTerritory. It’s a strange development after Risner joined the club as a free agent in May. Sources did not elaborate on the “why” of the planned release, but Risner is injured at the moment and the team appears to be eyeing Ed Ingram as the starting right guard.
Of course, Risner adds tremendous depth when healthy, so it seems odd to cut ties with him. That — and he’s a wonderful pass protector. But Minnesota could pivot to Dan Feeney or Michael Jurgens at guard in a pinch.
3. Duke Shelley (CB)
These are the Vikings corners from August 20th:
- Stephen Gilmore
- Byron Murphy
- Shaquill Griffin
- Akayleb Evans
- Fabian Moreau
- Nahshon Wright
- AJ Green III
- Jacobi Francis
- Duke Shelley
- Jaylin Williams
- Dwight McGlothern
- NaJee Thompson (PUP)
Brian Flores’ defense will keep 5-6 CBs for the regular season, and when Minnesota announced its first unofficial lineup two weeks ago, Shelley nestled between CB8-CB9. That doesn’t look like a guy who will make the regular season roster.
Stranger things have happened, but Shelley appears to be on the verge of a roster cut. He needs a surprise to stay in Minnesota, especially after Gilmore signed with the franchise on Monday.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube channel. VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis and opinions on all things Purple Team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed secret passions: Peanut butter ice cream, “The Sopranos,” Basset Hounds and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information from OverTheCap.com.
