I have been keeping track of the Minnesota Vikings’ 91-man roster on Google Sheets like an absolute maniac since the beginning of the offseason. From Justin Jefferson to Oscar Chapman, Minnesota’s honorary 91st man on the International Player Pathway Program, who has a real chance to beat Ryan Wright for the punting job, thanks to his unique banana punts.
Before the start of training camp, the wide receiver depth chart was clear. I was confident that Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Tai Felton, Tim Jones, and Rondale Moore would make the 53-man roster.
Now halfway through camp, the pecking order at wide receiver is somehow less clear than it was before. Lucky Jackson, a perennial practice squad receiver for the past two years, has been taking a significant amount of reps with the first team offense. The 28-year-old has lived up to expectations. Jackson is the oldest receiver in Minnesota, and his experience in the Vikings offense has paid dividends as he fights for a spot on the roster. The veteran wideout could be a valuable security blanket and an asset for a first-year quarterback in J.J. McCarthy.
Jackson’s emergence complicates Minnesota’s wide receiver decision. Should Jackson make the 53-man roster, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will likely be in a position where he’ll have to cut a talented player. The question is, are the Vikings willing to waive someone to make room for Lucky? If so, what position can Minnesota afford to lose valuable depth?
The most obvious potential move would be to waive another receiver and have it be a one-for-one transaction.
Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor are obvious locks to make the team, as is Jordan Addison, who is expected to receive a three-game suspension. That means Addison won’t count against the final 53-man roster until Week 4. Tai Felton will almost assuredly make the 53-man roster, despite having a slow start to training camp. The Vikings are unlikely to cut their lone third-round pick because they don’t want to risk another team poaching him.
That leaves Rondale Moore and Tim Jones as two potential cut candidates, and there are clear downsides to cutting either of them. Moore is an effective, high-upside role player who can contribute as a punt returner and a gadget player. The Vikings gave Moore a $250,000 signing bonus, meaning they would incur a $250,000 dead cap hit if they cut him. They signed Jones primarily for his special teams and run-blocking prowess, serving the same role that Trent Sherfield did for Minnesota last season. If the Vikings cut Jones, they incur $500,000 in dead cap.
There’s a scenario where the Vikings could keep Jefferson, Nailor, Felton, Jackson, Jones, and Moore on the active roster until Week 4. However, it would force the Vikings to sacrifice depth at another position. I’m sure Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would love to keep Dwight McGlothern, Zemaiah Vaughn, Bo Richter, Gabriel Murphy, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and Levi Drake-Rodriguez all on the active roster rather than the practice squad. But if they kept all six receivers, one of those players would need to clear waivers and make the practice squad.
If I were the GM, I would not risk waiving any of those players to keep Jackson on the 53-man roster. There is another potential solution to this problem, but it would leave the Vikings short on depth at a position that frequently suffers from injuries. Ty Chandler is projected to make the roster as RB3 due to his return experience, but he hasn’t looked great in training camp. For example, Eric Wilson stripped Chandler on Day 7 of training camp. Chandler also struggles in pass pro, so maybe the Vikings could justify waiving him and keeping three RBs on the roster, including C.J. Ham.
No matter how you slice it, Lucky Jackson’s unexpected emergence will force Minnesota to make a difficult roster decision come cutdown day. Do they waive a veteran receiver who can help them on special teams, risk waiving a training camp standout at a deep position, or waive an underperforming player at a position where they already lack depth? It may be a good problem to have, but that doesn’t make the decision any easier.