Four Vikings Contributors Who Are on the Roster Bubble in 2023
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings began their training camp period this week, and we’ve already seen some interesting developments from the first few practices.
Today, we are going to go over a few of the Vikings contributors from the 2022 team who look to be on the roster bubble this year.
WR Jalen Reagor
Jalen Reagor served as the main punt-return man for the Vikings in 2022 after Minnesota traded to acquire him at the end of training camp. However, things didn’t necessarily go smoothly for him there, with Minnesota ranking among the bottom-five teams in the league in terms of yards per return.
As a result, it appears that Minnesota is giving rookie Jordan Addison reps as a return man during camp, and if he wins that job along with Jalen Nailor’s growth as a receiver, Reagor could become rather expendable for the team.
The tricky part comes with Reagor’s contract. The entirety of his $2.4 million in 2023 is guaranteed, meaning the Vikings wouldn’t save any money by cutting him. It all depends on what exactly the Vikings think he can bring to the team.
TE Johnny Mundt
Before T.J. Hockenson joined the Vikings at the trade deadline, Johnny Mundt took on one of the lead pass-catching roles at the tight end position. In all, he started 12 games for the Vikings in 2022, catching 19 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown, all of which were career-highs.
However, Minnesota made the decision to bring in Josh Oliver during free agency, and he seems set to take on the backup TE role behind Hockenson. Minnesota also has young talent in Nick Muse, who was selected in the seventh-round of the 2022 Draft.
If Minnesota wants to continue their trend of getting younger across the board, perhaps Muse would be the guy to take on that TE3 role in Minnesota, allowing the Vikings to move on from Mundt, saving $1.1 million in the process.
DL Jonathan Bullard
The Vikings could go in a number of different directions with their defensive line group this season, but again, the team has made a very concerted effort to bring youth to the position. They added Jaquelin Roy to the roster in the fifth round of the 2023 Draft, and Calvin Avery could turn heads in training camp as an undrafted free agent.
That may leave Jonathan Bullard as an odd-man out this year after being a starter with the team in 2022. The veteran journeyman started seven games for Minnesota last year, accruing 23 tackles, including 5 tackles for loss.
The Vikings can save just over $1 million by opting to cut Bullard in a few weeks.
LB Troy Dye
The linebacker position is another interesting battle heading into training camp. Brian Asamoah is widely predicted to be the guy to step up and land a starting spot next to Jordan Hicks this season, but both William Kwenkeu and Ivan Pace could be surprise contenders for roster spots.
Troy Dye was drafted in 2020 and is one of the few Vikings remaining on the current defense drafted by former general manager Rick Spielman. However, with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah bringing massive overhaul to that defensive unit this offseason, he could be another guy looking for another team when camp comes to an end.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.