Vikings Quietly Say Goodbye to a Young Playmaker
Safe to say that most of the attention rests on the Vikings’ narrow loss to the division rival Detroit Lions by a score of 31-29.
Prior to the game, however, there was a move that has flown under the radar. WR6 Trishton Jackson was waived from the team, opening a crucial roster spot in the process. Alongside the Jackson decision, there was the move to put TE Robert Tonyan on the 53-man roster as well as elevating DL Jalen Redmond and EDGE Bo Richter.
Very Quietly, Vikings Say Goodbye to Trishton Jackson
Trishton Jackson and Justin Jefferson are pals. Good chance Jackson finds his way back to the practice squad if another NFL team doesn’t make a move for him.
Jackson has good size at 6’1″ and 191 pounds. At 26, he still has quite a bit of youth in tow and has demonstrated some playmaking ability in the preseason and in limited action in the NFL regular season. Quite memorably, he snatched a 2-point conversion last season against the Falcons.
In 2024, Jackson has been involved in a pair of games. He has 10 snaps on offense and 2 on special teams.
The issue in Minnesota is that the receiver position is quite top heavy and then gives way to some clearly-defined roles for the depth options.
Of course, Justin Jefferson is the top option who continues to prove that he’s among the NFL’s best players. Jordan Addison hasn’t quite hit his stride but he’s the upside WR2 while Jalen Nailor shows that he can be a strong WR3.
And then there’s Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield. Both are strong options for Matt Daniels on special teams (go re-watch Sherfield’s reps as a gunner on Sunday) and both are strong run blockers for the offense.
The other factor to keep in mind is that saying goodbye to Jackson removes a fixture from the roster. In so doing, an open slot should become available soon.
Yes, the open slot was filled by Robert Tonyan, but one wonders if there will be a one-for-one swap between Tonyan and T.J. Hockenson, someone who can hopefully be available for the upcoming Rams game that takes place on Thursday Night Football.
Moreover, there’s the impending return of Dalton Risner, the guard who is being leaned on for depth and for competition for RG1 Ed Ingram. Re-welcoming Hockenson and Risner is objectively a positive for Minnesota and yet their additions necessitate subtractions since the roster is comprised of just 53 men.
Keep an eye on the roster shuffle in the coming days. The practice squad is going to get a bit of work and there could reasonably be some notable reinforcements in time for the upcoming game against LA.
Pulling off the win against the Rams will mean Minnesota is back on track and cruising along with a 6-1 record.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
Purple Q&A: Panic Button, Dalton Risner Starting
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.