Could Year 4 Mark a Breakthrough for a Vikings Receiver?

The Minnesota Vikings have kicked off their season with a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Of course, the player evaluation is much more important than the preseason scoreboard. Some Vikings shined, such as linebacker Bo Richter. The Air Force standout wreaked havoc in the backfield and made his case to stay with the Vikings beyond August 27 ‒ Cutdown day.
Could Year 4 Mark a Breakthrough for a Vikings Receiver?
On offense, folks clearly wanted to see the quarterbacks perform. Sam Darnold started the game and tossed some nice passes. His only drive ultimately ended scoreless. Drops didn’t help him. Rookie J.J. McCarthy played well after some early struggles, and his bounce-back was fun to watch. He included a pair of perfectly thrown deep passes into the hands of Trishton Jackson and Trent Sherfield.

The two receivers are competing for spots on the 53-man roster behind the top duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Brandon Powell and Jalen Nailor are likely the next two in line, leaving one or maybe two openings for depth players. The recently released unofficial depth chart listed both with the third team:
- Starters: Justin Jefferson/Jordan Addison
- Backups: Jalen Nailor/Brandon Powell
- Third-String: Trishton Jackson/Jeshaun Jones/Trent Sherfield Sr.
- Fourth-String: Lucky Jackson/Ty James/Thayer Thomas/Malik Knowles
Trishton Jackson is a Vikings veteran entering his fourth season with the club. Only 13 of the other 90 players on the current roster have been longer with the Vikings.
However, he was not once included in the initial 53-man roster when the season kicked off, and he can safely be tabbed as a practice squad veteran.

Jackson, born in Detroit, Michigan, entered the NFL in 2020 as an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse. He had spent his first three college seasons at Michigan State. At Syracuse, Jackson scored 11 touchdowns and registered 1,023 receiving yards in his lone campaign.
As an undrafted rookie, the receiver signed with the Los Angeles Rams. The franchise had just appointed Kevin O’Connell as their new offensive coordinator to serve under head coach Sean McVay. In his debut season, the wideout remained on the 53-man roster but didn’t see the field as he was inactive all year.
The Rams waived him after his second training camp, and he headed north, signing with Minnesota’s practice squad. In 2022, when O’Connell went the same route to Minnesota, the duo was reunited. That still wasn’t enough for him to make the team, and he once again was stashed on the practice squad.

The same story transpired in 2023. He was released on cutdown day and signed up for the practice squad for the third time. When Jefferson missed time with his injury, he was signed twice to the 53-man roster and was released twice, returning to the practice squad both times.
The 26-year-old played in seven games, logging 80 offensive snaps and 14 on special teams. He recorded two catches for nine yards.
Jackson had a wonderful preseason contest, catching four passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. He beat his defender with speed and caught McCarthy’s perfect pass for the score.

He has McCarthy’s trust and obviously the trust of his coaches, which is why they have kept him for three years. It’s his fourth attempt to earn a 53-man roster spot, and surely, Saturday’s contest supported his case.
Jackson will be a player to watch when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach O’Connell trim the roster in 15 days.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.

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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt