Four Demoted Vikings After a Busy Week of Free Agency
No doubt, fans are enthused about the work that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done. The GM promised to be aggressive and has more than delivered.
So far, the major additions have been for center Ryan Kelly, right guard Will Fries, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. So, too, was the deal for corner Isaiah Rodgers pretty savvy.
Retaining in-house talent like corner Byron Murphy Jr. and running back Aaron Jones was wise. The only issue is that there are now some demoted Vikings, players who temporarily had a shot to position themselves higher within the roster hierarchy but who have now been knocked down a bit.
Fill disclosure: Ed Ingram and Garrett Bradbury were going to be on the list, but the news about the guard and then the center has undermined their spots on the team.
The FA Signings & The Demoted Vikings
Demotion #1
Running Back Ty Chandler <–> Aaron Jones
The blazingly-fast Ty Chandler was never intended to be the RB1 in 2025. Rather, he occupied the spot temporarily while Minnesota worked on the position with their in-house starter from last season: Mr. Jones.
Chandler’s best bet to secure a roster spot is to prove that he’s an adept option on special teams. Again, think speed. He can help as a kickoff returner and if he can fly down the field in coverage, then there’s likely to be a spot for him. Plus, he still does get the occasional carry on offense, so we’ll see if he’s back as the RB2/3.
Demotion #2
Defensive Tackle Jalen Redmond <–> Jonathan Allen/Javon Hargrave
Unless something unforeseen happens, Jalen Redmond will again find himself on the 53-man roster.
At best, though, he looks like the DT4. The thinking seems to be that the Vikings will rotate their DTs more than in the past. Harrison Phillips will continue starting as an early-down run stuffer while Allen and Hargrave are the leaders when it comes to creating chaos on third down. Redmond will need to earn snaps behind that top trio of veteran defenders. He has a lot of upside.
Demotion #3
Corner Mekhi Blackmon <–> Isaiah Rodgers
The money tells us which way Minnesota is leaning. Rodgers landed a medium deal, more than what would be handed out to someone who is expected to be the CB4 or CB5. If a game happened today, Murphy and Rodgers would trot onto the field as the pair of starters.
At this stage, Mekhi Blackmon is looking like the CB3. Another free-agent addition could bump him down or create some fuzziness about where he lands in the corner hierarchy. He had a promising rookie season but lost all of his sophomore season due to a serious knee injury. The hope is that he’ll turn into a strong starter.
Demotion #4
Safety Jay Ward <–> Harrison Smith/Theo Jackson
For a short time, Jay Ward was looking at a golden opportunity.
Opting to retain Jackson and Smith means that Ward is sitting in the S4 slot. He’ll continue being central to what Matt Daniels is trying to accomplish on special teams but one wonders if there will be many snaps to be found for Flores’ defense. Ward is going into his third NFL season.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.