The Vikings Are Working Through Needing to Fill 9 Starting Positions
The Vikings find themselves in a fascinating spot, at least as it relates to the roster.
Minnesota is working through some league-leading roster turnover, opening the possibility for a very different team from 2024 to 2025. Losing starters, though, can have a more profound impact than depth options. How many starters are scheduled for free agency? Which ones could realistically come back?
The Vikings and The Starting Positions
Offense — 3 Players
If we put the offense in 12 personnel, the Vikings’ starting group would look accordingly. Remember: the players who need to be replaced or brought back see their names in italics:
| LT Christian Darrisaw | LG Blake Brandel | C Garrett Bradbury | RG Dalton Risner | RT Brian O’Neill |
| QB Sam Darnold | ||||
| RB Aaron Jones | ||||
| WR Justin Jefferson | TE T.J. Hockenson | TE Josh Oliver | WR Jordan Addison |
Mixing and matching some of the personnel wouldn’t change things too drastically. Minnesota, for instance, could find itself in 11 personnel with Jalen Nailor on the field for one of the tight ends. Nothing would change for our purposes, though, given that Nailor is still under contract. So, too, would putting things in 21 personnel fail to change things; fullback C.J. Ham still has another year on his deal.
Cam Robinson started most of the year at left tackle, but that was in replacement of the injured Darrisaw.
In the end, the Vikings are sorting through what to do with Risner, Darnold, and Jones. Of the three, Jones is the likeliest to return.
Hidden underneath all of this is the possibility that there’s further change to the interior o-line. Do either of Brandel or Bradbury get cut? If so, then that obviously eliminates another starter.
Defense — 5 Players
We’re going to put the defense into nickel, meaning there are five defensive backs on the field. Consider the lay of the land as it relates to starters moving toward free agency. Again, names are put in italics for starters moving toward free agency:
| EDGE Jonathan Greenard | DT Harrison Phillips | DT Jonathan Bullard | EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel | |
| LB Blake Cashman | LB Ivan Pace Jr. | |||
| CB Byron Murphy | S Josh Metellus | S Camryn Bynum | S Harrison Smith | CB Stephon Gilmore |
Jerry Tillery could very justifiably demand a spot in the chart above given that he started eleven games and is moving toward free agency. Other notable defenders who are moving toward free agency are edge rusher Jihad Ward, edge rusher Patrick Jones II, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, and corner Shaq Griffin.
That being said, the above table is a pretty strong reflection of the Vikings’ starting defense, something that isn’t static on a week-to-week basis.
The major detail to jump out is how much turnover there could be in the secondary. The expectation is that Murphy is going to stick around, but that eventuality still needs to calcify into reality. Getting him back would be a major boost. Otherwise, it looks like Bynum, Smith, and Gilmore are realistic candidates to either depart (Bynum) or retire (Smith & Gilmore).
The front looks like it will again be formidable. Snagging a penetrating defensive tackle to partner with Phillips would push Flores’ group to a new level.
Special Teams — 1 Player
Not nearly as many names to consider in this facet of the game. Take a look:
| LS Andrew DePaola | K Will Reichard | P Ryan Wright |
Punter Ryan Wright was brought aboard as part of the UDFA batch in 2022. Since then, he has been Minnesota’s P1. Does he get the chance to continue doing the job?
Wright had a very promising rookie season but has since left some doubt about whether he’s the long-term solution. The 2024 season involved putting together a career low for net yards per punt with just 40.5. The touchbacks come in at 5, a touch better than 2023 (7 TBs) but far from 2022 (1 TB). He did, however, land 48.2% of his punts inside the 20, a career-high number.
The Vikings currently are projected to have roughly $58 million in cap space.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Bonkers Percentage Underscores How the Vikings’ Roster Could Undergo a Massive Overhaul
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.