A Vikings Underdog Story Just Got Real
The Minnesota Vikings will trim their roster from 91 to 53 players in just three weeks. Most of those spots are already taken, but some others are still up for grabs. The group of depth receivers is certainly still unknown, and the preseason will play a massive role in that decision.
Vikings’ Underdog Has a Real Chance to Make the Team
Of course, the starting roles are taken by Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor, but who will take the other two or three spots?
Well, one tenured Vikings player has a strong opportunity to make his debut on the initial 53-man roster. Lucky Jackson arrived in the Twin Cities in the 2023 offseason after an odyssey of spring league activities, and the wideout has made some noise in this year’s training camp.
The Vikings revealed the latest clue that the hype is real on Wednesday. The club released the first annual “unofficial depth chart,” and Mr. Jackson was listed as a second-string receiver in a two-receiver offense behind starter Addison. Nailor is listed as Jefferson’s backup.
As the fourth receiver on the team, he is in the pole position for one of the coveted 53 roster spots, considering the team will likely keep five or six. And those don’t necessarily include Addison, who’ll be sidelined for the first three weeks of the season and won’t count against that 53-man limit.
Jackson has gathered plenty of experience this training camp with the first-team offense during Jefferson’s injury-related absence, as the coaching staff seemingly trusts him on the field. Passer J.J. McCarthy is also frequently throwing his way, and a connection with the QB1 generally helps receivers to stick around.
Dontavian (Lucky’s real name) just turned 28 years old. He went undrafted out of Western Kentucky in 2020, and it took him some time to find his way onto an NFL offseason roster, despite every team employing 90 players between April and August.
No, his journey was undoubtedly not as straightforward as those of most NFL players. The pass-catcher played for the Blues of The Spring League in 2021, the Edmonton Elks of the CFL (one game) in 2022, and the DC Defenders of the (then) XFL in 2023.
As one of the XFL’s top players that year, the Vikings added him to their offseason roster. Since then, the Vikes have kept him mostly on the practice squad. He appeared in three games in 2023, playing three snaps on offense and 32 on special teams. Still, he has yet to make a catch in the regular season. In the last two preseasons, he caught seven passes for 80 yards.
The upcoming scrimmages against the Texans, Patriots, and Titans could determine his roster fate, but the chances are good he can finally make it and even carve out a role without Addison in the mix.
He just keeps making plays in Eagan, Minnesota. The highlights are all over social media.
Pretty much everyone who’s there at TCO Performance Center to watch the players in action raves about the emerging player.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis recently opined when asked about a depth receiver with a chance to complete the receiver room in the upcoming season: “Lucky Jackson, who once played a game for $200 for the Vegas Knight Hawks in the Indoor Football League. The Vikings signed Jackson in 2023 following a productive season in the United Football League with the DC Defenders. Coaches have raved about his progression.”
Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller noted, “Over the last two years, Jackson has put together strong training camps and stayed on the practice squad following a long journey to the NFL that included a spring league and the XFL. During Justin Jefferson’s absence due to a hamstring injury, Jackson has received more first-team reps than any other receiver by a country mile.”
Coller added that having the most experience within the offense might play a role in him getting those snaps, and he certainly gained some intel about Kevin O’Connell’s aerial attack in the last two years.
Just a few weeks ago, not many people would’ve guessed that we’d sit here in August and think Lucky Jackson has the inside track for a spot on the 53-man roster ahead of all the rookies and veterans Rondale Moore and Tim Jones, but here we are.
Jackson will be a fascinating player to watch in the preseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.