Vikings Sign 8 Players to Offseason Roster
Once the season ends and a team is eliminated, the franchise makes early offseason moves. As the Vikings won’t participate in the postseason, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah began filling the offseason roster by signing eight players to futures contracts.
Futures contracts don’t count against the current season’s salary cap and instead place players on the team’s offseason roster once the new league year begins.
Here’s the list of eight players who signed futures contracts with the Vikings, according to the franchise:
- WR Dontae Fleming
- S Kahlef Hailassie
- LB Josh Ross
- OG Vershon Lee
- OT Caleb Etienne
- WR Joaquin Davis
- WR Jeshaun Jones
- TE Bryson Nesbit
Generally, those players function as depth in the upcoming season and compete for roster spots and spots on the practice squad in August. Part of last year’s group was running back Zavier Scott, who cracked the roster and amassed 212 scrimmage yards this year.
Wideout Dontae Fleming hopes for a similar jump. The 2025 undrafted rookie out of Tulane spent the entire campaign on the practice squad. He secured three passes for 71 yards in the preseason. Intriguing is the 4.44-second 40-yard dash he showcased prior to the draft.
Safety Kahlef Hailassie was a preseason standout for the Vikings, at least against the Houston Texans, where he snatched a couple of interceptions. He played cornerback in college and in his first couple of NFL seasons, but the Vikings moved him back to safety, where he played in high school.
Linebacker Josh Ross overlapped with J.J. McCarthy and Joshua Metellus in Michigan. He has played in 22 career games with the Ravens and the Seahawks. Given the lack of linebacker depth after Austin Keys and Kobe King were axed, there might be a depth and special teams role for him.
Guard Vershon Lee went undrafted last April and the Vikings added him after failed workouts with the Chiefs, Bears, and Browns. Lee has not left since, remaining on the practice squad all year. When the line was shorthanded in Week 5, Lee made his NFL debut and logged four snaps on special teams.
Tackle Caleb Etienne is another undrafted rookie. He started his NFL journey with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was waived as part of the final roster cuts. The Vikings added him to the practice squad in December.
Wideout Joaquin Davis is an exciting athlete who showed flashes in training camp with the Denver Broncos. He ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at 6’4″ and 195 lbs. He’ll be a popular player in the summer.
Fellow wideout Jeshaun Jones has been with the team for the past two seasons. On Sunday, he made his NFL debut, functioning as the team’s punt returner with Myles Price sidelined. His two returns went for five yards.
Tight end Bryson Nesbit was a productive college player at North Carolina. If he has worked on his blocking craft during his stint on the practice squad, he might challenge rookies Ben Yurosek and Gavin Bartholomew for a depth spot on the 53-man roster.
It’s still a long way to go until the Vikings reach the 90-man offseason roster. They will add more players in the coming days and weeks, potentially make a trade or two, and pick up rookies in free agency and after the draft.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.