2 Vikings Start the Offseason on a Bad Note
The 2025 season is in the rearview mirror for the Minnesota Vikings, ending on a five-game winning streak to build some positive momentum entering the offseason. That momentum ship has sailed for two Vikings, however. In the recent game against the Green Bay Packers, cornerback Dwight McGlothern and offensive lineman Walter Rouse had to watch from the sidelines in street clothes.
When the Vikings announced the obligatory list of inactive players, it primarily included injured players such as RB Aaron Jones and TE T.J. Hockenson. Among those, however, were the two second-year athletes McGlothern and Rouse.
Walter Rouse
Rouse had a strange season. Despite star tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill missing several games due to injuries, Rouse barely saw the NFL field in his second season. He appeared in seven games and played 88 offensive snaps and 32 on special teams. Most of that came early in the season. After the Week 8 debacle in Los Angeles, Rouse has only been active on Christmas.
On Sunday, Darrisaw was out with his knee injury and O’Neill was banged up with a heel injury that cost him the game on Christmas. Backup Justin Skule was in the starting lineup and Blake Brandel came off the bench. Given center Ryan Kelly was unavailable, too, the Vikings had only seven blockers active.
Many young players got some run in that game, as the Vikings had a comfortable score in a meaningless matchup (in terms of playoff implications). But not Rouse.
A 2024 sixth-round pick, Rouse had the college experience and the athletic profile of a long-term backup swing tackle. Not only did the Vikings sign Skule in free agency, but they also moved Brandel back to tackle at times. At one point, with Kelly out, the Vikings even preferred to start Michael Jurgens instead of Brandel at center, just to have Brandel available as a backup offensive tackle. They actively shuffled the starting lineup to avoid having Rouse as the top backup tackle.
Rouse tumbled down the depth chart in the second half of the season, seemingly having no future with the organization. It’ll be on him to change that status quo in training camp and in the preseason and remind the decision-makers that he was drafted for a reason.
Dwight McGlothern
Speaking of tumbling down the depth chart, McGlothern has had a season to forget, too. In training camp, he was able to fend off rookie Zemaiah Vaughn and seemingly convinced the coaches and the front office that they wouldn’t need to acquire another corner. He clinched one of four roster spots allocated to the CB room, behind Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and Jeff Okudah.
When Okudah suffered a concussion, McGlothern was the next man up. Well, that changed when Okudah suffered a second concussion and Fabian Moreau was called up from the practice squad. The veteran never gave that CB3 job back.
Later in the season, as Rodgers was briefly benched, defensive coordinator Brian Flores gave safety Jay Ward some time at corner. In the final game of the season, McGlothern was inactive while practice squad rookie Vaughn was called up to make his NFL debut. In all fairness, McGlothern was listed on the injury report with a hip injury.
Still, McGlothern played in ten games, seeing the field on defense 31 times. He played another 20 snaps on special teams. The once-promising undrafted rookie corner isn’t viewed as a special-teams contributor and if he can’t get on the field on defense, he won’t be in the NFL for much longer.
Backups usually have to play in the third phase, as roster spots are limited. Halfway through the season, the Vikings waived him and added him to the practice squad. He was elevated to the 53-man roster a couple of weeks later after Okudah’s season-ending second concussion.
McGlothern has barely played a role through two seasons, and without special teams contributions, he’ll be a long shot to make the team a third time. Just like Rouse, the corner needs a strong summer.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.