5 Vikings on the Roster Bubble
Roster cutdown day is still roughly three months away. That August day, the Vikings will shatter the dreams of 37 players, who won’t make the 53-man roster. Some of those will remain with the franchise on the practice squad, and others will be on the job market.
Here are five players who were on the squad last year, but might not be this year.
Ben Yurosek
Tight end Ben Yurosek served as the third tight end for most of last year. The top duo of T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver is still around, and the Vikings didn’t add any meaningful competition. In theory, Yurosek should just keep his TE3 gig.
Well, fellow sophomore Gavin Bartholomew is back. Last year’s sixth-rounder missed his entire rookie season with a back injury. There’s no guarantee that he’ll snatch the job from Yurosek, but there’s a reason why the Vikings drafted him, while they signed Yurosek as an undrafted rookie.
Dwight McGlothern
Cornerback Dwight McGlothern might be in an even worse position. Unlike at tight end, the Vikings added a pair of corners in free agent James Pierre and rookie Chuck Demmings, both of whom should be expected to land roster spots.
Under Brian Flores, Minnesota frequently only carries three or four CBs on the 53-man roster, with safeties taking over some of the corner responsibility. With Byron Murphy and Isaiah Rodgers still around, McGlothern is running out of roster spots. He was a promising undrafted rookie in 2024, but has barely seen the field in two years and was even briefly cut during the 2025 season.
Max Brosmer
Quarterback Max Brosmer ranks fourth on the depth chart. Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz all appear safe, barring any trades.
A fourth quarterback isn’t needed on the 53. Brosmer, who should have never seen the field in his debut season, could land a spot on the practice squad. Overwhelmed in his two starts, Brosmer should develop behind the scenes. The practice squad should be his goal this summer.
Walter Rouse
At tackle, the Vikings acquired not just one but two high-profile backups this offseason. In free agency, the Vikings snagged Ryan Van Demark from the Buffalo Bills, who actually intended to keep their restricted free agent around. Then, Northwestern’s Caleb Tiernan joined in the third round of last month’s draft.
Walter Rouse, added in the sixth round in 2024, is the odd man out. A position switch to guard might be his best chance. He played a depth role last year, but the coaching staff didn’t particularly trust him despite the tackle issues last year, moving other players to tackle rather than deploying him.
Zavier Scott
Zavier Scott had a high-profile play in his first year of NFL action (after some practice-squad campaigns), when he grabbed a pass from Carson Wentz in the Steelers game in Dublin. Other than that, he was the third back throughout the season and got a handful of carries when either Jordan Mason or Aaron Jones missed time.
The starting duo returns for another year and with rookie Demond Claiborne joining in April, Scott might land on the chopping block. Good hands in the passing game and some special-teams prowess could give him a chance, though.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.