The Minnesota Vikings open training camp on July 23 at Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota. Here's a 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, Taylor Heinicke
Teddy Bridgewater will, in all likelihood, begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, giving him time to continue rehabbing after the knee injury he suffered in August. In the meantime, Bradford will be the starter as Heinicke tries to beat Keenum for the No. 2 spot.
RUNNING BACK (3): Latavius Murray, Dalvin Cook, Jerick McKinnon
The first season of the post-Adrian Peterson era will see the Vikings splitting carries among Murray, Cook and McKinnon (possibly in that order, at least early in the season). The Vikings have switched C.J. Ham to fullback, and if they decide to keep one on their roster, the Duluth, Minnesota, native could make the team.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Laquon Treadwell, Jarius Wright, Rodney Adams, Stacy Coley
Michael Floyd could face an NFL suspension to start the season, which might free up a spot at the wide receiver position for a few weeks. Floyd figures to be involved in the Vikings' offense once he's available to play, so if the Vikings decide to clear a receiver spot at that point, they'd likely have to make a decision on Coley (a seventh-round pick) or Wright, who's due to count $3.138 million against the cap this season but caught just 11 passes a season ago.
TIGHT END (3): Kyle Rudolph, David Morgan, Bucky Hodges
The Vikings have some questions to answer at the position, after letting Rhett Ellison leave in free agency and missing out on Jared Cook this spring. Morgan has impressed as a blocking tight end and could assume a large chunk of Ellison's old role. Hodges will need some development but is an intriguing prospect who could become a downfield threat.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Riley Reiff, Alex Boone, Nick Easton, Joe Berger, Mike Remmers, Pat Elflein, T.J. Clemmings, Willie Beavers, Rashod Hill, Jeremiah Sirles
The Vikings guaranteed $36.8 million to Reiff and Remmers and took Elflein in the third round, but their depth on the line is still a question mark, particularly at tackle. Fifth-round pick Danny Isidora was impressive during the Vikings' offseason program and could get a chance to win a backup spot at guard.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Everson Griffen, Datone Jones, Linval Joseph, Danielle Hunter, Brian Robison, Shamar Stephen, Tom Johnson, Jaleel Johnson, Stephen Weatherly
Sharrif Floyd could start training camp on the physically unable to perform list as he tries to work through the nerve issues stemming from his right knee surgery last September. If he can return, the Vikings would get a big boost at three-technique tackle, where they currently have a committee of Jones, Tom Johnson and Jaleel Johnson, their fourth-round pick from Iowa. The Vikings can sneak Weatherly, an enticing young pass-rusher, onto their roster if they're confident enough in their tackle depth to not keep Will Sutton.
LINEBACKER (6): Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Edmond Robinson, Emmanuel Lamur, Kentrell Brothers, Ben Gedeon
Robinson and Lamur will compete for Chad Greenway's old weak-side linebacker job in the Vikings' base defense, though the amount of time the team spends in the nickel means that Barr and Kendricks will once again be the key players here. The Vikings picked up Barr's fifth-year option at $12.3 million, though the linebacker will have to rebound from an underwhelming 2016 season to ensure that he stays on the 2018 roster at that number. Keep an eye on undrafted free-agent linebacker Eric Wilson, too; Vikings coaches were impressed by the Cincinnati product this spring.
CORNERBACK (6): Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Terence Newman, Marcus Sherels, Jabari Price
All eyes will be on the slot cornerback spot, where Alexander will get a chance to replace the departed Captain Munnerlyn. The soon-to-be 39-year-old Newman remains a trusted option and could be the next choice in the nickel if the Vikings aren't ready to hand the role to Alexander. They'll also have to see if they're ready to give the full-time left cornerback job to Waynes after allowing the 11th overall pick in the 2015 draft to develop over the past two years.
SAFETY (4): Harrison Smith, Andrew Sendejo, Jayron Kearse, Anthony Harris
Behind Smith, one of the best in the business, there are some questions here. Sendejo returns as a reliable, if unspectacular, player who can help in run support, but both Kearse and Harris struggled when injuries forced them into the lineup last season. Seventh-round pick Jack Tocho could get a chance to make the roster if he impresses in camp.
SPECIALISTS (3): Kai Forbath, Taylor Symmank, Kevin McDermott
There will be competition here during training camp, as Marshall Koehn will challenge Forbath at kicker and Symmank will try to beat Ryan Quigley at punter.