The Minnesota Vikings will cut their roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
A truncated offseason and training camp without preseason games made the evaluation process extra difficult this year. While just less than half of the Vikings' 15-player draft class and only one undrafted free agent makes this final projection, an expanded practice squad will allow Minnesota to keep a bunch of young hopefuls.
Here's a projection of who makes the team:
QUARTERBACK (2): Kirk Cousins, Sean Mannion
The most catastrophic effect COVID-19 could have on rosters would be at the quarterback position. Luckily Minnesota has the space to stash Jake Browning and Nate Stanley on the practice squad. They will provide quick emergency call-ups should Cousins, who compiled 79 regular-season starts through the 2019 season, or Mannion are affected by the virus. And as a bonus, the Vikings get another year to evaluate Browning and determine whether he could serve as QB2 next season.
RUNNING BACK (4): Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Mike Boone, Ameer Abdullah
There's still time for Cook to sign the extension offered by Minnesota heading into his fourth season. The Vikings were cognizant of his workload throughout training camp as negotiations stalled and that allowed us to see what an expanded role will look like for Mattison, whose role in the passing game could help Minnesota maintain its status as one of the best at executing screens. Abdullah's function in the running game will be limited, but he finds his way on to the roster as the kickoff returner.
FULLBACK (1): C.J. Ham
Fullback is an important position in this offense, so look for Minnesota to save a spot for rookie Jake Bargas on the practice squad in the event Ham can't play. The Vikings line up Ham in a number of different places, which allows them to disguise what they're going to do within various personnel groupings.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Adam Thielen, Bisi Johnson, Justin Jefferson, Alexander Hollins, K.J. Osborn
Johnson is the No. 2 receiver opposite Thielen for now, but Jefferson looked every bit the part of a first-rounder in training camp whether he lined up in the slot or outside. Osborn was drafted in the fifth round as a receiver whose job will be primarily as a returner. Given the reps he took on kickoff and punt return at the Vikings' pseudo-scrimmage inside U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota likely wants to get him in the mix early while Chad Beebe has one year remaining of practice squad eligibility. A strong showing these last few weeks helps Hollins edge Tajae Sharpe for the final spot on the depth chart.
TIGHT END (3): Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith Jr., Tyler Conklin
Minnesota has three tight ends who can each hold down different roles in the passing game. Conklin impressed in his third training camp and is built for the Vikings' heavy use of multiple tight-end sets.
Mike Greenberg tells Dalvin Cook he should take a page out of Ezekiel Elliott's playbook and not take another snap until he gets a new deal.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Riley Reiff, Dakota Dozier, Garrett Bradbury, Pat Elflein, Brian O'Neill, Aviante Collins, Ezra Cleveland, Rashod Hill, Oli Udoh, Dru Samia
The Vikings avoided having to scramble the starting offensive line leading into Week 1 by getting left tackle Reiff to restructure his contract and stay put in Minnesota. Elflein is settled in at right guard while Dozier and Collins spent all of camp rotating with the ones at left guard. Cleveland, who dropped from second-team to third-team left guard, might not be ready to take over that spot just yet. He gets a year to work with the backups and provide depth before potentially taking over at left tackle in 2021 or supplanting one of the current guards this season.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Danielle Hunter, Jaleel Johnson, Shamar Stephen, Yannick Ngakoue, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Jalyn Holmes, Hercules Mata'afa, Armon Watts, Eddie Yarbrough, D.J. Wonnum
Pairing Ngakoue with Hunter makes the Vikings' pass rush lethal and puts Minnesota right back in the mix as one of the top defenses in the NFL. In spite of the late addition, the Vikings go heavy on the D-line and keep 10 in the trenches. Stephen moved over to nose tackle after Michael Pierce opted out, and Johnson finally gets to play the three-technique role he thrived at in college. The "little tweak" that kept Hunter out of training camp isn't expected to make him miss time, according to sources, but the Vikings were able to get a good look at how Holmes and Yarbrough can fill in at defensive end while Odenigbo will go back to rushing inside on passing downs. Promising rookies James Lynch and Kenny Willekes had good showings in camp, but the numbers game relegates them to the practice squad.
LINEBACKERS (5): Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Eric Wilson, Troy Dye, Jordan Fehr
Injuries to Ben Gedeon, free agent Quentin Poling and Cam Smith's season-ending heart surgery forced the Vikings to scramble to find linebacker depth. Fourth-round rookie Dye could end up seeing time as a starter in the not too distant future. Fehr is a shoo-in for special teams work and impressed the Vikings with his athletic ability.
CORNERBACKS (6): Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Nevelle Clarke
The Vikings liked what they saw with Hughes and Gladney's interchangeability at nickel corner, and Hill and Dantzler looked the part on the outside. Boyd and top UDFA Clark provide depth to the youngest cornerback unit in the NFL. Fifth-rounder Harrison Hand doesn't crack the depth chart but makes the practice squad.
SAFETIES (4): Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris, Josh Metellus, Nate Meadors
Minnesota has concerns over its depth at deep safety, which is why the team routinely worked out players during training camp. Seventh-round rookie Brian Cole II was released more than a week before cuts. Fellow rookie Metellus looked decent as a backup while Meadors' experience in this defense earns him the fourth safety spot. But it still doesn't feel like the Vikings are satisfied with the depth of this unit. Look for them to be busy the day after cuts with free-agent claims.
SPECIALISTS (3): Dan Bailey, Britton Colquitt, Austin Cutting
This is the first year in awhile in which the Vikings didn't have competition among their specialists. Punter Colquitt was limited at points during camp, but it doesn't appear to be a major concern.