EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings open training camp on Wednesday at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota.
Coming off a 7-9 season in which they failed to qualify for the playoffs, the Vikings put a heavy emphasis on retooling their defense by signing eight free agents and replenishing depth with five defensive draft picks. While most of Minnesota's offensive personnel remains the same in 2021, the defense will feature at least seven new starters. The Vikings also have new coordinators on offense (Klint Kubiak) and special teams (Ryan Ficken).
Here's a 53-man roster projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, Jake Browning
Cousins enters his fourth season as the Vikings' starting quarterback a year after coach Mike Zimmer said Minnesota's offense was the most explosive he's seen in his tenure. The Vikings spent a third-round pick on Mond, which suggests they're waiting to see how Cousins performs in the final two years of his contract before making any long-term decisions at the position. But for now Mond is very much in the developmental stage of his NFL career. Browning took the majority of second-team reps this spring ahead of Mond and Nate Stanley. Although he appears the most prepared to earn the No. 2 job, Mond will have every opportunity to compete for it.
RUNNING BACK (4): Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, Kene Nwangwu
It looks like the rotation behind Cook will be Mattison and Abdullah, both of whom were also utilized as receivers this spring. Nwangwu impressed with his speed out of the backfield (4.32-second 40-yard dash) but hasn't made much of an impact offensively. His way on to the roster will be beating out wide receiver K.J. Osborn at kick returner.
FULLBACK (1): C.J. Ham
Ham logged a career-high 404 offensive snaps last season and plays a pivotal role in blocking for Cook and Mattison.
WIDE RECEIVER (4): Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, Dede Westbrook, Chad Beebe,
The Vikings signed former Jaguar Westbrook right before training camp to provide competition for the No. 3 receiver role where he'll battle with veterans Beebe, Johnson and a handful of rookies that could end up providing ample depth for the practice squad. Westbrook tore his ACL in Week 7 last season, but clearly Minnesota is confident he'll be healthy enough to compete to win the job behind Thielen and Jefferson and potentially contribute as a punt returner. Westbrook's experience in the slot could be a vital asset for an offense looking to expand its capabilities in the passing game (Minnesota was the only offense that used 11 personnel less than 40% of the time).
TIGHT END (4): Irv Smith Jr., Tyler Conklin, Brandon Dillon, Shane Zylstra
Minnesota never keeps four tight ends on the active roster, but there's a case to be made for adding more depth behind Smith and Conklin, both of whom will be taking on bigger roles this season following the departure of Kyle Rudolph. Dillon and Zylstra will have to prove their blocking abilities when the pads come on, but each came away from the spring with a splashy play in the red zone.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Christian Darrisaw, Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, Wyatt Davis, Brian O'Neill, Rashod Hill, Dakota Dozier, Oli Udoh, Mason Cole
Darrisaw missed time this spring while recovering from surgery to repair a core muscle but will have plenty of reps against Danielle Hunter in camp to prepare him to protect Cousins' blindside. Though the Vikings brought their rookie offensive linemen along slowly, putting Darrisaw at left tackle and Davis at right guard with the second-team offense, both will have an opportunity to supplant Hill and Dozier, respectively. Minnesota appears to be in a good spot with its guard depth between Dozier, Cole and Udoh, the latter of whom coordinator Kubiak suggested as an option on the interior.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Tomlinson, Michael Pierce, Stephen Weatherly, Sheldon Richardson, D.J. Wonnum, Jalyn Holmes, Patrick Jones II, Armon Watts, Janarius Robinson
Reworking Hunter's deal ahead of minicamp ensures the Vikings will have their star defensive end this season. What remains a major question is who will start at the other end spot? Weatherly and Wonnum have the edge entering camp but Minnesota's two defensive end rookies -- Jones and Robinson -- could earn a rotation spot with a good showing in camp. Minnesota addressed its interior pass rush in a big way with the late addition of Richardson. And the Vikings will continue to develop Watts and Jaylen Twyman, who will start the season on the reserve/NFI list while recovering from gunshot wounds sustained in June, as rotational rushers after both made strides with the second team this spring.
LINEBACKER (6): Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Nick Vigil, Troy Dye, Cameron Smith, Chazz Surratt
The Vikings often find key special teams contributors within the linebacker corps, so they could go heavy here and dedicate six roster spots. After missing last season following open-heart surgery, Smith was back for OTAs and minicamp and will get to display his prowess for tackling and defending the run when he competes for the third linebacker role along with Vigil and Dye. Suratt missed ample time this spring and is still relatively green as a defender (he made the switch from quarterback to linebacker in 2019), so the Vikings' third-rounder will have to make up significant ground to crack the roster.
CORNERBACK (6): Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, Bashaud Breeland, Mackensie Alexander, Harrison Hand, Kris Boyd
What a change a year makes for the cornerback unit, which can now boast experience and depth. Minnesota has yet to make a decision on former first-round pick Jeff Gladney, whose legal troubles kept him away from the team this spring. But it's safe to assume he'll be subjected to a multiple-game suspension at minimum. For now, let's project Breeland and Dantzler in a competition at outside corner opposite Peterson while Alexander occupies the slot. If Hand continues to stand out the way he did this spring by nabbing a couple of picks filling in with the first-team defense (Dantzler and Breeland did not practice this spring), he'll be in prime position to fill out the cornerback depth along with Boyd.
SAFETY (3): Harrison Smith, Xavier Woods, Camryn Bynum
Keeping 10 defensive linemen and six linebackers means the Vikings will have to go light elsewhere. Woods, who signed as a free agent in replacing Anthony Harris, made a strong impression on Zimmer this spring while the rookie Bynum is progressing in his switch from cornerback to safety.
SPECIALISTS (3): Greg Joseph, Britton Colquitt, Andrew DePaola
Joseph only has two years of experience and hasn't kicked in a game since 2019, so it's reasonable to expect the Vikings will bring in a veteran to create competition in camp, especially with fellow kicker Riley Patterson starting out on the PUP list. Colquitt and DePaola are the incumbents at punter and long snapper, respectively, and are expected to remain in those roles in 2021.