EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings open the 2024 NFL regular season at the New York Giants on Sept. 8 at MetLife Stadium.
They'll enter training camp with a roster stacked with mid-career veterans who will cover for largely disappointing early returns from the 2022 and 2023 drafts, along with a 2024 draft that includes only two players selected in the first five rounds. (Cornerback Khyree Jackson, selected in the fourth round, was killed earlier this month in a car accident.)
The Vikings signed 13 unrestricted free agents and re-signed six of their own. Not all of them will make the final roster, but if nothing else they have provided themselves an extra layer of depth as they await development from younger players -- No. 10 overall pick quarterback J.J. McCarthy chief among them.
Here is the 53-man projection:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens
The ultimate outcome here will depend on the Vikings' comfort level with McCarthy. Darnold is likely to start, but what if he is injured or underperforming? Would McCarthy be far enough along to replace him early in the season? Or would Mullens and/or Jaren Hall be their safer option at No. 2? Based on that assessment, Mullens and/or Hall could be practice squad options as well.
RUNNING BACKS (3): Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu
Jones and Chandler will handle the majority of snaps, assuming they remain healthy. Nwangwu's special teams role will expand following the NFL's kickoff rule changes, and it's possible that Chandler will be the second returner, which creates the possibility of carrying more than three backs.
FULLBACKS (1): C.J. Ham
Vikings coaches consider Ham one of their more versatile offensive players, and last season they even used him as an interior pass blocker for some plays. He has played only about 20% of offensive snaps during coach Kevin O'Connell's tenure, but it'll be an upset if he doesn't make the team in 2024.
WIDE RECEIVERS (5): Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Brandon Powell, Trent Sherfield Sr., Jalen Nailor
The Vikings have used three-receiver sets on 69.2% of their snaps under O'Connell, which makes the third receiver position one of the most interesting of training camp. Powell filled that role last season during Jefferson's recovery from a hamstring injury, but the Vikings are hoping to take a long look at Nailor there, too. Sherfield is likely to focus on special teams. Trishton Jackson and Thayer Thomas are also possibilities, as is a free agent acquisition at some point this summer.
TIGHT ENDS (3): Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, Robert Tonyan
This position will be in flux while T.J. Hockenson completes his recovery from a torn right ACL and MCL, which isn't likely to happen until after the season begins. The guess is that Hockenson will wind up on either PUP or injured reserve, where he wouldn't count against the 53-man roster, but that has yet to be determined. Tonyan was impressive in spring practices, and third-year player Nick Muse might also make the roster as additional depth.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (10): Christian Darrisaw, Blake Brandel, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O'Neill, Dalton Risner, Walter Rouse, Dan Feeney, David Quessenberry, Michael Jurgens
The Vikings will enter their third season of stability across the majority of their line. Darrisaw, O'Neill and Bradbury are entering their fourth consecutive year together. Ingram has started at right guard for the past two seasons, and while Risner re-signed after finishing 2023 as the left guard, he'll need to compete with Brandel -- and possibly Ingram -- for a starting role. Two drafted rookies, Rouse and Jurgens, should make the team.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: (6): Harrison Phillips, Jerry Tillery, Jonathan Bullard, Jaquelin Roy, Jonah Williams, Levi Drake Rodriguez
We're going with six defensive linemen, but even that might be too many, given how the Vikings deployed their personnel last season. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores had one defensive lineman or none on the field for roughly one-third of their total defensive plays, a ratio unmatched in the NFL since at least 2006. The team tried to bulk up its depth behind veterans Phillips and Bullard, and training camp will tell us if they were successful.
LINEBACKERS (8): Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, Jonathan Greenard, Dallas Turner, Andrew Van Ginkel, Pat Jones II, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Gabriel Murphy
No position has turned over more from 2023 than linebacker, and the projected group of eight -- which includes edge rushers -- includes five newcomers. Pace and Cashman will man the inside positions, while Greenard and Van Ginkel will join Turner as the Vikings' top pass-rushers. Jones is a versatile backup. Grugier-Hill and Jihad Ward will compete for roster spots, while Murphy was a priority rookie free agent who enters camp with high expectations.
CORNERBACKS (5): Byron Murphy Jr., Shaquill Griffin, Mekhi Blackmon, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth Jr.
Griffin, signed as a free agent, and Murphy are likely to be the team's top players here. In nickel alignments, the hope is that Murphy will move inside and one of the remaining three players can reliably man the other outside spot. Evans was a starter for most of 2023 but was benched in two games late in the season.
SAFETIES (5): Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward
Three players from this group are likely to be starters -- Smith, Metellus and Bynum. The Vikings crafted a unique role last season for Metellus that was less safety and more hybrid linebacker. This list does not include 2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine, who has played only 10 defensive snaps in two seasons due to injuries and other issues. He finished last season as the team's sixth safety.
SPECIALISTS (4): K Will Reichard, P Ryan Wright, LS Andrew DePaola, NaJee Thompson (coverage)
The Vikings used a sixth-round pick on Reichard this spring and it would be a major upset if he is not their Week 1 kicker. Wright will have to fend off a training camp challenge from free agent Seth Vernon. Thompson technically was a cornerback last season and will be listed as a safety in 2024, but for all intents and purposes, he is a special teams coverage specialist.