The Minnesota Vikings have about $21 million in cap space to spend on free agents, trades, or to save for a rainy day. And after Sunday’s roster cuts, it’s clear the franchise isn’t done making roster moves.
Based on new evidence, four or five notable roster maneuvers could arrive as early as now.
Where the Vikings’ Roster Still Needs Some Love
1. Nick Mullens Is Out There
The Vikings have four quarterbacks on the current 53-man roster: Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Per sheer volume, they don’t need any more, and in fact, should park one – – Brosmer – – on the practice squad.
But as McCarthy and Wentz played ineffectively in the preseason, Mullens to the Vikings on Monday or Tuesday cannot be ruled out. The Jacksonville Jaguars dumped him this weekend after onboarding Quinn Ewers from the Miami Dolphins. Mullens, while not perfect by any means, drove the ball downfield within the Vikings’ offense whenever head coach Kevin O’Connell called on him.
Minnesota lives at No. 18 on the waiver wire for freshly-released free agents. If Mullens falls to No. 18, the Vikings could pounce on Mullens and put Wentz and/or Brosmer on the practice squad.
If Murray got hurt and the Vikings had a winning record in October or November, for example, would you rather see McCarthy, Wentz, Brosmer – – or Mullens — under center? If your answer is Mullens, he’s there for the taking if the waiver-wire math is kind to Minnesota.
2. Skimpy EDGE Depth — and No Tyler Batty
Before training camp, Vikings fans side-eyed the OLB room with Jonanathan Greenard not on the team and said, “This looks a like … light.” Then, Tyler Batty tore his ACL on Friday night, ending his second season in the pros.
At OLB, after the two main starters, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner, Minnesota has Bo Richter, Chaz Chambliss, and possibly rookie Jake Golday to deploy at times. That’s not enough, folks.
For instance, if Van Ginkel suffered an injury at practice today, the Vikings would be moments away from declaring Dallas Turner and Bo Richter as the main EDGEs in 2026. That does not inspire confidence.
Therefore, an extra pass rusher from this list could be on the way:
- Joey Bosa
- Isaiah Foskey
- Leonard Floyd
- Emmanuel Ogbah
- David Ojabo
- Azeez Ojulari
- Haason Reddick
- Kyle Van Noy
- Sam Williams
Those are decent options for OLB3, and at this point, you should expect the Vikings to sign one. Floyd, who won a Super Bowl with O’Connell in 2021 out in Los Angeles, especially makes sense.
3. No True Center … at All?
These are the Vikings centers available on the depth chart:
- Blake Brandel
- Joe Huber
Neither was groomed as a center in college. Minnesota doesn’t have a single authentic center on the depth chart as of a Monday morning. Michael Jurgens is injured for the time being, and 7th-round rookie Gavin Gerhardt was waived on Sunday.
These centers are on the cusp of free agency or already available:
- Ryan Bates
- James Daniels
- Graham Glasgow
- Trey Hill
- Nick Leverett
- Jimmy Morrissey
- Lucas Patrick
The list isn’t as strong as the aforementioned OLB version, but remember, the possible center addition ideally won’t play if Brandel stays healthy and plays well. The new guy would be an insurance policy.
Jurgens will return sometime in 2026, too.
4. There’s Just One Backup Guard
Joe Huber is the only reserve guard on the 53-man roster. If both Donovan Jackson and Will Fries got hurt in the same game, the Vikings would be forced to play Huber and an offensive tackle, like Ryan Van Demark, at guard.
Guard depth has remained a question all summer, and roster cuts didn’t provide answers. Expect general manager Nolan Teasley to explore one of these guards from free agency:
- Mekhi Becton
- Liam Eichenberg
- Will Hernandez
- Germain Ifedi
- Robert Jones
- Michael Jordan
- Evan Neal
- Laken Tomlinson
- Cordell Volson
- Kevin Zeitler
Tomlinson has ties to Teasley and Vikings offensive line coach Keith Carter. Remember his name.
Bonus: Harrison Smith
Finally, Smith has not ruled out a return for his 15th NFL season. If the man truly planned to retire, wouldn’t he just say it? Minnesota also lost Jamal Adams for the season, and upstart rookie Jacob Thomas sprained his ankle last weekend.
A Smith return feels more likely than not, and that news could hit any minute.
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VikesNow Verdict: Quarterback remains fluid, EDGE and interior offensive line depth are thin, and Smith still looms as an obvious possibility. With ample cap room, multiple moves are probably on the way.
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