In late August, the Minnesota Vikings, along with 31 other teams, will prune their rosters from 90 to 53 players, an activity head coach Kevin O’Connell has described as his least-happy day of the year. This go-around will assuredly some painful cuts; that’s just the nature of the beast.

And if popular players get the axe, a list might look like this. The following players are listed in alphabetical order.

Vikings’ Summer Roster Crunch Includes a Few Familiar Names

Max Brosmer | QB

Let’s be clear: Brosmer is forecasted to reach the practice squad.

But what if he doesn’t? The guy looked utterly horrendous as a rookie in 2025, and his whole reputation among Vikings fans was based on preseason hype. Preseason performance almost never translates to regular season success. Ask EDGE rusher Gabriel Murphy about it.

Like Jaren Hall in 2023-2024, Minnesota could cut ties with Brosmer, especially if it finds a different quarterback on the post-cutdown market, perhaps Will Levis or Anthony Richardson.

Tai Felton | WR

Felton heads into summer with a lot to prove. His exceptional speed was the reason Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted him in the 3rd Round last year, despite most draft analysts projecting him as a 4th or 5th-Round pick. The strategy was clear: acquire a speed demon to stretch defenses and provide a deep threat.

However, Felton saw minimal playing time during his rookie season. Unlike most 3rd-Round wide receivers who typically get an immediate opportunity, Felton did not. It makes his second summer critically important. While he still has a chance to climb to WR4 if he performs well in camp, he might be on the roster bubble.

New general manager Nolan Teasley, who was not involved in drafting Felton, has no inherent favoritism towards him. Felton will need to impress the new leadership from the ground up.

Theo Jackson | S

Jackson lost his job to Jay Ward late last year, and few noticed. Minnesota also drafted safety Jakobe Thomas from Miami in April, along with onboarding promising undrafted safety Jacob Thomas.

And that’s in addition to the prospect of Harrison Smith returning for Year No. 15. Last summer, folks were optimistic that Jackson could seamlessly replace Camryn Bynum. This summer, he feels like a roster bubble straddler.

Ivan Pace Jr. | LB

Pace Jr. started his career with a bang — typed like Mike Breen says it — an unabashed UDFA success story for Adofo-Mensah. He also played well in 2024, but not quite as stellar as his rookie campaign. Fast forward to 2025, and Pace Jr. suddenly could not tackle as well, and veteran Eric Wilson swiped his starting job.

The Vikings re-signed Pace Jr. this offseason — exercised his restricted free-agent tender — but that doesn’t mean his future is totally secure. If rookie Jake Golday, a 2nd-Rounder, is the real deal, that complicates the roster math of Pace Jr.

The Viking Age‘s Adam Patrick noted on Pace Jr. in May, ‘With Wilson back, Pace will likely spend a bunch of time on special teams again in 2026. He’ll also probably be called upon to start at some point next season if Wilson or Blake Cashman are unable to play due to injury.”

“Will Pace use his 2025 season as motivation to prove people wrong in 2026 when he gets back on the field, or will it be more of the same from a guy who hasn’t ever been able to duplicate the unexpected success he had as a rookie with the Vikings?”

Myles Price | WR

Do we think Price will be cut? No. Is it a possibility? Yes.

Last summer, the Vikings didn’t have many options for kick and punt returners. In 2026, they’ll have additional alternatives, like new running back Demond Claiborne of Wake Forest. Price is a wide receiver by trade, but Minnesota didn’t use him on offense as a rookie.

While Price is a promising young returner, there’s a small chance the Vikings drop him in favor a man who can play speical teams and offense.

Walter Rouse | OT

The Vikings added two uncuttable offensive tackles this offseason: 3rd-Round rookie Caleb Tiernan from Northwestern and veteran Ryan Van Demark from the Buffalo Bills. In a normal offseason, Minnesota usually finds one free-agent or rookie tackle for depth behind Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill.

Adding Tiernan and Van Demark raises the stakes for Rouse, a player entering his third year who has not played much since joining the NFL in 2024.

If it comes down to the coaching staff wanting to keep an extra wide receiver or EDGE defender, for example, Rouse could be on the chopping block because the club now has Tiernan and Van Demark.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker