The Vikings Brought 9 Players to Town for a Workout

GM Nolan Teasley proclaimed his desire to constantly search for talent at yesterday’s press conference. Maybe a small glimpse of that approach can be seen in the news of the Vikings bringing a pile of players in for a chance to prove their mettle.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 offered the update online: “#Vikings worked out Jamal Adams (signed), Kendrick Blackshire, Romello Brinson, Victor Dimukeke, Brandon Jayes, Curtis Jacobs, Anfernee Orji, Derek Robertson, Roc Taylor.” Most already know that veteran safety/linebacker Jamal Adams got snagged. What of the other players?

The Vikings Brought Players in for Workout

By a Minnesota mile, Adams is the best-known talent in that cluster of players. There is, nevertheless, reason to note who else was brought to town.

Check out which player plays which position. Doing so offers some of the most basic criteria for where Minnesota may feel the roster needs help:

• Jamal Adams, Safety/Linebacker
• Kendrick Blackshire, Linebacker
• Romello Brinson, Wide Receiver
• Victor Dimukeje, Edge Rusher
• Brandon Hayes, Guard
• Curtis Jacobs, Linebacker
• Anfernee Orji, Linebacker
• Derek Robertson, Quarterback
• Roc Taylor, Wide Receiver

Note, as many already have, that Adams is viewed as a versatile piece of the puzzle. The accomplished veteran is going to be tasked with ample responsibility as somebody who can play like a normal safety but who can also be a linebacker and slot.

Based on position, bringing a quarterback to town is somewhat odd, but perhaps the inclusion of Robertson was about facilitating the workout rather than trying to find a fifth arm.

Taking a look at linebackers, edge rushers, and wide receivers makes sense. In fact, many believe that the edge rusher spot is aching for more depth, former Vikings GM Jeff Diamond them.

Teasley took on a direct question about needing more help at edge rusher yesterday, deflecting the specific inquiry by saying his front office is always searching for talent. At the very least, somebody has been brought to town for a workout.

Does Minnesota circle around to Dimukeje at some point in the future? The Vikings do need help here and the pass rusher is only 26. He was a 6th-Round selection of the Falcons in 2021 and has played in roughly 2,000 career snaps across defense and specials since that time.

At guard, there are questions about who is going to function as the main backup. LG1 Donovan Jackson is entering his sophomore NFL season; RG1 Will Fries is entering his second season with the Vikings. Both are being tasked with elevating their game. Even if they do, what happens if one guy goes down?

Right now, the top backup looks like Michael Jurgens, but that’s written in pencil. Before too long, the Vikings would like to arrive at a spot where they can write somebody’s name in ink.

The Vikings had roughly $13 million in cap space moving into the recent flurry of moves. The major factor to watch is how much cap space gets created due to the Brian O’Neill extension. As a rough guide, look for the Vikings to be sitting on about $25 million.

Minnesota Vikings football is back.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.