The Vikings’ Roster Has 34 New Faces

It’s not unusual by any stretch of the imagination, but the Minnesota Vikings’ roster will feature about three dozen newcomers in 2026, joining the club from free agency, the draft, and undrafted free agency.

Six free agents. Nine draft picks. Nineteen undrafted rookies.

The club has 90 players on the depth chart right now, a number that will be shaved to 53 in late August.

Minnesota’s Newcomers Stretch across Every Roster Lane

Get to know the newcomers.

From Free Agency (6)

Newcomers:
Johnny Hekker (P)
Jauan Jennings (WR)
Eric Johnson (DT)
Kyler Murray (QB)
James Pierre (CB)
Ryan Van Demark (OT)

Murray obviously takes the cake here; he’s a two-time Pro Bowler with a better career-long EPA+CPOE than Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, and Daniel Jones, among others. He instantly makes the Vikings a playoff contender, showcasing no real weaknesses aside from his 5’10” height.

Jennings signed on Thursday night, a cake-topper of the offseason. He’s the new WR3, replacing Jalen Nailor, who bolted for the Las Vegas Raiders in March. The new punter, Hekker, was once the best in football 8-10 years ago; now, he’ll hope to stay off a rookie from the third section of this article.

Pierre is Minnesota’s new CB3, a replacement for Jeff Okudah, who hasn’t signed anywhere in 2026. Van Demark is offensive tackle insurance in case something happens to Christian Darrisaw or Brian O’Neill. Johnson, a defensive tackle, is a roster-bubble guy who may or may not make the 53-man depth chart in August.

From The Draft (9)

Newcomers:
Caleb Banks (DT) | Florida, Round 1
Jake Golday (LB) | Cincinnati, Round 2
Domonique Orange (DT) | Iowa State, Round 3
Caleb Tiernan (OT) | Northwestern, Round 3
Jakobe Thomas (S) | Miami, Round 3
Max Bredeson (TE) | Michigan, Round 5
Charles Demmings (CB) | Stephen F. Austin, Round 5
Demond Claiborne (RB) | Wake Forest, Round 6
Gavin Gerhardt (C) | Cincinnati, Round 7

Banks will define this class — no matter what. If he hits, to the tune of his All-Pro ceiling, the group can almost do no wrong. Golday arrives as an Andrew Van Ginkel-like defensive weapon, the first inside linebacker drafted by the Vikings in the first two rounds since Eric Kendricks in 2015.

Oragne is a nose tackle, and the Vikings haven’t had a pure version of one of those in eons. Tiernan is an offensive tackle, youth in the pipeline next to Darrisaw and O’Neill. Harrison Smith hasn’t resigned yet, and if he does not, Thomas will get a look as his replacement.

Bredeson is the new C.J. Ham; fans will love him. Demmings is a scrappy cornerback who could break out because Minnesota hasn’t drafted a corner with staying power since Xavier Rhodes — 13 years ago.

The new running back, Claiborne, will be something in the neighborhood of Nyheim Hines, Jerick McKinnon, or De’Von Achane, based on his size and play style. Gerhardt is a longshot bid for the Vikings’ center of the future.

From Undrafted Free Agency (19)

Newcomers:
Marcus Allen (CB) | North Carolina
Da’Veawn Armstead (CB) | North Texas
Dillon Bell (WR) | Georgia
Jordan Botelho (OLB) | Notre Dame
Tyreek Chappell (CB) | Texas A&M
Monkell Goodwine (DL) | South Carolina
Shaleak Knotts (WR) | Maryland
Keli Lawson (LB) | Central Florida
Tristan Leigh (OL) | Clemson
Delby Lemieux (OL) | Dartmouth
Kejon Owens (RB) | Florida International
Tomas Rimac (OL) | Virginia Tech
Marcus Sanders (WR) | Georgia Southern
Cam’Ron Stewart (OLB) | Temple
Jacob Thomas (S) | James Madison
Brett Thorson (P) | Georgia
Arden Walker (OLB) | Colorado
Scooby Williams (LB) | Texas A&M
Luke Wysong (WR) | Arizona

This list is obviously huge, and most of these men won’t latch on to the Vikings’ roster or anywhere in the NFL when it’s all said and done. Still, it’s important to note that wide receiver Dillon Bell could score a roster spot or practice squad invitation in late August.

Cam’Ron Stewart has some fans, and he’s 24, so he should be more game-ready than most. Jacob Thomas may be a dark horse of the practice squad. And most expect Brett Thorson to have an honest-to-goodness punter battle with Johnny Hekker this summer.

DawgNation‘s Connor Riley on Thorson, “Thorson won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter and now he’ll be playing in the NFL. Thorson was a four-year starter at the University of Georgia. Thorson was one of the best punters in the country throughout his entire career, consistently pinning teams back deep.”

“He did suffer a knee injury that required surgery in December of 2024. Thorson missed the first game of the 2025 season but returned to play in Georgia’s final 13 games in 2025. He was named a First Team All-American for his play last season.”

The Vikings have a rich recent history of empowering undrafted free agents. You can’t rule out players from the list without some summer diligence.

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