The Minnesota Vikings have made all of the cuts necessary to get down to 53 players, in accordance with the NFL deadline that passed at 8 PM Central time. There were a couple of surprises on the cut list. Here is the full list of players that were released today by Minnesota.
WR Emmanuel Arceneaux
DL Chase Baker
CB Chris Carr
DE Jeff Charleston
FB Ryan D'Imperio
OL Chris DeGeare
CB Bobby Felder
S Eric Frampton
DT Trevor Guyton
RB Lex Hilliard
OL Tyler Holmes
CB Reggie Jones
OL Kevin Murphy
LB Corey Paredes
OL Austin Pasztor
DE Nick Reed
QB Sage Rosenfels
C Quentin Saulsberry
TE Mickey Shuler
RB Jordan Todman
The team also placed offensive lineman DeMarcus Love on injured reserve, as it appears that he is headed for surgery on his pectoral muscle. Tough break for him. I was really hoping he could contribute this season.
After the jump, the 53-man roster as it stands right now, and some discussion of it. Keep in mind that this will probably change by this time tomorrow, as I'm sure the Vikings will be scanning the waiver wires hard.
Quarterback (3): McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Christian Ponder, Joe Webb
Running Back (3): Matt Asiata, Toby Gerhart, Adrian Peterson
Fullback (1): Jerome Felton
Wide Receiver (5*): Devin Aromashodu, Stephen Burton, Percy Harvin, Michael Jenkins, Jarius Wright, Jerome Simpson (does not currently count due to suspension)
Tight End (4): John Carlson, Rhett Ellison, Allen Reisner, Kyle Rudolph
Offensive Line (8): Joe Berger, Patrick Brown, Brandon Fusco, Charlie Johnson, Matt Kalil, Phil Loadholt, Geoff Schwartz, John Sullivan
Defensive Line (8): Jared Allen, Christian Ballard, Fred Evans, Everson Griffen, Letroy Guion, D'Aundre Reed, Brian Robison, Kevin Williams
Linebacker (7): Jasper Brinkley, Audie Cole, Chad Greenway, Erin Henderson, Marvin Mitchell, Tyrone McKenzie, Larry Dean
Cornerback (6): Zack Bowman, Brandon Burton, Chris Cook, Josh Robinson, Marcus Sherels, Antoine Winfield
Safety (5): Robert Blanton, Mistral Raymond, Jamarca Sanford, Harrison Smith, Andrew Sendejo
Kicker (1): Blair Walsh
Punter (1): Chris Kluwe
Long Snapper (1): Cullen Loeffler
The biggest shocker, in my mind, has to be Rosenfels. I thought he was a lock to stay on as the "wily veteran mentor" quarterback, but the Vikings apparently decided they didn't need him in that role. Rosenfels was the second-oldest player on the roster, so one of the youngest teams in the league has gotten even younger. Think about this. . .as it stands now, the longest-tenured player the Minnesota Vikings have at the quarterback position is Joe Webb.
Matt Asiata won the battle for the third running back spot, as many suspected. Jordan Todman had a nice game against the Texans, but apparently it wasn't enough.
I'm surprised by the decision to only keep eight offensive linemen, though that's one of the things that could easily change tomorrow.
Chris Carr was a huge disappointment. I had some pretty high hopes for him when the Vikings signed him to a deal. Looks like Winfield, Cook, and Robinson are the top three corners as it stands right now.
Man. . .is this a young team. It will be exciting to see how it all comes together.
What do you think of the cuts and the current roster, folks?