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Vikings release first unofficial depth chart of 2021

Let’s see if there are any surprises on it, shall we?

By Christopher Gates
NFL: NOV 16 Vikings at Bears Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

With the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos just a few days away, the Minnesota Vikings have put together their first unofficial depth chart of the 2021 season. While it doesn’t mean a whole lot of anything at the present time, particularly given that in a few weeks this roster is going to go from 90 players down to 53, it’s still interesting to see what it looks like.

So, without any further ado, here it is. This is gleaned from the listing that the Vikings have on the team’s website. The wide receiver and cornerback depth charts might be off by a bit because the team doesn’t differentiate the way they do with the offensive line or linebacker positions, but it should be relatively close.

Minnesota Vikings Unofficial Depth Chart

Position Starter Backup Third-string Fourth-string Fifth-string Sixth-string
Position Starter Backup Third-string Fourth-string Fifth-string Sixth-string
QB Kirk Cousins Jake Browning Nate Stanley Kellen Mond Danny Etling
RB Dalvin Cook Alexander Mattison Ameer Abdullah Kene Nwangwu A.J. Rose Jr.
FB C.J. Ham Jake Bargas
WR Adam Thielen K.J. Osborn Dede Westbrook Dan Chisena Whop Philyor
WR Justin Jefferson Chad Beebe Ihmir Smith-Marsette Blake Proehl Myron Mitchell Warren Jackson
TE Irv Smith Jr. Tyler Conklin Brandon Dillon Zach Davidson Shane Zylstra
LT Rashod Hill Christian Darrisaw Evin Ksiezarczyk
LG Ezra Cleveland Dru Samia Kyle Hinton
C Garrett Bradbury Mason Cole Cohl Cabral
RG Oli Udoh Dakota Dozier Wyatt Davis
RT Brian O'Neill Blake Brandel Zach Bailey
Position Starter Backup Third-string Fourth-string Fifth-string
LDE Danielle Hunter Jalyn Holmes Hercules Mata'afa Jordan Brailford Janarius Robinson
DT Dalvin Tomlinson Sheldon Richardson Zeandae Johnson
NT Michael Pierce Armon Watts James Lynch Jordan Scott
RDE Stephen Weatherly D.J. Wonnum Kenny Willekes Patrick Jones II
SLB Anthony Barr Blake Lynch Ryan Connelly Christian Elliss
MLB Eric Kendricks Troy Dye Tuf Borland
WLB Nick Vigil Cameron Smith Chazz Surratt
CB Patrick Peterson Mackensie Alexander Harrison Hand Dylan Mabin Parry Nickerson
CB Bashaud Breeland Cameron Dantzler Kris Boyd Tye Smith Amari Henderson
FS Harrison Smith Myles Dorn Josh Metellus
SS Xavier Woods Camryn Bynum Luther Kirk
Position Starter Backup
K Greg Joseph Riley Patterson
P Britton Colquitt
H Britton Colquitt
LS Andrew DePaola Turner Bernard
KR Ameer Abdullah Kene Nwangwu
PR Ameer Abdullah K.J. Osborn Chad Beebe Ihmir Smith-Marsette

A few things to look at here.

  • Before we get too deep into AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE ROOKIES ARE SO FAR DOWN THE DEPTH CHART. . .this is a Mike Zimmer team. The rookies are always way down the depth chart to start out with. Plus, in the case of guys like Christian Darrisaw and Wyatt Davis, they’ve been dealing with injury issues for a lot of camp. I’m guessing a lot of those rookies, particularly the ones that were drafted (as opposed to UDFAs) are going to be climbing the depth chart fairly quickly.
  • Oli Udoh being listed as the starting right guard is a pleasant surprise, but by all accounts he’s been just crushing people in camp so far. Hey, at least it’s not Dakota Dozier.
  • Ameer Abdullah being listed as the #1 punt returner is interesting and strange. Abdullah has been in the NFL for six seasons and has returned the same number of punts as I have.
  • The depth chart doesn’t differentiate between outside and slot corners, but I think we can safely assume that Mackensie Alexander is the top slot guy in nickel situations.
  • Troy Dye as the backup to Eric Kendricks at middle linebacker is strange, too. He got moved around a lot in the run game last year and just doesn’t strike me as the middle linebacker type. But, I’ve been wrong about these sorts of things before.

Those are some of the things that stand out to me. What do you make of the Vikings’ first unofficial depth chart of 2021?

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