NEWS; Monday Morning Mailbag: Vikings Preseason Finale Triggers Uncertain Roster Cuts and Wild Speculations

The 2024 preseason is in the books, with the Vikings going 3-0 and closing out with a 26-3 win at Philadelphia on Saturday.

Jaren Hall started at quarterback and was crisp and clean in operating the offense, helping Minnesota score points on each of the five possessions he played.

The defense recorded three takeaways and didn’t allow a conversion on any of the six fourth-down attempts by the Eagles.

The focus early this week will be on the required reductions to have the roster at 53 players before the 3 p.m. (CT) Tuesday deadline.

General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and his staff worked hard to add depth across the roster, and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff have developed each player, but roster reductions are part of the operation.

Coaches and players will take a quick breather at the end of the week before returning next Monday, the beginning of Week 1.

 Raysvikes in Yankton, South Dakota

There are several people who deserve hat tips for the inclusion of Justin Jefferson (Raiders), Adofo-Mensah and Harrison Smith (Browns) and O’Connell (Eagles) in the simulcasts. The first is the willingness of Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell to participate and allow star players like Jefferson and Smith to be mic’d up during live events.

It’s tremendous access for all who have been able to enjoy, providing great insights into the ways their minds work.

There’s credit that should go to my VEN colleagues (emphasizing not me) for the technical execution behind the scenes, the broadcast team of Paul Allen, Pete Bercich and Ben Leber and Vikings public relations.

The Vikings were able to direct quality reps toward starters last week during a Thursday scrimmage, despite an intensifying rain. Minnesota made the most of two days of joint practices in Cleveland earlier in the month and worked in a few reps for several players, including starting QB Sam Darnold and the offensive line, in the preseason opener against Las Vegas.

There’s been a positive momentum built over the course of training camp. Although the results don’t count in the standings, the Vikings have displayed some characteristics that often overlap with winning teams, including protecting the football (one interception) and taking it away (four interceptions and two fumble recoveries).

“We’ve got some examples now of playing the way we want to play,” O’Connell said Saturday. “We want to be explosive on the offensive side, but we want to run the football, and we want to play a little bit more consistently, snap in and snap out, and hopefully the [explosive plays] come. … And I think the no turnovers thing, when you have your entire roster able to carry the football, you know, catch and get yards after the catch with great ball security, and a lot of the things we drill every single day as a huge emphasis, especially coming off of last year, those are all positives that I can reinforce with the team.”

Just wanted to say good luck to all the players trying to make an NFL roster. There seemed to be a lot of really good performances from young players in these preseason games. Not only rookies but second- and third-year players also. I won’t list them all, but one guy who stood out to me as being in the right spot and making plays even if they weren’t all splashy was Dallas Gant. Really felt like he made a strong case for a roster spot either on this team or some other team.

Can’t wait for the season. Skol Vikes!!

— Brian in Idaho

These are nice sentiments. We’ve seen young players show up and make some great memories and be put in positions to show their skills and learning. The percentage of people whose football dreams reach this level is quite small in comparison to the number of people who have ever worn a helmet and pads.

Gant, an undrafted rookie linebacker, tied with Brian Asamoah II for the team lead with seven tackles on Saturday.

O’Connell described the days of roster cuts as “the worst couple of days of the entire year for me.” He knows the experience as a player and a coach.

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