Daily Norseman
We are a little more than 24 hours away from seeing the Minnesota Vikings take the field for the first time since January. Although we’re not going to see the majority of the starters when they host the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon, there is still a lot of intrigue for those of us who follow the team as closely as most of us do.
There are going to be a lot of younger players battling for spots on the roster or their place on the depth chart. While everyone is going to have their focus on different players, I’ve picked out three that I’m going to be trying to keep a close eye on. I’m leaving J.J. McCarthy off of my list because, let’s be honest, everyone is looking forward to seeing J.J. McCarthy, so there’s no point in using a spot on him here.
Rodriguez, last year’s “Prospect X” ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, played sparingly in his rookie season after making the roster out of training camp. Now, along with Jalen Redmond and rookie Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, he is expected to be one of the primary backups along the defensive line with Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bullard having departed during the offseason. Rodriguez is one of those “high motor” players who needed to spend some time developing NFL-level strength, and we’re going to get an opportunity to see if he’s done that. I would expect him to get a lot of playing time during the preseason and, hopefully, he can take advantage of it.
At this time last year, Brosmer was getting ready to lead the local college team onto the field for P.J. Fleck and company. While a lot of the focus concerning the Vikings’ quarterback situation has centered on J.J. McCarthy, for obvious reasons, the battle for the third spot on the depth chart should be an interesting one. Kevin O’Connell has been singing Brosmer’s praises all offseason, and I honestly think he’s got a real shot to unseat Brett Rypien for the right to wear a baseball cap and hold a clipboard on the Minnesota sideline this season. I’m not sure how O’Connell is going to divvy up the quarterback snaps after McCarthy gets his couple of drives, but I’m hoping that Brosmer is going to get a shot towards the end of the game at the very least.
Beyond Byron Murphy Jr. on the Vikings’ cornerback depth chart, this team has a lot of questions. Isaiah Rodgers has never really been a starter, Mekhi Blackmon is coming off of his ACL tear, and Jeff Okudah is a wild card that we’re hoping Brian Flores can get the best out of. McGlothern has an opportunity to stake out his spot on the roster, at the very least, and can hopefully get an opportunity to make a much larger impression in these three preseason games. If McGlothern can...
