Daily Norseman
The Minnesota Vikings have completed their initial roster cutdown to 53 players. While there may be some additional moves in the coming days, here are my thoughts on the initial 53-man roster and the cutdown.
There weren’t a ton of surprise moves by the Vikings, but certainly a few more noteworthy ones. Compared to my last 53-man roster projection and post preseason roster thoughts pieces, here are the most noteworthy surprises.
The first was edge rusher Gabriel Murphy not making the roster. Murphy was a fixture as fourth on the edge rusher depth chart in training camp and seemed to have a decent preseason as well. But apparently looks can be deceiving. Chaz Chambliss, another UDFA from Georgia, appears to have beat out Murphy most likely due to his versailitiy as an off-ball linebacker- similar to Van Ginkel and Turner in that regard- and special teams ability- he had two tackles and an assist as a special teamer.
Chambliss missed the first few days of training camp with a minor injury but was immediately put into the mix in training camp when he returned. He got a lot of reps in the preseason games too- tied for second-most on defense and the most among special teamers. There is a lot to like about Chambliss and if you told me Gabe Murphy wasn’t making the roster I would have picked Chambliss as his replacement. He’s a lot like Bo Richter in physical size (6’2”, 250 lbs.) and style as a hard worker with a constant motor. But like Richter, he doesn’t have ideal length for the edge rusher position. Chambliss does have some ability as an off-ball linebacker, however, which along with his ‘want-to’ character probably impressed Brian Flores. Chambliss also figures to be a core special teamer like Richter.
Tyler Batty, who was placed on the IR-Designated to Return list, could end up taking Chambliss’ roster spot- or perhaps one occupied by an inside linebacker- when he does return and presumably is given a roster spot. Batty also graded very well on special teams and offers outside/inside versatility on the defensive line and could function as a base end in a 4-3 front if Brian Flores chose use more of those this season.
Blackmon had a disappointing training camp and preseason, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see him traded to the Colts given the Vikings’ lack of quality depth at the cornerback position. Presumably the Vikings may be looking to add to the group in the coming days. Veteran Stephon Gilmore, who started for the Vikings at corner last season, is still available and would make sense given his familiarity with the scheme, but there could be others the Vikings may target.
Howell didn’t have a particularly stellar preseason, but still it came as a bit of a surprise to see him traded this...
