The Vikings will have to trim the roster down ahead of Week 1 and these three veterans are on cut watch because of production, upside and reliability.
Vikings training camp is finally underway as the NFL season creeps closer.
Football being back is fun. Teams having to eventually cut their rosters down from 90 to 53 is not so fun.
Still, every team has to do it. And every team will have veterans who are in grave danger of not making the team as their units transform around them, whether because of new signings or the emergence of young talent.
For the Vikings, these are the veterans who could face that reality before Week 1.
No. 3 Vikings veteran in danger of being cut before Week 1: DL James Lynch
The Vikings drafted James Lynch in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft after an outstanding career at Baylor. The defensive lineman is entering the fourth year of his contract and he's only managed to start three games. He has two career sacks, four tackles for loss and 53 total tackles.
In a Vikings defensive lineman trying to make the roster, a player needs to stand out. But Lynch hasn't stood out at really any point in his time in Minnesota, so he's in danger of being pushed out of the room by others with bigger potential. Upside matters when it comes to trimming down depth options and Lynch hasn't shown enough to make it through.
It doesn't help that the Vikings could save about $1 million by cutting him.
No. 2 Vikings veteran in danger of being cut before Week 1: K Greg Joseph
Greg Joseph has been with Minnesota for two seasons but the pressure is on.
Last season, the kicker made 78 percent of his kicks, down from 86 percent the year before. He also missed six extra points, down to 87 percent in that measure from 90 percent in 2021. And that's not all. His touchback percentage dipped to 60.7 percent from 80.9 percent.
Those numbers are cause for concern for the Vikings, especially because his missed extra points were costly at times.
Now he's got to beat out Jack Podlesny, an undrafted free agent out of Georgia, who is reportedly performing well enough in training camp to have opened up a kicking competition.
Joseph was reliable from inside 50 years last year — when he wasn't attempting extra points at least — and that reliability could save his job.
However. the last thing an NFL team wants to worry about is the kicker making extra points. Joseph has missed 10 over the last two seasons. If Podlesny can convince the team he's more trustworthy, Joseph would be a simple cut.
No. 1 Vikings veteran in danger of being cut before Week 1: WR Jalen Reagor
The Vikings took a chance on Jalen Reagor when they traded for him last year, giving the 2020 first-round pick of the Eagles the chance to reignite his career in Minnesota.
At the time, the move felt like it might be worth it. Reagor had a rough start in Philadelphia but with first-round talent at his disposal, a fresh start get him back on track.
He played in 17 games and managed just eight catches for 104 yards. Worse still, his route running was suspect, and directly resulted in turnovers. It's safe to say that bet didn't exactly pay off.
Minnesota drafted Jordan Addison in the first round to become a running mate for Justin Jefferson. They also saw a late spark from Jalen Nailor at the end of the campaign. So the uphill climb to make the roster looked steep going into training camp.
As with Lynch, upside is a major factor. Holding on to Reagor would get in the way of the Vikings holding on to other options like Nailor or Brandon Powell.
The only thing that might save Reagor is that he has a guaranteed salary. Cutting him won't free up any money.
