Vikings: 5 players who won’t be on the roster by Week 1

2. Jake Browning/Nate Stanley, quarterback

The Vikings drafted Kellen Mond in the third round of the draft, and he’ll become Kirk Cousins’ backup/possible eventual successor. That means someone will lose a spot on the depth chart, and it’s either Browning or Stanley.

The Vikings signed Browning as an undrafted free agent in 2019 after a nice career at the University of Washington. Due in part to Cousins being durable and veteran Sean Mannion stepping in to start a meaningless Week 17 in 2019, he has not seen any regular season snaps.

The Vikings drafted Stanley out of the University of Iowa in the seventh round of the 2020 draft. He didn’t even get the benefit of preseason game action as rookie, so that might hurt him in a broad sense.

The Vikings could carry three quarterbacks on the active roster every week, and also have Stanley or Browning on the practice squad. They’ll probably choose one or the other to keep around between now and Week 1 though, with camps and preseason games ideally making the decision for them.

1. Dakota Dozier, guard

Dozier was the poster boy for the state of the Vikings’ offensive line last year, as he started 16 games at left guard despite being one of the worst guards in the NFL.

The Vikings, for some inexplicable reason, brought Dozier back on a one-year deal. After signing interior lineman Mason Cole in free agency, they drafted guard Wyatt Davis to take over at right guard. Second-year man Ezra Cleveland, who started some games at right guard as a rookie, is in line to move to over to left guard. Suddenly, with first-round pick Christian Darrisaw stepping in at left tackle, the Vikings have a solid-looking line to protect Cousins.

If Dru Samia is back, he’s a depth option at guard to go with Cole’s versatility. Dozier is an option as a backup, and he of course has starting experience. But the Vikings can certainly find someone better to fill out their depth between now and Week 1, so if Dozier isn’t looking for a job by early in training camp it’ll be a surprise.