Vikings' initial 53-man roster is inexperienced and in flux

Of the players on the Vikings' initial 53-man roster for the 2023 season, five have carried the ball at least 10 times in an NFL season. One is a running back (Alexander Mattison). Two (Brandon Powell and Jalen Reagor) are wide receivers, and two (Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens) are quarterbacks.

One cornerback on the opening roster (Byron Murphy Jr.) has played more than 200 defensive snaps in a single season. Three members of the front seven (Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones) had at least four sacks last season. Twenty-two players predate General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O'Connell's 2022 arrivals in Minnesota; 21 players are in their first or second seasons.

The Vikings begin the 2023 season with a roster in an intriguing state of flux, as the organization tries to win back-to-back division titles for the first time in 14 years and manage the financial detritus left by previous attempts to remain competitive. The Vikings are carrying $36.6 million of dead money for the 2023 season. The figure, which is the eighth-highest in the NFL this season, includes $2.25 million from six players former GM Rick Spielman drafted in 2021 and Adofo-Mensah released in 2022.

It means the Vikings head into the season counting on the rapid development of players such as second-year cornerback Akayleb Evans and rookie corner Mehki Blackmon, as well as the steady health of two free agents (Murphy and Marcus Davenport) who have battled injuries in the past. It might also mean the Vikings' work is not done.

NFL GMs often talk about their initial 53-man roster by attaching the caveat that the group is ever-changing, as options pop up on waiver wires or free agency, and injuries force teams to pivot. That might be especially true for this year's Vikings team, which could begin the season on the lookout for help in some obvious spots.

The Vikings brought veteran running back Kareem Hunt in for a visit earlier this month to assess options behind Mattison, while Kene Nwangwu missed most of training camp because of an injury. Nwangwu is on the Vikings' initial 53-man roster, and coaches have seemed happy with Ty Chandler as an option behind Mattison, who is expected to get the majority of the work. But the Vikings' scouting department could continue to look for affordable running back options at the start of the season.

Offensive line and cornerback, too, are positions worth watching. The Vikings brought former Broncos guard Dalton Risner in for a visit during training camp, and met with cornerback Ronald Darby before he signed with the Ravens. Most of the visits seemed like fact-finding missions rather than immediate attempts to sign a player, and at cornerback, the Vikings' decision to cut Joejuan Williams is a reminder that experience doesn't always translate to success. But if the Vikings see a cornerback who could fit defensive coordinator Brian Flores' scheme, or a versatile lineman that can give them more interior depth with Chris Reed on the non-football injury list, they could act on the chance to make a valuable pickup.

Nose tackle Khyiris Tonga is an example of the oft-overlooked, but vital, work that front offices do after the initial 53-man roster is set. The team signed Tonga off the Falcons' practice squad on Oct. 5 last year, giving him his first playing time on Oct. 30 against the Cardinals. Tonga started the final two games of the regular season, and played at least one-third of the Vikings' defensive snaps in each of their last seven games. This year, he is the Vikings' starting nose tackle.

The Vikings have projected a quiet confidence in Flores' group after it spent portions of training camp frustrating the league's eighth-ranked offense, and they seem optimistic about Mattison's chances to become a featured back. Their offense also spent all of training camp without tight end T.J. Hockenson, who said he was focused on the regular-season opener while reporting an ear infection and low back stiffness to the team during camp. If Hockenson — who's in the midst of negotiations with the Vikings on a contract extension — is fully ready to go by the team's Week 1 game against Tampa Bay, the offense could benefit from a more diverse group of skill players around Justin Jefferson than it had last year.

But the Vikings head into the year with some obvious spots they could improve with a well-timed pickup, as they try to navigate the "competitive rebuild" path Adofo-Mensah has talked about and fulfill ownership's expectations of fielding an annual playoff contender. The GM admitted at the beginning of training camp the approach is "a little riskier" than "tearing everything down, being bad for a while and coming back up.

"I can tell you the mathematical probability of doing it that way," he added. "And certainly, that's a way other teams may have chosen, but that's not how we're trying to do it."

Adofo-Mensah coined the "competitive rebuild" phrase. O'Connell is fond of talking about how the Vikings strive to "be at your best when your best is required." In order for them to successfully follow the approach the GM has laid out, it might require everyone, from the front office to coaches and players, to meet the standard the head coach has outlined.