EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings reduced their roster to 53 players on Tuesday in accordance with the NFL's deadline.

Minnesota executed a multipronged approach that began last week with trading veteran defensive lineman Harrison Phillips to the Jets and continued with trades of QB Sam Howell to the Eagles on Sunday and Mekhi Blackmon to the Colts Monday.

A total of 11 players (nine were waived and two had contracts terminated) were released Sunday afternoon, and two more were waived Monday, continuing a reduction from the offseason total of 91 players.

Tuesday's sequence included utilizing Reserve Lists, as well as placing players on waivers and terminating contracts.

Teams have until Wednesday to claim players who were waived and can also sign up to 16 players for their practice squads (17 if one is an International Player Pathway participant). Veterans with at least four accrued NFL seasons whose contracts were terminated by clubs are free to sign at any point.

Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is scheduled to participate in a media session on Thursday.

Here's the first look at which Vikings are on the initial 53-man roster for 2025, which includes 25 players on offense, 25 on defense and three specialists.

Note: Players listed first at each position correspond with starters on the most recent unofficial depth chart, which will be updated for Week 1. All other players are listed alphabetically by last name.

Quarterbacks (3)

J.J. McCarthy, Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz

Running backs (4)

Aaron Jones, Sr.; Ty Chandler, Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott

Fullback (0)

Note: C.J. Ham was placed on Injured Reserve — Designated for Return on Tuesday.

Receivers (5)

Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor; Tai Felton, Tim Jones and Myles Price

Tight ends (3)

T.J. Hockenson; Josh Oliver and Ben Yurosek

Offensive line (10)

LT Christian Darrisaw; LG Donovan Jackson; C Ryan Kelly; RG Will Fries; RT Brian O'Neill; Blake Brandel, Joe Huber, Michael Jurgens, Walter Rouse and Justin Skule

Defensive line (6)

Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave and Jalen Redmond; Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Elijah Williams

Outside linebackers (5)

Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel; Chaz Chambliss, Bo Richter and Dallas Turner

Note: Tyler Batty was placed on Injured Reserve — Designated for Return on Tuesday.

Inside linebackers (5)

Blake Casman and Ivan Pace, Jr.; Austin Keys, Kobe King and Eric Wilson

Cornerbacks (4)

Byron Murphy, Jr., and Isaiah Rodgers; Dwight McGlothern, Jr., and Jeff Okudah

Safeties (5)

Joshua Metellus and Harrison Smith; Theo Jackson, Tavierre Thomas and Jay Ward

Specialists (3)

Long snapper Andrew DePaola; Kicker Will Reichard; Punter Ryan Wright

Tuesday's Roster Moves

The Vikings waived the following 15 players:

WR Dontae Fleming

S Kahlef Hailassie

CB Zemaiah Vaughn

S Gervarrius Owens

TE Bryson Nesbit

RB Xazavian Valladay

LB Dorian Mausi

OLB Gabriel Murphy

G Vershon Lee

G Henry Byrd

OL Michael Gonzalez

WR Lucky Jackson

WR Jeshaun Jones

WR Thayer Thomas

DL Taki Taimani

Minnesota terminated the contracts of the following four players:

CB Ambry Thomas

TE Nick Vannett

TE Giovanni Ricci

DL Jonathan Harris

The Vikings placed the following two players on Injured Reserve/Designated for Return:

FB C.J. Ham

OLB Tyler Batty

Minnesota placed the following player on Reserve/Suspended:

WR Jordan Addison (three games)

The Vikings moved the following player from Active/Physically Unable to Perform to Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform:

TE Gavin Bartholomew

Scroll below for positional and historical breakdowns and more at each position.

Positional Breakdowns

Note: Players listed first at each position correspond with starters on the most recent unofficial depth chart, which will be updated for Week 1. All other players are listed alphabetically by last name.

Quarterbacks (3)

On the Initial 53: J.J. McCarthy, Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz

Traded: Sam Howell (Aug. 24)

Contract terminated: Brett Rypien (Aug. 24)

The Vikings opted to have three quarterbacks on their initial roster for the third consecutive year. McCarthy is set to make his first career start when Minnesota visits his hometown of Chicago on Sept. 8. Brosmer, an undrafted rookie, shined throughout camp and the preseason. Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick of 2016, was added Sunday. His 94 NFL regular-season starts and 98 games played are the room's total numbers of each.

Running backs (4)

On the Initial 53: Aaron Jones, Sr.; Ty Chandler, Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott

Waived: Tre Stewart (Aug. 24) and Xazavian Valladay (Aug. 26)

The Vikings envision Jones and Mason as a 1A-1B tandem, with each being able to handle any task within the offense. Chandler and Scott turned in solid training camps, and Scott was able to translate that into some nice runs during preseason games.

Fullback (0)

Injured Reserve — Designated for Return: C.J. Ham (Aug. 26)

Receivers (5)

On the Initial 53: Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor; Tai Felton, Tim Jones and Myles Price

Waived: Silas Bolden and Robert Lewis (Aug. 24); Lucky Jackson, Jeshaun Jones and Thayer Thomas (Aug. 26)

Placed on Reserve/Suspended: Jordan Addison (Aug. 26)

Jefferson has been working his way back to team activities after dealing with a hamstring strain for most of camp. Nailor has been dealing with a hand injury. Price has capitalized on special teams reps in games to bolster his case as one of seven undrafted free agents to make the initial 53.

Tight ends (3)

On the Initial 53: T.J. Hockenson; Josh Oliver and Ben Yurosek

Waived: Bryson Nesbit (Aug. 26)

Contract terminated: Nick Vannett and Giovanni Ricci (Aug. 26)

The Vikings are excited to have a healthy Hockenson to start the season. Oliver has proven to be a great blocker and a reliable receiving target. The Vikings viewed signing Yurosek after the draft as coming away with an extra pick. He has shown versatility that is coveted in TE3s.

Offensive line (10)

On the Initial 53: LT Christian Darrisaw; LG Donovan Jackson; C Ryan Kelly; RG Will Fries; RT Brian O'Neill; Blake Brandel, Joe Huber, Michael Jurgens, Walter Rouse and Justin Skule

Waived: Logan Brown and Zack Bailey (Aug. 24); Leroy Watson IV (Aug. 25); Henry Byrd, Michael Gonzalez and Vershon Lee (Aug. 26)

Brandel, Jurgens and Rouse are previous picks who have been developing. Skule was added with the idea of being Minnesota's swing tackle and has filled in for Darrisaw. Huber is another undrafted free agent who made the most of his snaps in preseason games.

Defensive line (6)

On the Initial 53: Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave and Jalen Redmond; Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez and Elijah Williams

Waived: Travis Bell (Aug. 24); Taki Taimani (Aug. 26)

Contract terminated: Jonathan Harris (Aug. 26)

Plenty of guys to root for in this group, from the established vets of Allen and Hargrave to the splashes made by Redmond and Rodriguez last year to rookies Ingram-Dawkins and Williams. Minnesota built one of the deepest defensive line groups it has had during the offseason.

Outside linebackers (5)

On the Initial 53: Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel; Chaz Chambliss, Bo Richter and Dallas Turner

Contract terminated: Cam Gill (Aug. 24)

Waived: Gabriel Murphy (Aug. 26)

Greenard and Van Ginkel are ready for another dynamic season and are looking forward to the second seasons for Richter and Turner. Chambliss opened camp still dealing with an injury, but he came on strong once he got rolling in practices and games to garner a spot.

Inside linebackers (5)

On the Initial 53: Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace, Jr.; Austin Keys, Kobe King and Eric Wilson

Waived: Dorian Mausi (Aug. 26)

Cashman and Pace worked really well in their first season together. Wilson, who began his career as an undrafted free agent in 2017, has been another solid mentor for rookies Keys and King.

Cornerbacks (4)

On the Initial 53: Byron Murphy, Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers; Dwight McGlothern, Jr., and Jeff Okudah

Traded: Mekhi Blackmon (Aug. 25)

Waived: Reddy Steward, Keenan Garber (Aug. 24); Zemaiah Vaughn (Aug. 26)

Contract terminated: Ambry Thomas (Aug. 26)

Murphy was a priority re-signing this offseason, and Rodgers and Okudah were early targets when free agency opened. McGlothern has made plenty of plays in practices the past two training camps to build confidence.

Safeties (5)

On the Initial 53: Joshua Metellus and Harrison Smith; Theo Jackson, Tavierre Thomas and Jay Ward

Waived: Mishael Powell (Aug. 24); Kahlef Hailassie and Gervarrius Owens (Aug. 26)

Metellus and Smith (illness) have missed some time during training camp, creating extended opportunities for growth by Jackson and Ward. Thomas has made his mark mostly on special teams during his NFL career.

Specialists (3)

On the Initial 53: Long snapper Andrew DePaola; Kicker Will Reichard; Punter Ryan Wright

Waived: Punter Oscar Chapman (Aug. 25)

DePaola, the first long snapper in NFL history to make three consecutive Pro Bowls, is back again. Reichard is ready for his second pro season, looking forward to building off a solid rookie campaign. Wright won a punting/holding contest again this offseason.

For Historical Reference

In 2016, Vikings.com began tracking the number of players at each position who made the Initial 53.

Quarterbacks

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 3

2016: 2
2017: 2
2018: 3
2019: 2
2020: 2
2021: 2
2022: 2
2023: 3
2024: 3

Running Backs

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 4

2016: 3
2017: 3
2018: 4
2019: 4
2020: 4
2021: 3
2022: 4
2023: 3
2024: 2

Fullback

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 0

2016: 1
2017: 1
2018: 1
2019: 1
2020: 1
2021: 1
2022: 1
2023: 1
2024: 1

Receivers

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 5

2016: 6
2017: 6
2018: 5
2019: 4
2020: 7
2021: 6
2022: 5
2023: 6
2024: 6

Tight Ends

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 3

2016: 4
2017: 3
2018: 3
2019: 4
2020: 3
2021: 3
2022: 3
2023: 4
2024: 3

Offensive Line

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 10

2016: 9
2017: 9
2018: 9
2019: 10
2020: 9
2021: 9
2022: 10
2023: 8
2024: 9

Defensive Line

Note: Defensive line from 2016-21 included defensive ends and defensive tackles. Since 2022, this group has been interior defensive linemen, with players who were formerly categorized as defensive ends moving to the outside linebackers group.

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 6

2016: 8
2017: 9
2018: 9
2019: 10
2020: 11
2021: 10
2022: 6
2023: 5
2024: 6

Outside Linebackers

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 5

2016: DE grouped with defensive linemen
2017: DE grouped with defensive linemen
2018: DE grouped with defensive linemen
2019: DE grouped with defensive linemen
2020: DE grouped with defensive linemen
2021: DE grouped with defensive linemen
2022: 5
2023: 5
2024: 5

Inside Linebackers

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 5

2016: 7 (included 3 LB positions)
2017: 6 (included 3 LB positions)
2018: 5 (included 3 LB positions)
2019: 5 (included 3 LB positions)
2020: 5 (included 3 LB positions)
2021: 7 (included 3 LB positions)
2022: 4 (included 2 ILB positions)
2023: 4 (included 2 ILB positions)
2024: 4 (included 2 ILB positions)

Defensive Backs

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 9 (includes 4 cornerbacks and 5 safeties)

2016: 10
2017: 11
2018: 11
2019: 10
2020: 8
2021: 10
2022: 10 (6 cornerbacks and 4 safeties)
2023: 11 (5 cornerbacks and 6 safeties)
2024: 11 (6 cornerbacks and 5 safeties)

Specialists

2025 Number of players on Initial 53: 3

2016: 3
2017: 3
2018: 3
2019: 3
2020: 3
2021: 2
2022: 3
2023: 3
2024: 3

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