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Vikings Begin Pruning Roster with 3 Early Moves
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- Vikings Begin Pruning Roster with 3 Early Moves
Jeffrey Becker
The Vikings welcomed the young fellas back to TCO Performance Center on Sunday, July 26th. Already, GM Nolan Teasley has made the call on a trio of players.
The Minnesota Vikings have announced the decisions. Two are related to some form of injury and the other a more straightforward cut. Check out what the team's official social media said : "The #Vikings have waived LB Keli Lawson and waived/non-football injury WR Luke Wysong. RB Kejon Owens has been placed on the Active/Non-Football Illness list."
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Vikings Begin Pruning Roster with Trio of Moves
Begin with the runner. Doing so means focusing on somebody who still has a shot to get onto the final team.
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To be sure, Kejon Owens is facing an uphill battle. Veterans Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are the top running backs (with some uncertainty for who becomes the RB1). 5th-Round rookie fullback Max Bredeson appears to be a safe bet for the roster. So, too, does 6th-Round rookie running back Demond Claiborne appear quite likely to crack the 53.
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Owens would need to overcome Claiborne and/or Zavier Scott, the well-built runner with soft mitts. Or, perhaps, function as an injury fill-in were somebody to need time in the infirmary.
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) finds a gap and charges forward for yardage during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons on Sep 14, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The veteran back has been instrumental in establishing Minnesota's run game balance early this season, providing consistent production and leadership for a young offense. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
Waiving Lawson comes as a minor surprise. Apparently, there's no injury that's creating a tough scenario. The team handed him $50,000 in guaranteed cash on his UDFA contract ( OTC ), a medium level of compensation that's suggestive of some optimism.
Seeing the Vikings' dip into the linebacker market for another competitor wouldn't be totally shocking. Consider who remains on the depth chart:
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LB1 Blake Cashman
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LB2 Eric Wilson
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LB3 Jake Golday
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LB4 Ivan Pace Jr.
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LB5 Bangally Kamara
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LB6 Josh Ross
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LB7 Jacob Roberts
Left untouched by injury, there's enough talent there to be just fine. Seeing one or two guys go down would create a tricky scenario where the Vikings would need to add external talent to weather the storm. Maybe Minnesota gets ahead of the sticks, adding a 'backer before training camp really gets rolling.
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Next up is Luke Wysong. The 5'10" receiver faced a tough test cracking the lineup since the receiver position in Minnesota is loaded .
Only injury will displace Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jauan Jennings from the top three spots. There's then a broad cluster of talent consisting of Tai Felton, Myles Price, Dillon Bell, Jeshaun Jones, and several others for what is two or three openings on the 53-man roster.
Given that he was waived with an injury tag, Wysong could find his way back to the Twin Cities in the future once health allows. Not likely, but possible.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell watches practice activities during the club's international preparation ahead of a regular-season game in London. O'Connell focused on execution and player readiness as Minnesota adjusted to overseas travel. Captured on Sep. 30, 2022, the session reflected the detailed approach that has defined his coaching tenure. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
A major part of the intrigue now is that Minnesota has some roster spots to fill. So, too, does the team have some open cap space. Maybe the move is to roll the dice with some young, unproven talent. Or, perhaps, Teasley goes bolder, bringing in a more established talent. There's roughly $13 million sitting there for Teasley.
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What makes the open roster slots intriguing is that there are now possibilities. Expect the Vikings to fill these openings before too long.
The rest of the Vikings will arrive at TCO Performance Center tomorrow. The Vikings will put the main leaders in front of the media very soon and then practices will open up to fans on August 1st.
Stay tuned. Vikings Territory will be offering the content that you need .
