EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings open the 2021 NFL regular season at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 12 at Paul Brown Stadium. The Vikings finished last season 7-9, which had them third in the NFC North and out of the playoffs. Minnesota has made the postseason every other year since coach Mike Zimmer was hired in 2014. Its last appearance was as a wild card team in 2019.
The focus was on the defense for the Vikings this offseason after the team doled out north of $46.6 million in guaranteed money to the likes of Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Xavier Woods, Sheldon Richardson and Bashaud Breeland, and more. Those additions aim to bolster a unit that ranked 27th in yards and 29th in scoring. On offense, Minnesota spent its top three picks on left tackle Christian Darrisaw, quarterback Kellen Mond and right guard Wyatt Davis, but none of the three is ready to make significant contributions just yet.
The roster will be cut down to 53 players by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Here is a projection of what the final roster will look like:
QUARTERBACK (2): Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond
Browning didn't do anything to earn himself a roster spot after struggling in each preseason game. Even with Browning's poor play leaving the door open for Mond to enter the QB2 battle, it's clear the third-round pick isn't ready to see the field any time soon. Minnesota does not have a viable backup quarterback on the roster, so expect the front office to parse through other team's cuts to find a No. 2 QB after the deadline on Tuesday.