Who's in and who's out for the Minnesota Vikings this summer? Here are three potential cut candidates in 2023.
The Minnesota Vikings are looking to take over the NFC North with Packers' Aaron Rodgers out of the picture. They still have quite a few key roster decisions to make this offseason, and the question looming over everyone's head is whether Kirk Cousins will be extended.
For the short term, however, the Vikings will be retaining Cousins for at least the 2023 season and seek to elevate the pieces around him for a playoff-contending campaign.
A vicious bloodbath of cap casualties followed by a solid draft have put the Vikings on a seemingly straight track to regain the division, yet with several months to go before the start of the season, Minnesota's roster could still see some shocking chances.
Here are three potential cut candidates in the summer.
Vikings cut candidate No. 3: Jonathan Bullard
Defensive end Jonathan Bullard is entering his eighth NFL season and second with the Vikings, and he'll be competing for a 53-man roster spot against players with more upside than he has.
The 2016 third-round pick joined Minnesota in 2022 and played in 12 games; he generated just five quarterback pressures and finished with a measly 57.3 Pro Football Focus grade.
Despite having the potential to become a full-time starter in the wake of Dalvin Tomlinson's departure last offseason, Bullard made only a minimal impact on the Vikings as a rotational piece in the trenches.
Coaches will need to see vast improvement from him if he wants a starting job, but his roster spot isn't safe, either. After the Vikings took Jacqueline Roy in the fifth round of the this year's draft, Bullard has officially been put on high alert.
The NFL journeyman was fine in a rotational role last year, but fine won't cut it in Brian Flores' new-look defensive squad.
Vikings cut candidate No. 2: Johnny Mundt
The Vikings going out to get T.J. Hockenson in the middle of the 2022 season pretty much said all they needed to say about their tight end unit.
Hockenson enters 2023 as the clear No. 1 pass-catching tight end on the depth chart with former Ravens' Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt behind him with more blocking-heavy duties.
Yet the Vikings also have a host of depth in Ben Ellefson, Nick Muse, and 2023 UDFA Ben Sims, so other than Hockenson, no tight end's job is definitely secure. Those top roster spots are anybody's for the taking.
Oliver gave a productive two years to Baltimore blocking behind Mark Andrews, and he currently seems like the better pick to support Hockenson.
Mundt, the former Rams tight end, has more experience but is going into his age-28 campaign and is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered late last year.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell dabbled on the Rams back in his day as an assistant and may have a slight bias for Mundt in that regard — still, he would be foolish to let his prejudices get in the way of building an elite and complete roster.
Mundt caught 19 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, numbers that other tight ends on the roster could also feasibly produce. All eyes will be on this tight end training camp battle in Minnesota.
Vikings cut candidate No. 1: Dalvin Cook
No one knows what's going to happen with Vikings running back Dalvin Cook this offseason.
While the Minnesota brass claim they have Cook's best interests at heart, their actions speak otherwise.
The star running back seemed unwilling to lower his salary for the 2023 season, and given their contract spat some around the league believe the Vikings plan to release Cook with a post-June 1 designation.
Cook is currently carrying a $14.1 million cap hit and will earn $10.4 million in base salary next year. Having already extended Alexander Mattison — who has proven season after season he could handle top running back duties when Cook was injured — the Vikings have a genuine dilemma on their hands with Cook.
Few teams would likely agree to a trade given Cook's undesirable contract and recent history of shoulder issues. Unless Minnesota want to roster an expensive and disgruntled ball-carrier for 2023, the franchise may be better off cutting ties now and maybe adding a cheap veteran to round out the running back room.
Cook himself may suddenly decide he does want to adjust his contract to stay in Minnesota on more amicable terms, yet the Vikings can't count on him changing his mind.
As it stands, Cook poses as one of the team's most high-profile cut candidates heading into the summer.
