Sep. 7—On Tuesday, the Vikings dropped their unofficial depth chart of the regular season.
Though coach Mike Zimmer often refused to tip his hand, there were very few surprises as most of the position battles started to crystalize toward the end of training camp.
Here’s a look at the official depth chart from top to bottom:
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Starter: Kirk Cousins
Backup: Kellen Mond
Running Back
Starter: Dalvin Cook
Backup: Alexander Mattison
Fullback
Starter: C.J. Ham
Receivers
Starters: Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson
Backups (in order): K.J. Osborn, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Dede Westbrook
Tight End
Starter: Tyler Conklin
Backups (in order): Brandon Dillon, Chris Herndon, Ben Ellefson
Left Tackle
Starter: Rashod Hill
Backup: Christian Darrisaw
Left Guard
Starter: Ezra Cleveland
Backup: N/A
Center
Starter: Garrett Bradbury
Backup: Mason Cole
Right Guard
Starter Oli Udoh
Backup: Wyatt Davis
Right Tackle
Starter: Rashod Hill
Backup: Blake Brandel
Analysis: There isn’t much that stands out about the depth chart on the offensive side of the ball. The skill position players will be led by Cook, Thielen and Jefferson. The starting offensive line has been set in stone for much of the preseason. The only thing that likely will change in the coming weeks is Herndon moving up the depth chart. He still hasn’t practiced with the team after being acquired from the New York Jets last week. As for the No. 3 receiver spot, while Osborn is listed ahead of Smith-Marsette and Westbrook, it seems like a good bet that the trio will split reps.
DEFENSE
Left End
Starter: Danielle Hunter
Backup: Stephen Weatherly
Nose Tackle
Starter: Michael Pierce
Backups (in order): Armon Watts, James Lynch
Defensive Tackle
Starter: Dalvin Tomlinson
Backup: Sheldon Richardson
Right End
Starter: D.J. Wonnum
Backups (in order): Everson Griffen, Patrick Jones II
Strong Side Linebacker
Starter: Anthony Barr
Backups (in order): Blake Lynch, Ryan Connelly
Middle Linebacker
Starter: Eric Kendricks
Backup: Troy Dye
Weak Side Linebacker
Starter: Nick Vigil
Backup: Chazz Surratt
Cornerbacks
Starters: Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland
Backups: Harrison Hand, Cameron Dantzler
Nickelback
Starter: Mackensie Alexander
Backup: Kris Boyd
Safeties
Starters: Harrison Smith, Xavier Woods
Backups: Josh Metellus, Camryn Bynum
Analysis: The position battle between Wonnum and Weatherly for a starting spot opposite Hunter was basically the last one up for grabs. Wonnum slowly started to separate himself, and that is reflected on the official depth chart. There aren’t many things to write home about after that as most of the starting positions seemed to be finalized a few weeks ago. It will be interesting to see how the veteran duo of Peterson and Breeland performs at cornerback. It’s no secret that Zimmer was displeased with the play from his cornerbacks last season.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker
Starter: Greg Joseph
Backup: N/A
Punter
Starter: Jordan Berry
Backup: N/A
Long Snapper
Starter: Andrew DePaola
Backup: N/A
Kick Returner
Starter: Smith-Marsette
Backup: Osborn
Punt Returner
Starter: Osborn
Backups (in order): Westbrook, Smith-Marsette
Analysis: The only question mark for special teams was which players the Vikings would settle on as the starting kick returner and punt returner. That appears to be Smith-Marsette and Osborn, respectively. The rest of the specialists were easy to predict considering they are the only players on the team at their position.