The Minnesota Vikings have one preseason game left before the regular season opener on September 13 against the Green Bay Packers, and there’s still plenty unsettled on this roster. The quarterback situation behind Kyler Murray is still a mystery. The defense has been ahead of the offense all camp, but Brian Flores’s group remains very thin in the secondary and very young up front.
Now there’s another wrinkle: outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss may be working his way toward the offensive side of the ball.
According to Emily Leiker of the Star Tribune, Chambliss took a snap at fullback during joint practices last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Since then, the move has advanced enough that he has changed his number from 57 to 40, which would make him eligible to play linebacker and fullback.
“Remember how we mentioned on Access Vikings last week that outside linebacker Chazz Chambliss took a rep at fullback during joint practices with the Ravens? Well, he switched to No. 40, which would indicate there’s some steam there. The NFL has limitations around which jersey numbers can be worn at certain positions, and Chambliss’ No. 57 is not among eligible numbers for running backs.”
Chambliss came to Minnesota as an undrafted free agent last offseason and played in 12 games as a rookie. Most of his work came on special teams, where he logged 183 snaps, but he also saw 25 snaps on defense. His first NFL season ended with 8 tackles, 1 TFL and 1 sack.
The bigger picture, though, may be less about a full-time position switch and more about how the Vikings are building around rookie fullback Max Bredeson. Minnesota has spent camp talking up Bredeson’s impact on the run game and beyond, and that kind of role requires a backup plan.
Vikings' first play of the preseason is a 17-yard Aaron Jones run with Max Bredeson out front. That'll work! pic.twitter.com/bckauBpuTN
- Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) August 15, 2026
So while Chambliss may not be headed for a permanent move to fullback, he could give the Vikings an emergency option there if Bredeson is ever unavailable. For now, that looks like the most likely explanation for the switch.
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