With the Vikings staring down the league’s roster-cut deadline, Saturday’s 13-3 loss to Baltimore came at a bad time for a few players trying to hang on to jobs. One rough preseason outing can’t decide everything, but for some guys on the fringe, it certainly didn’t help.
Ivan Pace Jr. is one of the names now sitting in a tricky spot. He’s been mentioned all offseason as a possible cut or trade candidate, especially after Minnesota extended Eric Wilson and added Jake Golday in the second round of the NFL Draft.
Pace was once an undrafted free-agent success story, but his role has shrunk over the last two seasons. Even though he stayed healthy all year, he played only 30% of the defensive snaps in 2025, and his preseason stat line - five tackles - hasn’t done much to change the conversation.
Jacob Roberts has only made the picture murkier. He’s been active all preseason, picking off a pass and making several plays in the backfield, and the Vikings could decide to carry just four off-ball linebackers in Wilson, Golday, Roberts and Blake Cashman.
If that happens, Pace could be the odd man out despite still being a strong special teams contributor.
Henry Byrd also had a night he’d rather erase. The backup lineman gave up multiple pressures and was flagged for a key hold on third down, a rough combination for a player already living on the roster bubble.
The odd part is that Pro Football Focus still handed him a 67.9 grade, but the eye test against Baltimore’s second unit was much less forgiving. Third-round rookie tackle Caleb Tiernan hasn’t exactly locked down his spot either, but his draft status gives him a cushion Byrd doesn’t have.
If Byrd wants to stick, he’ll probably need a big finish against Denver in the final preseason game.
The quarterback picture isn’t much clearer. There was a path where the Vikings could have moved on from J.J.
McCarthy and pushed Max Brosmer up into the third-string role, but McCarthy’s struggles have dragged down his trade value, making it more likely he stays around for 2026. Brosmer, meanwhile, hasn’t seized his chances either.
Against Baltimore, he completed 11 of 17 passes for 98 yards and an interception, adding another uneven chapter to a preseason that hasn’t helped his case. Minnesota’s continued interest in the 25-year-old has now run into another disappointing showing, and after last year’s rough performance against the Seattle Seahawks, he’s still looking for a way to convince the team he belongs anywhere above the practice squad.
In Other News...
Vikings Have 3 Players Running Out Of Chances Fast
The Vikings second preseason game did more to sharpen the picture than soften it, and not in the way the coaching staff would have preferred. Against Baltimore, Minnesota got another look at a few players fighting to stick, and the returns were uneven enough to raise real questions about how soon they can be trusted in regular-season roles.
Michael Jurgens had a rough night at center, Max Brosmer struggled at quarterback and threw an interception, and first-round pick Caleb Banks still has not shown he is ready to help right away. There is still time left in the preseason for Minnesota to sort through the depth chart, but for these three, the margin for error is starting to shrink. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Bigger J.J. McCarthy Problem Than Expected
The Vikings preseason has already raised more than a few questions, and J.J. McCarthy has been at the center of them. After what was supposed to be a key stretch for the young quarterbacks development, the early returns have prompted some concern about whether he has taken the kind of step Minnesota wanted to see, especially with the final preseason game arriving before the August 30 roster cut-down deadline.
There is plenty else hanging over the roster, too, from a thin edge rusher group behind Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel to the reality that veteran help at that spot is not exactly sitting around in free agency. Brian Flores ongoing discrimination lawsuit also remains part of the backdrop as the team moves toward its final exhibition game, but the bigger issue for the Vikings may be whether McCarthys preseason has left them with more uncertainty at quarterback than they expected. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Roster Crunch Could Turn Unexpected Bubble Names Into Trade Chips
The Vikings are heading into the roster cut deadline with more decisions than usual, and that has turned a few familiar bubble names into possible trade discussion points. Zavier Scott has flashed enough in camp and preseason work to get attention as a depth back, while Jeshaun Jones has drawn interest as a receiver with upside, and J.J. McCarthy remains the most notable name of the three simply because of where he stands in Minnesotas quarterback picture.
With the team needing to get to 53 players, any trade talk around that group is less about blockbuster moves than about value management. A player who might not make the final roster could still have enough recent performance, contract control, or positional appeal to bring something back before the Vikings have to make the hard call, and that is what makes this deadline worth watching from Minnesotas side. [Read more 🡒]