With the preseason in the books and Minnesota set to open the 2026 season against the border battle, the Vikings are already leaning on more than just the names on the active roster. Sure, the attention will stay fixed on franchise anchors like Justin Jefferson and Harrison Smith, but the practice squad is where a few early-season answers could come from.
Minnesota already used waiver claims to help round out the roster, and the team has also managed to keep several intriguing players in-house on its 16-man practice squad. Those players are there for development, but some of them look closer than others to making an impact if the Vikings need reinforcements.
Tavierre Thomas is probably the cleanest bet to get the first call. He ended up the odd man out in the safety group after Jacob Thomas’ preseason surge, but his value hasn’t gone anywhere.
Thomas was second on the team in 2025 in special teams snaps and led the unit with 19 tackles last season. Minnesota also brought him back on a two-year, $4.6 million deal this offseason, which tells you the organization still believes in what he brings.
His route back to the active roster is pretty straightforward. The Vikings’ depth at safety squeezed him off the 53, and Harrison Smith’s return only made the competition tougher. If the younger players don’t hold up in special teams roles, or if injuries hit the safety room, Thomas looks like the first man up.
Dillon Bell is another name to watch. Minnesota signed him as an undrafted free agent after a strong offseason at Georgia, and he did enough to make the roster conversation real. Bell pushed Tai Felton and Myles Price for spots, and while Felton and Price played well enough in the preseason to stay up, Bell was waived and then brought back to the practice squad.
The reason he still has a path to game-day action is tied to how Kevin O’Connell uses the offense. Last season, the Vikings lined up in WR3 sets 63.8% of the time, according to Sharp Football Analysis, which was one of the highest rates in the league.
That kind of usage creates openings, and Minnesota’s earlier belief in Bell suggests he’s the type of player the staff could turn to quickly. His versatility only adds to the appeal.
Naquan Jones is newer to the group, but he fills a different kind of need. The former Michigan State UDFA from 2021 has bounced around the league and has now been with four teams, most recently the Houston Texans. Minnesota signed him to give itself some insurance along a young defensive front that features Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez as the unit’s most experienced pieces, even though they have just four years of NFL experience between them.
Jones has shown enough during his stops to keep drawing attention, and even people around the Texans were surprised he didn’t land on Houston’s 53-man roster after a strong preseason. That gives the Vikings a veteran fallback if the defensive line starts to thin out. With that room looking like one of the biggest boom-or-bust areas on the roster in 2026, Jones is the kind of player who could be waiting for a real opening.
New general manager Nolan Teasley has already made it clear the Vikings are treating this group like a 70-man team, not just a 53-man one. That matters, because it means practice squad players should get real chances to earn weekly roles.
Kyle Van Noy is also on the practice squad, though he may already be close to the active roster because of Minnesota’s need for edge depth. Still, the same logic applies: the Vikings expect to use this group, and several of these players could be part of the game plan before long.
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McCarthys place on the depth chart was already a talking point, but the ripple effects may extend beyond Minnesota. The Seahawks have long been linked to McCarthy, and the connection makes more sense when you consider both the interest they once showed and the familiarity he has with parts of that coaching tree. Seattles offensive setup is also viewed as a cleaner fit for him than Minnesotas, which adds another layer to a situation the Vikings probably did not expect to revisit so soon. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Suddenly Have A Real 2026 Aaron Jones Problem
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Jordan Mason looks like the player best positioned to benefit. His past rushing success fits the schematic shift, and the changes could push him into a larger role than Aaron Jones Sr. in the Vikings' ground game. Nothing is settled yet, but Minnesota appears to be preparing for a real competition at the position, and the shape of that battle may say plenty about how the team wants to support Murray in his first season leading the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Add A Familiar Brian Flores Piece To An Unsettled Front Seven
The Vikings kept working to shore up their front seven by adding Jihad Ward, a veteran edge rusher who gives Brian Flores another familiar piece to plug into a defense still taking shape. Wards value has long been tied to his flexibility, since he can line up both on the edge and inside, and that kind of versatility matters for a group that needs help behind its established starters.
For Minnesota, the move is less about splash than about making the rotation sturdier and giving Flores more options as he mixes and matches personnel. Ward also arrives with a track record of generating pressure in previous seasons, which is exactly the sort of steady, usable production the Vikings have been trying to collect as they continue to add veteran bodies to an unsettled unit. [Read more 🡒]