3 Takeaways From The Initial 53-Man Roster For The Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings submitted their initial 53-man roster on Sunday night, and there were very few surprises. Not that everything that happened was exactly expected, and the day after brought more moves that made sense; more roster gymnastics will continue. 

Here are three takeaways from the initial 53-man roster:

J.J. McCarthy sticks on the 53-man roster

Quarterbacks are an invaluable commodity in the NFL. While there were whispers that McCarthy could find himself off the initial 53-man roster, the Vikings kept four quarterbacks including McCarthy with Kyler Murray, Max Brosmer, and Carson Wentz. 

Fast forward to today and the Vikings moved on from Brosmer, but could find himself back on the practice squad or at the very least as a phone call away. As far as McCarthy goes, it appears he will be the emergency third QB behind Wentz, but the Vikings didn't want to give McCarthy away. 

In my opinion, this was the smart and right move provided that McCarthy accepted the role and didn't want to have a change of scenery. The plot thickens with McCarthy and Minnesota. 

The safety situation

Undrafted free agent safety Jacob Thomas was the talk of training camp and earned a spot on the 53-man roster as one of the truly, feel good stories of the preseason. The question becomes Harrison Smith and his potential return. Nothing seems imminent, but if Aaron Donald has taught us, it can happen at any moment. 

It appears the Vikings are giving Smith all the runway to make a decision on a potential return. Who will have to leave the roster is a story for another day and the Vikings will cross that bridge when they get there. Hopefully it isn't Thomas who was impressive in his limited opportunities. 

Three running backs only?

Now, this is an interesting decision with the Vikings using a running back spot on a fullback, which isn't the norm across the league. Being comfortable with Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and rookie Demond Claiborne is quite the vote of confidence. There is plenty of running back help available on the open market, but that would be a disaster/worst case scenario.

Jones is up there in running back years and Mason is a very capable replacement, but if injuries begin to mount, the situation can go south very quickly. Here's to praying for good health for all Vikings players.