Updated Vikings roster prediction after first preseason game

Wide Receiver

WR: Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Laquon Treadwell, Jarius Wright, Stacy Coley, Rodney Adams

Suspended: Michael Floyd

Going into the season, I thought that Jarius Wright’s tenure with the Vikings was over, but that seems more and more unlikely. He was in three-receiver sets with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen against Buffalo, making one catch for 9 yards. More impressively, he was in that role over Michael Floyd who had a stellar training camp with Minnesota.

Given Floyd’s four-game suspension to start the season, I’d say his spot on the roster is pretty secure. The veteran has proven to run good routes and get open every time he steps on the field. There may not be anything dynamic about him, but he’s reliable and can fill the role of a third or fourth receiver.

As for the rest, Diggs and Thielen spots are secured. Floyd will serve his suspension and play a role once he returns and the Vikings won’t be ready to give up on 2016 first rounder Laquon Treadwell yet. Speaking of Treadwell, he’s still recovering from a leg injury that he apparently suffered in a fight with Antone Exum Jr. in training camp. This is extremely disappointing considering his battle with injuries last season and the fact that he was having a good offseason.

Nevertheless, that leaves one or two spots at wide receiver. After the first preseason game, an early advantage goes to rookie Stacy Coley to win one of those spots.

Having a solid training camp, Coley proved that he has the potential to develop into a fine receiver. In Buffalo, he had three catches for 67 yards. One of those catches came on a 15-yard crossing pattern that Keenum delivered on stride resulting in a 38-yard play. Another one came on a 3rd and 7 play where Keenum had to roll out to buy his receivers time to get open. Coley came back towards Keenum near the sidelines and caught the ball at the 2-yard line, setting up Ham’s 2-yard touchdown. Coley clearly separated himself from the rest.

In this roster prediction, the Vikings carry a sixth receiver. Cayleb Jones was a pick by some to take a last receiver spot after a strong training camp, but I didn’t see much from him in game action against the Bills. So, the final spot is going to another rookie, Rodney Adams.

Adams had an up-and-down day in his first NFL game, but had a couple nice plays offensively. He scored the Vikings’ second touchdown, a nice play-action design that saw Adams run across the backfield, make the catch in the flat and dive into the end zone. He also had a 14-yard rush on an end-around. While he struggled returning punts and kicks, muffing one punt, Adams brings a different dynamic offensively as a gadget-type receiver.

Another receiver I had making the team early in the offseason was Isaac Fruechte, but he had a poor first game. He couldn’t make a play on two or three catchable balls, one in the end zone. He will need to perform far better in the next couple of games if he wants a spot on the roster.