After the Minnesota Vikings selected six players in the 2023 NFL draft and signed 15 undrafted free agents, things become a little harder for some veterans on the roster.
Every year, there is usually a surprise cut or two from each team each year due to the talent acquired in the offseason.
Who could be on the chopping block? Here are five veterans the Vikings could cut before week one with contract numbers from Over the Cap.
OLB D.J. Wonnum
2023 cap hit: $2,930,695
Cap savings: $2,743,000
Dead cap hit: $187,695
The Vikings did trade Za’Darius Smith which cleared out the edge rusher room, but keeping Wonnum is still up for discussion. An average pass rusher for a fourth-year player, Wonnum making a cap hit of nearly $3 million with Luiji Vilain and Patrick Jones II likely capable of stepping into that OLB3 role could put Wonnum on the cut line.
S Josh Metellus
2023 cap hit: $1,010,000
Cap savings: $1,010,000
Dead cap hit: $0
In theory, Metellus would make the team regardless due to his special teams value, but the safety room is a little crowded with the addition of Jay Ward in the fourth round. His special teams accumen has kept him around for the last three years and he’s a capable backup, as his performance against the Detroit Lions in week three last season showed. With four safeties likely ahead of him and no dead cap hit, Metellus could be on the way out.
RB/KR Kene Nwangwu
2023 cap hit: $1,128,199
Cap savings: $751,801
Dead cap hit: $358,806
Despite his three return touchdowns across his first two seasons, the Vikings have brought in multiple kick returners in this offseason. Why is that? Both Malik Knowles and Brandon Powell currently have more utility than Nwangwu does. He hasn’t shown any kind of skillset to be more than a return specialist. If he had, we would have seen him get significantly more touches in the regular season.
ILB Troy Dye
2023 cap hit: $1,179,643
Cap savings: $1,010,000
Dead cap hit: $169,643
The Vikings invested heavily in middle linebacker with their UDFA class by bringing in three linebackers right after the draft. That leaves a player like Dye on the chopping block. Going into his fourth season, Dye hasn’t been anything more than below replacement level. Taking a chance on one or two of the UDFA linebackers could be a better use of salary cap space with some savings.
DE James Lynch
2023 cap hit: $1,172,748
Cap savings: $1,010,000
Dead cap hit: $172,748
With the defensive line being 12 deep with talent relatively consistent across the board, Adofo-Mensah might take to trying to shed a few cap dollars. Lynch is an average player who isn’t a difference-maker, as is consistent with most players on the list. The former fourth-round pick out of Baylor hasn’t taken a jump yet and that could cost him his spot on the roster.
