The Biggest Losers from Vikings Roster Cuts

Aug 22, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Thayer Thomas (89) runs with the ball against the Tennessee Titan during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

It’s done. The Minnesota Vikings trimmed their roster from 90 players to 53 after about seven months of a busy offseason.

The main losers from the Vikings’ roster cuts are now evident, as Minnesota trimmed down to 53 players and left some surprising names without a spot.

The club has locked in a regular season roster, pulled off a flurry of trades, and set a 16-man practice squad.

Along the way with roster cuts, some players ended up as “losers.” These are those men, ranked from bottom to top (No. 1 = biggest loser).

The Vikings’ Roster Cuts Involved Some Big “Losers”

A handful of players, for various reasons, didn’t have a good roster cutdown week.

Minnesota Vikings fullback C.J. Ham (30) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during first-half action on Dec 22, 2024, at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. Ham provided a short-yardage spark in Minnesota’s offense as the Vikings worked to establish balance on the road. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images.

5. C.J. Ham | FB

C.J. Ham will very much be a part of the Vikings’ 2025 plans — but not for the first four games.

After some confusing verbiage from the team’s website — fans debated the definition of “Tuesday” — folks realized that Ham would miss the season’s first four games due to an ankle injury. Ham cannot return until Week 5 in London when Minnesota takes on the Cleveland Browns.

Ham won’t be around for the dawn of the J.J. McCarthy era, and in fact, will miss his first football game in five years. In the meantime, the Vikings kept four running backs on the depth chart, ensuring a player like Ty Chandler didn’t turn into a “loser” on a list like this one.

4. Jalen Nailor | WR

Let’s be clear about this: Nailor was not released from Minnesota’s roster. He’s very much in the saddle for WR3 duty — that’s his jam — in 2025, so long as his hand injury heals in time.

However, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for Adam Thielen on Wednesday, making a deal with the Carolina Panthers for the man who played for the Vikings from 2013 to 2022. Instantly, Thielen will take over WR2 responsibilities with Jordan Addison on the suspension shelf.

That alone did not demote Nailor. But what about when Addison returns? Nailor will slide back to WR4, and with Minnesota already employing two handsomely paid tight ends in T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver, Nailor’s workload could be puny.

And it’s a contract year for Nailor. Not an ideal turn of events for the speedster.

3. Gabriel Murphy | OLB

Gabriel Murphy is god’s gift to the preseason.

He delivered a mind-boggling 5 quarterback hits in the first exhibition contest a few weeks ago, along with 1.5 sacks. Every Vikings fan in the world took out their pencils and wrote Murphy’s name at the OLB4 spot behind Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner.

UCLA linebacker Gabriel Murphy (LB22) participates in defensive drills during the NFL Combine on Feb 29, 2024, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Murphy displayed agility and quickness in front of scouts as he worked to improve his draft stock ahead of April selections. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

Then what happened? Minnesota waived him. The preseason god hit the open market. Thankfully for his sake, Adofo-Mensah quickly added him to the practice squad after Murphy cleared waivers, but he went from OLB4 to “maybe we will see him sometime in the future” within a couple of days.

Another NFL team could actually steal him quite easily from the purple practice squad.

Our Ted Schwerzler noted on Murphy after roster cuts: “Murphy is 24 years old and could have a long NFL career ahead of him. It has been evident that there is real burst to his game off the edge, and he is adept at bringing down the quarterback.”

“There shouldn’t be much surprise if he lands on another roster and flourishes. Sometimes opportunity just presents itself in different places. By making the decision to waive Murphy, the Vikings must feel good about not only Turner, but the health of Van Ginkel too. The starter missed time to end training camp and will need to be ready to go for the regular season.”

2. Lucky Jackson | WR

Similar to Murphy, Jackson tore it up at training camp and in the first preseason game. Too, as Minnesota’s WR depth shrank because of terrible events, Jackson looked pretty spiffy as a WR4 option heading into 2025.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Lucky Jackson (81) hauls in a reception against the Tennessee Titans during first-half play on Aug 22, 2025, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Jackson showcased his speed and route-running ability in the preseason contest as he battled for a roster spot. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.

Well, he ended up being cut. He joined Murphy on the practice squad. Jackson had a rags-to-riches script fully in motion, but his training camp and preseason performance meant nothing for 53-man roster trajectory. Zilch.

1. Thayer Thomas | WR

Probably because he reminds people of Adam Thielen, Thomas has served as a summer folk hero for a few fans since 2023.

He’s always included in “dark horse” or “sleeper” roster candidates for the purple — and then nothing happens. Unlike Jackson and Murphy, Thomas was cut-cut. He is not attached to the practice squad.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Thayer Thomas (89) takes part in drills during training camp on Jul 28, 2025, at the team’s practice facility in Eagan, Minnesota. Thomas worked closely with position coaches as he continued his push for a roster role ahead of the 2025 season. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.

A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness wrote about Thayer this summer: “The Vikings have done a great job in developing wide receivers over the course of their history, including former UDFA and Pro Bowler Adam Thielen. Could Thomas end up being the next of the bunch?”

“Thomas has shown growth each year with the Vikings and has been good enough to stay on the practice squad. That could end up helping his cause going into training camp, but it’s still a long road to get himself onto the active roster.”

Thomas can sign anywhere in the NFL, and the people who had high hopes for his Thielenish upside didn’t quite nail that prognostication. In the end, for back-to-back summers, Thomas represented a camp body.