Courtesy of Vikings Minnesota native Shane Zylstra was among the first-wave of released players on cutdown day.
The Minnesota Vikings need to clean house on Tuesday.
Starting the day with 74 players, the Vikings need to cut 23 players by 3 p.m. to meet the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline to start the regular season.
Months of evaluation and training camp battles have been accounted for, leading to cutdown day.
Check back here throughout the day for the latest updates and roster news.
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Vikings Cut Homegrown Talent Early
The first round of cuts came roughly at 1:30 p.m.
The Vikings waived Minnesota State product Shane Zylstra, a native of Spicer, Minn., per Pioneer Press report Chris Tomasson. Zylstra, undrafted in 2020, shattered several of Adam Thielen’s college records with the Mavericks. He switched to tight end to better his chances of making an NFL roster. However, the move was to no avail.
Former Tennessee Titans cornerback Tye Smith and fourth-year defensive end Hercules Mata’afa were also released. The Vikings want to bring Mata’afa back on the practice squad but will have to wait and see if he clears waivers, per Tomasson.
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Final Roster Cuts
All roster cut information is reported by Tomasson unless noted otherwise.
QB: Jake Browning
Browning was reportedly told he would still be the team’s No. 2 quarterback only if he’s on the practice squad. The Vikings can elevate Browning twice for games.
TE: Zach Davidson, Shane Zylstra
A fifth-round pick, Davidson is reported to be a practice-squad candidate as an uber-athletic tight end and punter. Zylstra is also wanted on the practice squad.
WR: Whop Philyor, Myron Mitchell
Philyor is wanted for the practice squad.
G: Dakota Dozier, Dru Samia, Kyle Hinton, Zack Bailey
Dozier, Hinton and Bailey are expected to return to the team’s practice squad, while Samia was waived with an injury designation. Samia can still be claimed by other teams, but could land on the Vikings’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers. He is dealing with a “fairly significant” hamstring injury, per Star Tribune reporter Ben Goessling.
LB: Tuf Borland
An undrafted rookie, Borland is wanted on the Vikings’ practice squad after being a three-time captain at Ohio State.
CB: Tye Smith, Parry Nickerson
Nickerson is a practice-squad candidate.
S: Luther Kirk
DL: Hercules Mata’afa
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Vikings 2021 Roster Cut Tracker: Homegrown WR Waived