5 Vikings Who Will Be on the Roster Bubble in 2015

The roster bubble will be must-watch football in the Minnesota Vikings camp again in 2015, as the team looks to craft the depth of its roster by putting players through intense competitions for spots.

Multiple players who squeaked onto the roster a year ago turned out to be contributors. Undrafted receiver Adam Thielen impressed with a strong camp and preseason before becoming a special teams ace in 2014.

Rookie Shamar Stephen was the final defensive lineman to get in and played a significant snap count for a seventh-round pick. Others such as Larry Dean, Rodney Smith and Shaun Prater snuck onto the roster and had less fortunate endings.

The next bubble figures to have a few returnees battling for spots as they did a year ago. It should also feature a few new names, players whose positions will be heavily addressed for competition moving forward.

Five names stand out as bubble players considering their contributions in 2014, the depth at their positions and the projected value they have in 2015.

Joe Banyard

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

The bubble is all Joe Banyard has ever known as an NFL player. He will certainly be back in the land of uncertainty when Vikings camp opens in 2015.

Banyard was dropped from Minnesota in the final cuts a year ago, losing out to Matt Asiata for the third running back spot. He was subsequently placed on the practice squad before being promoted two weeks later. Banyard ended up tallying 88 rushing yards on 21 carries in a mostly uneventful 2014 season as a depth back.

Roster moves will certainly play a part in where Banyard stands when camp opens. Minnesota still has a decision to make on Adrian Peterson, or maybe Peterson has a decision to make on the Vikings. Asiata is a restricted free agent who may or may not be back. Jerick McKinnon is the only certainty in the Minnesota backfield moving forward.

No matter how the Vikings choose to handle those situations, they will address the position through free agency or the draft if need be. In no scenario will Banyard enter next season as the No. 2 back behind McKinnon. Entering as the No. 3 may even be too hopeful.

Despite proving to be worthwhile depth in 2014, Banyard will be firmly on the bubble next season.

Adam Thielen

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Adam Thielen does not deserve to be on the bubble but likely will be in 2015.

The undrafted rookie stuck on the roster after an impressive camp and preseason in 2014 in which he exploited coverage for big plays as a receiver and showed his merits as a contributor on special teams. After a second try at it, Thielen won himself a roster spot.

Then Thielen performed as well as anyone could have expected in the regular season. Few kickoffs went by where he was not the first defender down the field. He blocked a punt and returned it for six points against Carolina. In the few snaps he was given as a receiver, Thielen held his own for a depth receiver. He stepped in admirably in Week 17 for three catches, 68 yards and a touchdown when rushed into duty.

Thielen may still face an uphill battle in 2015 due to the shape of the depth chart. Unseating Greg Jennings, Charles Johnson or Jarius Wright seems impossible.

Cordarrelle Patterson is not a project the Vikings are likely to give up on just yet, as much as it might behoove them to do so. If Minnesota then addresses the corps with a viable No. 1 through free agency or the draft, Thielen could get pushed all the way down to the sixth spot.

It would be cruel for the football gods to push Thielen off the roster in 2015 after all he accomplished this season, but other factors such as competition and numbers might put him on the brink.

Michael Mauti

Reinhold Matay/Associated Press

Still holding a place on the Vikings roster two years in is a significant accomplishment for Michael Mauti. Minnesota took a flyer on the linebacker in the late rounds after he had suffered a torn ACL at Penn State for the third time. His progress has been slow, and it could lead the Vikings to cut bait.

Per Pro Football Focus premium (subscription required), Mauti played only a single defensive snap in 2014 after playing only 11 in 2013. He was buried in the depth chart at a position that was looking for answers over the second half of the season.

Mauti also suffered a minor setback against the New York Jets in Week 14 as Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune details:

"

Michael Mauti tweaked right meniscus vs Jets,had minor scope.Placed on IR due to season winding down "This is a speed bump" #Vikings

— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) December 17, 2014"

While Mauti reassured the media that the scope was only minor, the Vikings need to know that he can stay healthy over the course of a 16-game schedule. It not, then he cannot be relied upon as a depth player on the roster.

Hopefully, Mauti returns to full health and enters camp in 2015 with momentum on his side. He might need it after Minnesota brings in more reinforcements to strengthen the LB corps. 

Brandon Watts

USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Watts will be in direct competition with Mauti for a spot next season. If it's even possible for a seventh-round rookie to have a disappointing season, Watts pulled it off, but only because some level of expectations were placed on him in the first place. Watts was terrific in the 2014 preseason, showing the type of athletic skills teams crave in projects at the bottom of the depth chart.

His season spiraled due to injury, leading to only six snaps all year, per Pro Football Focus premium. Mike Zimmer voiced his frustration with Watts, citing a lack of stamina as the cause of a third hamstring injury, as quoted by ESPN.com's Ben Goessling.

Minnesota signed linebacker Justin Anderson to a futures contract shortly after Watts limped off in Miami. Vikings blogger Arif Hasan connects the dots:

"

Mentioned this in the piece, but I would not be surprised if in a small way, Brandon Watts' injuries influenced the Justin Anderson signing

— Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) December 24, 2014"

More linebacker competition is on its way too. When Watts gets into team activities and camp in 2015, he will have a point to make about his endurance and physical preparation.

Marcus Sherels

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Marcus Sherels seemingly enters each season having to prove his return skills are enough to warrant a place on the roster. He pulled a rabbit from the hat once again in 2014. He may not be so lucky next time around.

Two problems crop up with Sherels' fit on the roster.

The first is that he only returns punts. His lack of long speed and his running style keep him from the kick-return team, and the Vikings are not about to go away from Patterson there. Sherels is also a non-fit in Zimmer's defense. As a severely undersized cornerback, he would struggle mightily with the man-coverage tasks. Even in the previous zone-heavy scheme, Sherels was a forgettable defensive player.

Those issues have been present each of the last few years, and Sherels has still clawed his way onto the roster. His 2014 performance as a punt returner took a step back, however. Sherels failed to take one the distance for the first time in a season since 2011. He also looked much less steady catching the football and not putting it on the ground. His reliability in catching punts is his claim to fame.

Minnesota's entire roster should get deeper in the second year under Zimmer. More players who fit his scheme will be brought in, and more of the holdovers from previous seasons will be out. Because he plays such a small role, Sherels could be one of them.

Statistics via ESPN.com unless noted otherwise. Transaction history via Vikings.com.