After wrapping up an undefeated, three-game exhibition schedule on Saturday, the Vikings will now shift their focus to making roster cuts.

As much as head coach Kevin O’Connell dreads having to deliver bad news, he understands the hard conversations that will take place Tuesday at TCO Performance Center are a necessary evil for every team across the NFL.

The evaluation process has been ongoing over the past month, and while the Vikings will more than likely lean on what happened in training camp to make their decisions, they also will take into account joint practices, as well as who stood out in wins over the Raiders, Browns and Eagles during the preseason.

“We’ll go back and make sure we’ve got a really good catalog of inventory on guys as we have some of these discussions,” O’Connell said. “You have to apply the games and the joint practices as a huge part of it because those are the true competitive situations.”

As everything has unfolded over the past month, the Pioneer Press has kept its proverbial finger on the pulse.

With 90 players still on the roster, here’s our final 53-man roster projection for the Vikings:

Quarterback (3)

In: Sam Darnold, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall

Out: Matt Corral

Injured Reserve: J.J. McCarthy

Analysis: The only question heading into this week was whether Hall was going to make the team or if he was going to be cut with hopes of sneaking him onto the practice squad. After a solid effort in the preseason finale, Hall might get claimed off waivers if he gets cut. As a result, Hall makes the cut, serving as an important prospect behind Darnold and Mullens.

Running Back (3)

In: Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler, Kene Nwangwu

Out: Myles Gaskin, DeWayne McBride, Mo Ibrahim

Analysis: It’s been pretty clear from the onset that Jones and Chandler are going to be used as a dynamic duo in the backfield. The emergence of Nwangwu could earn him so playing time in the future. There’s no reason to keep anybody else.

Fullback (1)

In: C.J. Ham

Out: N/A

Analysis: Nothing has changed over the past month as Ham has remained the only player on the roster at his position.

Receiver (6)

In: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Brandon Powell, Trishton Jackson, Trent Sherfield

Out: Lucky Jackson, Thayer Thomas, Malik Knowles, Jeshaun Jones, Ty James

Analysis: This group has slowly started to crystalize as of late with Nailor, Powell, and Jackson all seemingly locks behind Jefferson and Addison. It’s also a pretty good bet that Sherfield makes the team given how much O’Connell has praised him.

Tight End (3)

In: Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse

Out: Robert Tonyan, Sammis Reyes, Neal Johnson

Injured Reserve: T.J. Hockenson

Analysis: It doesn’t seem like Hockenson is going to be ready in the short term. He’s a good candidate for the new rule that allows teams to place a player on injured reserve when roster cuts are due. This will save a spot elsewhere on the roster in the interim.

Offensive Line (9)

In: Christian Darrisaw (LT), Blake Brandel (LG), Garrett Bradbury (C), Ed Ingram (RG), Brian O’Neill (RT), David Quessenberry (OT), Dalton Risner (OG), Dan Feeney (OG), Walter Rouse (OT)

Out: Michael Jurgens (C), Tyrese Robinson (OG), Henry Byrd (OG), Doug Nester (OG), Spencer Rolland (OG), Chuck Filiaga (OT), Matt Cindric (C)

Analysis: It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Risner and Feeney. Both players have battled injuries over the past couple of weeks and haven’t been available. As for Jurgens, he struggled at times in the preseason but should make it to the practice squad with relative ease.

Defensive Line (6)

In: Harrison Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Jerry Tillery, Jonah Williams, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Taki Taimani

Out: James Lynch, Jaquelin Roy, Jalen Redmond, Tyler Manoa

Analysis: There was enough on tape from Rodriguez to justify keeping him around. The same goes for Taimani despite the fact that he is far from a a secure holding. As tough as it is to move on from Roy, he struggled to make much of an impact.

Edge Rusher (5)

In: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Jihad Ward, Pat Jones II

Out: Andre Carter II, Gabe Murphy, Bo Richter, Owen Porter

Analysis: There seems to be a defined rotation at this point. The only player who might have a case for himself is Carter. It’s just difficult to find a way to make it work with the numbers crunch. As popular as Murphy and Richter have become among the fan base, they probably haven’t showed enough to be claimed off waivers.

Linebacker (4)

In: Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace Jr., Kamu Grugier-Hill, Brian Asamoah

Out: Dallas Gant, Jordan Kunaszyk

Analysis: The decision to keep Asamoah comes down to his ability to contribute on special teams. Gant flashed what he can do at times over the past month, and he could develop into a pretty good player on the practice squad.

Cornerback (6)

In: Stephon Gilmore, Byron Murphy Jr., Shaq Griffin, Akayleb Evans, Fabian Moreau, Dwight McGlothern

Out: Jay Ward, Duke Shelley, Jaylin Williams, Nahshon Wright, A.J. Green III, Jacobi Francis

Injured Reserve: Mekhi Blackmon

Analysis: There might be an argument for keeping Ward over Evans given the fact that he’s younger and has some position flexibility in the system. As for McGlothern, he has consistently made plays over the past month, and he deserves to be rewarded for it.

Safety (4)

In: Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson

Out: Lewis Cine, Bobby McCain

Analysis: It felt like Cine needed a strong showing in the preseason finale to make the roster. He was basically nonexistent and it wouldn’t be surprising if this was the end of the road for him.

Specialists (3)

In: Will Reichard (K), Ryan Wright (P), Andrew DePaola (LS)

Out: N/A

Analysis: No debate here. The specialists are set in stone.

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