The Vikings are set at tight end, where veteran Kyle Rudolph is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and is the leader of the room.
Behind Rudolph, however, are a collection of young players, but it's a group that Matthew Coller of 1500ESPN.com is looking forward to watching against the Dolphins.
Coller wrote:
The Vikings came to camp with a pretty unclear picture at tight end behind Kyle Rudolph. Going into the fourth preseason game, it appears that David Morgan and Kyle Carter are ahead of Bucky Hodges on the depth chart, but Hodges was used in a "big" situation at the end of the half against the 49ers. But Carter responded with a terrific touchdown catch.
Will the Vikings give Hodges as much experience toward the end of the game as possible or will they split up the reps evenly? If the sixth-rounder sees the field early, it could indicate that he's done enough to not only make the team but possibly have a role in the offense. If he's on the field in the fourth quarter, it would be an indicator that he's still behind Carter.
Rudolph has 265 career catches for 2,621 yards and 29 touchdowns while the rest of the group has just one combined catch.
Sutton competing to the finish
Several Vikings players will be fighting for a place on the 53-man roster tonight when Minnesota hosts the Dolphins in the preseason finale at 7 p.m. (CT) at U.S. Bank Stadium.
That includes Vikings defensive tackle Will Sutton, who signed with the Vikings this spring after spending the previous three seasons in the Windy City with the Bears.
Sutton recently chatted with Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press about his preseason so far and mindset entering the final exhibition contest.
*He started 18 of the 36 games he played for the Bears, but ultimately wasn't a good fit. After his rookie year, John Fox had taken over as coach and switched the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4. *
*Sutton is better suited to lining up over the guard in a 4-3 scheme than as a nose tackle, his role the last two years in Chicago. He was released in May after managing one preseason sack with the Bears. *
*Now, he's back to his old role with the Vikings. After three solid preseason games, he could survive Saturday's cuts. The Vikings need to shed 37 players to get to the regular-season roster limit of 53 players. *
"I feel real comfortable," Sutton said. "Going to the 4-3 is pretty much being back home. .... I'm just going out there to compete so I can make this squad."
