Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings made several changes to their roster on Monday, specifically with Keli Lawson, Luke Wysong, and Kejon Owens, as their first training camp practice draws near.
All three players are rookies and went undrafted in April.
Still, the Vikings’ decisions on the trio stands out at a time in the NFL calendar when teams ar able to keep up to 90 players.
Vikings Cut Ties With UDFA Duo
GettyThe Minnesota Vikings are shuffling their roster for training camp.
O’Connell and the Vikings will take the field for their first practice of training camp this year on Saturday, August 1, but they will not have Lawson or Wysong after shuffling their roster on Monday.
“The Vikings on Monday announced multiple roster moves at the onset of 2026 Training Camp,” Vikings.com’s Craig Peters wrote in the official release on July 27. “The team announced it has waived undrafted rookie linebacker Keli Lawson and waived undrafted rookie receiver Luke Wysong, who received a non-football injury designation.”
Lawson played wide receiver before transitioning to LB in college, finishing his career with 178 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 forced fumble.
Wysong finished his collegiate career with 158 receptions for 1,743 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The Vikings signed both players in April following the draft. Neither has made it to their first training camp practice after surviving through rookie minicamp, organized team activities, and mandatory minicamp.
Now, the will try to latch on with another team, once they clear waivers. For Wysong, there are additional steps.
He will revert back to the Vikings’ reserve/non-football injury list (NFI) if he goes unclaimed.
From there, the two sides must work out compensation before parting ways completely. If and when that happens, Wysong will not be able to re-sign with the Vikings for whatever their payment agreement period is plus an additional three weeks, due to league rules.
Vikings’ Rookie RB Lands on NFL List
GettyThe Vikings are trying to practice patience with Kejon Owens.
In addition to parting ways with Lawson and Wysong, the Vikings also indeed Owens to one of the NFL’s reserve lists. Owens was the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year for thee 2025 season.
“Additionally, undrafted rookie running back Kejon Owens received a non-football illness designation,” Peters wrote.
Owens finished his career with 2,262 yards and 22 touchdowns on 411 carries at FIU.
He added another 206 yards on 41 receptions during his tenure. Owens is able to come off thee NFI list at any time. The sooner the better, as he still has an uphill battle to climb to claim a spot on the Vikings’ 53-man roster.
Vikings’ Roster Ranked Lowly Entering 2026
GettyThe Vikings have a lot to prove this coming season.
The Vikings’ roster moves should all prove inconsequential, with each of the players shuffled around not projected to have a significant role this offseason. However, the Vikings need to keep it that way.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, Mike Clay, and Seth Walder ranked the Vikings’ starters 22nd entering the 2026 season.
Notably, “pass catchers” were their “biggest strength” and RBs, their “biggest weakness.
There is a lot of time before the start of the regular season, so injury management–if not outright mitigation–will be critical. That is not just true for the Vikings and their roster, but for the 31 other teams, too.
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