The Vikings' initial 53-man roster was set Saturday afternoon, and not without a couple surprises.
In a critical development, center Pat Elflein was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list and, according to a league source, is expected to return soon even though he likely won't play in the Sept. 9 season opener against San Francisco.
The Vikings also placed veteran cornerback Terence Newman on the reserve/retired list and will transition him to an assistant coach in Mike Zimmer's staff. Defensive end Brian Robison was also released after 11 NFL seasons for the Vikings.
Here's the initial roster:
Quarterbacks (3): Kirk Cousins, Trevor Siemian, Kyle Sloter
Running backs/fullback (5): Dalvin Cook, Latavius Murray, C.J. Ham, Mike Boone and Roc Thomas
Receivers (5): Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Laquon Treadwell, Brandon Zylstra and Stacy Coley
Tight ends (3): Kyle Rudolph, David Morgan and Tyler Conklin
Offensive linemen (9): Riley Reiff, Tom Compton, Pat Elflein, Mike Remmers, Rashod Hill, Brian O'Neill, Brett Jones, Aviante Collins and Danny Isidora
Defensive linemen (9): Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Stephen Weatherly, Tashawn Bower, Linval Joseph, Sheldon Richardson, Jaleel Johnson, David Parry and Jalyn Holmes
Linebackers (5): Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Ben Gedeon, Eric Wilson and Devante Downs
Defensive backs (11): Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Mike Hughes, Marcus Sherels, Holton Hill, Harrison Smith, Andrew Sendejo, Anthony Harris, George Iloka and Jayron Kearse
Specialists (3): Daniel Carlson, Ryan Quigley and Kevin McDermott