Biggest Winners & Losers After Vikings Release Unofficial Week 1 Depth Chart

The NFL is back, and the Vikings finally released their unofficial Week 1 depth chart on Wednesday. With the team opening the 2026 season at home against the Packers on Sunday, this announcement couldn't have come at a better time.

It is always interesting to see which players are thriving on depth charts while others are in free fall. The depth chart can be a great indicator of the team's confidence in a player and how ready that individual is to contribute.

There were definite winners and losers from the release of the depth chart. In fact, five Vikings fall into one of those two categories heading into the 2026 NFL season.

Let's dive into them.

Winner: Carson Wentz, QB

Seeing Carson Wentz as the primary backup to Kyler Murray has to make the 33-year-old veteran quarterback smile. Last season, he showed his passion for football and commitment to the team by playing with a shoulder injury and not asking to leave the game. Now, he gets to continue to show that passion as the Vikings' QB2.

Wentz played five games for Minnesota last season, completing 65.1% of his passes for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. Having him as the Purple and Gold backup establishes a floor for quarterback play if something should happen to Murray and the starter is unable to be under center.

Loser: J.J. McCarthy, QB

The biggest loser on the Vikings' Week 1 unofficial depth chart is J.J. McCarthy. When head coach Kevin O'Connell announced he would be Murray's backup for this season, he left open the chance that Wentz could pass him on the depth chart.

J.J. McCarthy with a hat on. — While Carson Wentz is a winner, J.J. McCarthy is easily one of the biggest losers from the unofficial depth chart release. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That is exactly what happened to McCarthy. Now that he is third on the quarterback depth chart, it is likely that he will be inactive on game day. If that happens, the clock could be ticking on his time with Minnesota, since he hasn't shown progress toward being the player the Vikings hoped he would be when they took him No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Winner: Myles Price, WR

Last season, Myles Price played only 17 offensive snaps for the Vikings and was mostly a special teams player. He is likely to get close to the 139 special teams snaps that he had in 2025, but now he could start getting more looks on offense.

Price is listed as the starting kick and punt returner for Minnesota. He is also listed as the WR4/5 along with Tai Felton. Both Felton and Price are young players who could thrive with Minnesota if given more opportunities. Hopefully, he gets a few offensive snaps on Sunday.

Loser: Caleb Banks, DL

When a first-round pick can't crack the starting lineup, fans get concerned. Caleb Banks was drafted to be a dominating force on the defensive line, but he has shown that he needs to work on his technique and conditioning before he is ready to be a starter.

With time, Banks could still become that player. For now, he will be the primary backup for Jalen Redmond, who started 15 games for Minnesota last season, earning 62 combined tackles, 11 quarterback pressures, and six sacks. The position will be safe with Redmond until Banks is ready to step in.

Winner: Chuck Demmings, CB

Charles "Chuck" Demmings is thriving this year. Selected in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Stephen F. Austin defensive back went under the radar of many fans who may not have done much research on the small-school prospect.

Now, he is listed as the primary backup for starting cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. and ahead of returning defensive back Zemaiah Vaughn. This could be a major step toward the 6-foot-1, 193-pound defender earning a starting role in the future.

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