With quarterback Kirk Cousins out with COVID-19, the Minnesota Vikings played their preseason opener vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders won 26-20, but the real story is how several players struggling to make the Vikings roster in 2022 played. While some bubble players looked good, others struggled to find their footing in the Vikings preseason opener.

The Minnesota offense specifically offered some interesting clues about which players could make the final roster. Here are three players whose Vikings roster spots could be in jeopardy after Week 1 of the preseason.

3 Vikings players who struggled in preseason opener

OG Wyatt Davis

Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis was Minnesota’s third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. So far, it looks like he may be the odd man out on the offensive line in the Vikings depth chart this season.

So far in camp, Davis has fallen behind guards Ezra Cleveland, Jesse Davis, Chris Reed (LG), Ed Ingram, and Kyle Hinton. This makes his chances of making the 2022 Vikings roster slim, even as a relatively high pick just last season. 

In the first Vikings preseason game, Davis didn’t play all that much, and he still managed to give up a sack to the Raiders. None of this bodes well for the second-year man. The 23-year-old may get another Vikings preseason game to turn it around, but if Kevin O’Connell cuts him sooner than that, it wouldn’t even be that much of a surprise at this point.

RB Bryant Koback

To be fair, there wasn’t all that much of a chance that Bryant Koback, an undrafted rookie out of Toledo was going to make the Vikings roster anyways. However, the Vikings preseason opener probably put the final nail in that coffin.

Koback had four rushes for nine yards and one catch for -2 yards. His big miss, though, was a dropped ball on a screen pass that could have gone for a decent chunk. On an individual evaluation level, that isn't good for Koback. However, when you look at the whole picture, the preseason opener was even worse for the young back. 

To make matters worse for the rookie, North Carolina RB Ty Chandler (fifth-round) and second-year back Kene Nwangwu both played well in the loss. After this first game, it looks like Chandler, Nwangwu, and Alexander Mattison will fight it out for positions on the Vikings depth chart, and Koback will be off the Vikings roster soon.

QB Sean Mannion

The most interesting battle on the Vikings roster with Kirk Cousins out was at the backup QB spot. Second-year passer Kellen Mond and 30-year-old vet Sean Mannion each got (basically) equal time in the Vikings preseason opener vs. the Raiders.

Both struggled at times, but Kellen Mond showed flashes of brilliance that made him a third-round pick last season. Mond ended the game 9-of-14 for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Mannion finished 8-of-12 for 79 yards and no TDs. Mond was the clear winner and that could mean big things for the organization moving forward. 

If Kellen Mond continues to look like the quarterback of the future for the franchise, Kevin O’Connell will have no choice but to make him No. 2 on the Vikings depth chart. If that happens, we’ll see what the franchise does about carrying three QBs. A Mond position battle victory could mean the end of Mannion’s time with Minnesota.