The 2026 NFL regular season is right around the corner after the Vikings put their preseason schedule to bed on Friday night. A blowout loss to the Giants ended the exhibition action on a low note; however, there isn't much time for head coach Kevin O'Connell & Co. to dwell on the loss because of the looming 53-man roster deadline. The Vikings and each of the other 31 NFL teams have until 5 p.m. CT on Sunday to ensure their rosters are compliant with the 53-man limit. Some exceptions apply, as players on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and those in the NFL International Player Pathway don't count towards the final count. That said, it doesn't change the fact that some tough decisions will be made before the weekend is over. No one knows that more than O'Connell. "First and foremost, we got to cut down our football team," the 41-year-old head coach said on Friday (h/t Vikings). "It’s just going to be a tough couple of days, and figure out our practice squad and potential additions to the roster at different positions."LIVE: Head Coach Kevin O’Connell speaks to media following preseason game against Denver Broncos https://t.co/OaRX2V93FP— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 29, 2026It's safe to say that the next few days will be a whirlwind for the Vikings (along with the rest of the league). Although Minnesota has already figured out various positional battles, concerns regarding areas like the backup quarterback situation, center depth and the running back room leave O'Connell and his staff open to take various avenues with their decisions. Help might be on the way in the form of players cut from other teams this weekend. But first, the Vikings need to trim their own roster fat before opening the dojor for new faces. The following tracker is your one-stop helper for keeping tabs on all of Minnesota's releases and waiver decisions, as well as any significant surprise moves that might occur. Vikings cut tracker 2026 Name PositionPrevious team TBDTBDTBDVikings waiver tracker 2026 Name PositionPrevious team TBDTBDTBDAnalyzing surprise movesTBDGet Vikings On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow