Vikings Cut Loose Safety to Sign Rookie OL Who Took Top 30 Visit

A rookie offensive lineman who intrigued the Minnesota Vikings during the pre-draft process is joining their 90-man roster following mandatory minicamp.

The Vikings announced Friday they signed former South Carolina offensive lineman and undrafted rookie free agent Vershon Lee to their roster after hosting him Thursday for a tryout. They also released safety Bubba Bolden in a corresponding roster move.

Lee started 13 games at center in 2024, but he also made starts at both left guard (16) and right tackle (six) over 51 career games for the Gamecocks. According to the team’s new release, he also took a Top 30 visit with the Vikings in the spring before the 2025 NFL draft, indicating the team has had at least some interest in him for months now.

Now, Lee will have an opportunity to compete for the backup center job behind veteran Ryan Kelly — a two-year, $18 million free-agent signing — during training camp in July.

Meanwhile, Bolden leaves after originally signing a one-year contract with the Vikings in free agency. He has spent more time in the XFL than the NFL in the three years since he made the leap from college to professional football, so the 26-year-old would have faced an uphill battle trying to make the Vikings’ 53-man roster coming out of camp.

Vershon Lee Could Push for Vikings’ No. 2 Center Job

Lee signing with the Vikings will likely pass under the radar for many fans who tune out most of the summer noise until training camp begins in late July, but the rookie should not be overlooked as a contender to push for the team’s backup center job in 2025.

Coming out of minicamp, the Vikings have a clear-cut starter in Kelly, but they do not have a solidified backup in place. Michael Jurgens, a 2024 seventh-round pick, held the role as a rookie, but he did not see any playing time and remains enough of a question mark that Lee could dethrone him if he puts together a strong case in training camp.

Then again, Lee must also outplay Zeke Correll, the other undrafted rookie center in the mix. The Vikings added the 6-foot-3, 307-pound Correll in April during their first wave of UDFA signings after he allowed zero sacks in his lone season with NC State in 2024.

Will Vikings Add More Safety Depth Before Training Camp?

Bolden would have likely struggled to crack the Vikings’ regular-season safety rotation if they had kept him in the fold, but the question remains: Does Minnesota have enough depth at the safety position to field a reliable group heading into the 2025 season?

The Vikings reworked Harrison Smith’s contract and extended Theo Jackson during the offseason to keep two of their top safeties in place for the new season, but they also lost starter Camryn Bynum to the Indianapolis Colts in free agency and did not acquire any new safeties during the 2025 NFL draft, raising questions about their depth at the spot.

The Vikings will also return Josh Metellus to give them a solid three-man rotation, but 2022 fourth-round pick Jay Ward and undrafted rookie Mishael Powell are the only other safeties in the mix after Bolden’s release. While it is not out of the question to think that the Vikings could leave the room untouched, keep an eye on safety as one of the positions that could receive a little more attention from them before camp starts.