# Adam Carlson: Carlson argues Eric Johnson II faces an uphill fight to make the Vikings' 53-man roster, needing a strong preseason Week 1 showing to stick.

**Claimed:** Aug 15, 2026
**Pundit:** Adam Carlson — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/adam-carlson
**Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sports-illustrated
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/onsi/one-vikings-veteran-future-depend-on-preseason-week-1-performance-01m00zkmkfcq

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.

> Johnson is facing an uphill battle to make the Vikings' 53-man roster.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Eric Johnson to be cut**
  - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Eric Johnson, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Eric Johnson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/eric-johnson
- Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/vikings

## What others said about the same people

- Nick Wright on Emmanuel McNeil-Warren: Nick Wright unveiled his full 32-pick 2026 NFL mock draft 4.0, starting with Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1 and ending with Avion Terrell to the Seahawks at 32. He also called Carnell Tate the best/safest receiver in the class, projected Ty Simpson inside the top 45, said Mendoza profiles as a low-end top-15 NFL quarterback, and expected the Dolphins to lose 15 games. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3c5ad8a4-034f-4abb-8806-20dd9e44b5c6 (scored 17.68)
- Danny Parkins on Dillon Thieneman: Danny Parkins presented his one-and-only 2026 mock draft, including trades: Mendoza at 1 to the Raiders, David Bailey second to the Jets, the Cowboys trading up to No. 3 for Arvell Reese, the Bears trading up to 16 for Kadyn Proctor, and Ty Simpson going to Arizona at 32 at the end of round one. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d98bca2f-5fc3-4f68-8389-30f9a2cb906f (scored 73.84)
- David Harrison on Rueben Bain: Harrison delivers his only first-round mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft, projecting all 32 first-round picks (including several trades) plus the rest of Washington's projected class, while noting it is an exercise in what could happen rather than a firm forecast. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5cc44fc1-4ff9-447a-9c32-5f715fa6e9ba (scored 67.71)
- Daniel Jeremiah on Colton Hood: Daniel Jeremiah's final 2026 NFL mock draft, projecting the first round pick by pick (including mock trades), starting with Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders at No. 1 and ending with Peter Woods to the Ravens via a trade with Seattle. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0fbc7597-86ee-4037-a1e6-4b062ff9f12c (scored 43.91)
- Brandon Carney on Dillon Thieneman: Co-hosting a mock draft, Carney made the odd-numbered picks: Fernando Mendoza No. 1 to the Raiders, Arvell Reese No. 3 to the Cardinals, Sonny Styles No. 5 to the Giants, Mekhi Lemon No. 7 to the Commanders, Caleb Downs No. 9 to the Chiefs, and more. He also predicted AJ Brown will be a Patriot, said Kenyan Saddiq will be the first-round bust, and picked the Bengals to finish ahead of the Ravens in the AFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7184a8b6-1036-4304-a147-3b8889e3f86b (scored 77.11)
- Gregg Rosenthal on C.J. Allen: Rosenthal delivered a solo first-round mock draft (a "will happen" mock, no trades), naming a specific player at each of the first 32 picks. He also predicted he'd hit more than 4.5 picks correctly, and suggested George Pickens could be traded by Dallas next year. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e0b75c16-85ff-4257-8b56-d51a668d725c (scored 21.95)

## More roster spot calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Jordan Foote on Cole Christiansen: Foote writes that after the Week 4 game in Las Vegas, Cole Christiansen will revert to the Chiefs' practice squad, having exhausted his three standard elevations, and considers it unlikely Kansas City signs him to the 53-man roster given Cam Jones' remaining activations and a possible Cooper McDonald return. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0f95f5c2-204e-4a55-9fef-acf1f0883817 (scored 0)
- Ralph Ventre on Kani Walker: Ventre expects Christian Benford's toe injury to sideline him for at least the Week 4 game against New England, and believes the Bills will have to add a cornerback to the 53-man roster this week — likely by moving Benford to injured reserve — with practice squad rookie Kani Walker the most likely player elevated. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/94b844fe-bb22-4517-81f5-6263eb0213f1 (scored 0)
- Gene Chamberlain on Marcus Davenport: Chamberlain argues the Bears' cap restructuring won't lead to a splashy edge-rusher trade for Maxx Crosby or Josh Sweat, and that Marcus Davenport will be promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster as their veteran edge help. He also describes the Bears opening the season with rookie Dillon Thieneman starting at safety and Cam Lewis at the deep safety spot. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/17023c90-bef4-4a59-823f-90408ebbf8d9 (scored 100)
- Randy Gurzi on Trevon Diggs: Gurzi suggests the Seahawks could sign three free agents — safety Donovan Wilson, guard Kevin Zeitler, and running back Kareem Hunt — if weaknesses show up after Week 1. He also notes Trevon Diggs starting on the practice squad and describes Seattle's projected backfield roles. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/350eed1b-4675-4a2d-aaf5-812e20678283 (scored 0)
- John Shipley on Jabbar Muhammad: Shipley projects a full 16-player (plus one international/exemption spot) Jaguars practice squad for 2026, naming specific players at each position he expects to land there. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c0a52b7c-63b2-4e18-b7da-9342dbbc111f (scored 100)
- Patricia Traina on Trace Ford: Traina projects the Giants' initial 53-man roster position by position, naming who makes the team and who lands on the practice squad, including keeping Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Evan Neal (with a possible trade), Dalen Cambre over Braxton Berrios, Lucas Patrick as backup center, and Dominic Zvada as the kicker. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8bb1a183-b45b-44db-8a61-23bdd2238a6b (scored 100)

---

Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology

We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us:
https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=adam-carlson