RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesESPN's Bill Barnwell recently wondered whether he could construct a roster of backup players capable of contending. He went through all 32 rosters looking for players, including rookies. Barnwell also said he was looking for at least one player from each team, but no more than two.
He ended up plucking two players off the Minnesota Vikings for his squad, choosing LB Ivan Pace Jr. and punter Bret Thorson , an undrafted free agent out of Georgia. Pace, a starter each of his first two seasons, lost the starting job to Eric Wilson last year and projects as a backup in 2026.
Says Barnwell:
Pace lost his job through no fault of his own, as former Packers linebacker Eric Wilson suddenly went supernova and started demolishing running backs in pass protection to earn more playing time. Pace is undersized at 5-10 and 236 pounds, but he's a capable player around the line of scrimmage and in coverage. Thorson spent four years punting at Georgia and will compete with Johnny Hekker for the starting job in Minneapolis.
Pace was the Vikings' lowest-graded defender on PFF (45.1) among players who logged at least 100 snaps. But he graded out at 77.1 as a rookie in 2023 and 63.0 in 2024.
Thorson may have a tough path to the 53-man roster, although he doesn't count towards the team's roster count because he is an international player.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Which Vikings players made ESPN's All-Backup team for 2026?
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