An NFL roster is a very fluid thing. The Minnesota Vikings made some roster tweaks last week mostly due to injuries. This week, their bye week, the Vikings made some roster tweaks to add some depth at a particular position. An illness forced outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum to miss Sunday’s game in the heat of Miami. Despite excellent games from Za’Darius Smith, Danielle Hunter, and Patrick Jones II, going with a four-man edge-rushing rotation in a difficult environment was pushing things. In the best of times, a five-man edge-rushing rotation is enough. If one of those players can’t go, four edge rushers just isn’t enough. The Vikings needed a sixth outside linebacker.
As with the recent additions of nose tackle Khyiris Tonga and safety Theo Jackson, the Vikings again turned to the practice squad of another team to find a player. Yesterday, the Vikings plucked rookie outside linebacker Benton Whitley from the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs. Whitley was originally signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross. He was released after training camp and signed by the Chiefs. I like that the Vikings new decision-makers are using other team’s practice squad as a resource for players. These players may not be as experienced as some of the street free agents but they are younger, maybe hungrier, and probably more game-ready. They are definitely cheaper and the Vikings don’t have the cap room to add a player that’s more expensive than cheaper.
A couple moves had to be made before the Vikings could add Whitley. Safety Myles Dorn was released so that receiver Blake Proehl could be activated from the PUP list. Proehl was then released so that Whitley could be added. The Vikings then signed Proehl and Dorn to their practice squad.
The Vikings continue to carry a 23:27 roster edge to the defense. That roster tilt to the defense is kinda strange to see.
Here’s a look at the Vikings by position after the recent roster tweaks.
Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart
Offense (23)
Quarterback (2)
Kirk Cousins
Nick Mullens
Running Back (3)
Dalvin Cook
Alexander Mattison
Kene Nwangwu
Fullback (1)
C.J. Ham
Wide Receiver (5)
Justin Jefferson
K.J. Osborn
Adam Thielen
Jalen Reagor
Jalen Nailor
Tight End (2)
Irv Smith Jr.
Johnny Mundt
Tackle (5)
Christian Darrisaw
Brian O’Neill
Blake Brandel
Oli Udoh
Vederian Lowe
Guard (3)
Ezra Cleveland
Ed Ingram
Chris Reed
Center (2)
Garrett Bradbury
Austin Schlottman
Defense (27)
Defensive Line (7)
Harrison Phillips
Dalvin Tomlinson
Jonathan Bullard
Ross Blacklock
James Lynch
Esezi Otomewo
Khyiris Tonga
Outside Linebacker (6)
Danielle Hunter
Za’Darius Smith
D.J. Wonnum
Patrick Jones II
Luiji Vilain
Benton Whitley
Inside Linebacker (4)
Eric Kendricks
Jordan Hicks
Brian Asamoah II
Troy Dye
Cornerback (6)
Patrick Peterson
Cameron Dantzler Sr.
Chandon Sullivan
Andrew Booth Jr.
Akayleb Evans
Kris Boyd
Safety (4)
Harrison Smith
Camryn Bynum
Josh Metellus
Theo Jackson
Special Teams (3)
Kicker
Greg Joseph
Punter
Ryan Wright
Long Snapper
Nick DePaola
***
Practice Squad
David Blough, QB
Dan Chisena, WR
Ryan Connelly, LB
Myles Dorn, S
Chris Garrett, OLB
Tay Gowan, CB
Kyle Hinton, OG
Jacob Hollister, TE
Trishton Jackson, WR
Bryant Koback, RB
William Kwenkeu, LB
Nick Muse, TE
Blake Proehl, WR
Duke Shelley, CB
T.J. Smith, DL
Josh Sokol, C
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