The Minnesota Vikings have recently made the usual late season roster tweaks. An 18-week NFL season is a rough thing. Injuries and the moves to deal with them are inevitable. Offensive tackle Blake Brandel, defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, and tight end Ben Ellefson have recently been added to the injured reserve list. Running back Ty Chandler has come off of it. Tight end Irv Smith, Jr. is inching his way toward a return to the field. The thoughts of combining Smith with T.J. Hockenson in the Vikings offense are very happy ones. The Vikings have nine players on injured reserve. That’s a light number compared to a lot of teams. It feels like most of the team’s injuries have come in recent weeks.
In his first season as the Vikings general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has used an interesting resource to supplement the roster. He’s plucked four players from the practice squad of other teams.
Khyiris Tonga, DT - Atlanta Falcons
Theo Jackson, S - Tennessee Titans
Benton Whitley, OLB - Kansas City Chiefs
Kalon Barnes, CB - Miami Dolphins
Khyiris Tonga is the jewel of the four. He’d been making an impact in the scattered snaps that he’d receive each game. His play and injuries increased those snaps and the Vikings defense has been better for it. Theo Jackson has provided safety depth and special teams play. Kalon Barnes was added after cornerbacks Cam Dantzler, Sr., Andrew Booth, Jr., and Akayleb Evans were added to the injured reserve list.
The 31 practice squads of other teams is an interesting resource for players. In some respects, it might be a better resource than street free agents. Practice squads are filled with young players that have been working with their teams since the spring. They haven’t been sitting at home waiting for a phone call. Prior to Adofo-Mensah’s practice squad raids, the last time I can remember the Vikings using this resource was when offensive tackle Rashod Hill was plucked from the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. That worked out well. Tonga looks like he could be a keeper.
Speaking of the practice squad, former first-round pick and brief savior of the Arizona Cardinals, Josh Rosen is now with the Vikings. After losing Kyler Murray for the season, the Cardinals needed some quarterback depth. They plucked David Blough from the Vikings practice squad. That left the Vikings needing a third quarterback. That led them to Rosen. The Cardinals traded up to the 10th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft to select Rosen. He was supposed to be the team’s franchise quarterback. That lasted a single season as the team reversed course about nine months later. Head coach Steve Wilks was fired after a single season. Kliff Kingsbury was hired. The Cardinals selected Murray with the first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Rosen was traded to the Dolphins. Then it was on to Tampa Bay. Then Atlanta. Then San Francisco. Then Cleveland. Now Minnesota. There was a time when Josh Rosen was “the guy.” He was a quarterback prodigy. His football future was hot, Hot, HOT. Now, it’s teetering on an edge. Some might say that he’s already fallen off of it and his football career is over. Who knows? He’s an interesting choice for a third quarterback. Maybe Kevin O’Connell, Chris O’Hara, and Jerrod Johnson can find the talent that once had the recruiting world falling over themselves trying to get a piece of Rosen.
Here’s a look at the Vikings by position after the recent roster tweaks.
Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart
Offense (24)
Quarterback (2)
Kirk Cousins
Nick Mullens
Running Back (4)
Dalvin Cook
Alexander Mattison
Kene Nwangwu
Ty Chandler
Fullback (1)
C.J. Ham
Wide Receiver (5)
Justin Jefferson
Adam Thielen
K.J. Osborn
Jalen Reagor
Jalen Nailor
Tight End (3)
T.J. Hockenson
Johnny Mundt
Nick Muse
Tackle (4)
Christian Darrisaw
Brian O’Neill
Oli Udoh
Vederian Lowe
Guard (3)
Ezra Cleveland
Ed Ingram
Chris Reed
Center (2)
Garrett Bradbury
Austin Schlottman
Defense (27)
Defensive Line (6)
Harrison Phillips
Dalvin Tomlinson
Ross Blacklock
James Lynch
Khyiris Tonga
Esezi Otomewo
Outside Linebacker (5)
Danielle Hunter
Za’Darius Smith
D.J. Wonnum
Patrick Jones II
Luiji Vilain
Inside Linebacker (5)
Eric Kendricks
Jordan Hicks
Brian Asamoah II
Troy Dye
William Kwenkeu
Cornerback (6)
Patrick Peterson
Cam Dantzler, Sr.
Chandon Sullivan
Duke Shelley
Kris Boyd
Kalon Barnes
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
Dan Chisena, WR
Ryan Connelly, LB
Sheldon Day, DL
Myles Dorn, S
Chris Garrett, OLB
Tay Gowan, CB
Kyle Hinton, OG
Trishton Jackson, WR
Bryant Koback, RB
Parry Nickerson, CB
James O’Shaugnessy, TE
Blake Proehl, WR
Josh Rosen, QB
T.J. Smith, DL
Josh Sokol, C
Benton Whitley, OLB
Injured Reserve/Designated for Return
Irv Smith, Jr., CB
Injured Reserve
Andrew Booth, Jr., CB
Blake Brandel, OT
Jonathan Bullard, DL
Lewis Cine, S
Ben Ellefson, TE
Akayleb Evans, CB
Thomas Hennigan, WR
Olabisi Johnson, WR
Kenny Willekes, DE
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