An NFL roster is never really set. The Minnesota Vikings are in the middle of an active roster-churning week. Many in-season roster tweaks are due to injuries. Not one of this week's Vikings churn is due to injuries. It was all performance-based and it started with a kicking change.
The Vikings traded up in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft to select Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson. They liked his big leg and his potential for making big kicks pretty much anywhere on the field that you might consider attempting a big kick. Through offseason workouts and the early stages of training camp it looked like a terrific decision. As soon as veteran kicker Kai Forbath was out the door during the preseason moments started popping up in which it didn't look like such a terrific decision. There were some kicking concerns and the Vikings have had far too many kicking concerns recently. On Sunday, the Vikings played a huge, early season game against the Green Bay Packers. In a game that ended in a 29-29 tie, Carlson missed three field goals. Two of the three misses were in overtime. The first overtime miss could've been the game-winning kick. The second overtime miss would've been the game-winning kick. Unlike every other position on a football team there's no gray area in the performance of a kicker. They either do their job. Or they don't. On three occasions against the Packers, Carlson didn't do his job. If he'd made either of the overtime kicks, he'd probably still have a job in Minnesota. He didn't make his kicks and the Vikings released on Monday.
To take Carlson's place on the 53-man roster, the Vikings added receiver Aldrick Robinson. Adding a receiver to replace a kicker seems like a silly move but it was just part of the process. A kicker was on the way. Robinson started his NFL career with the Washington Redskins in 2011 so he will be reunited with quarterback Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. Robinson played four seasons with the Redskins and one each with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. For his career he has 69 catches for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns. Outside of starting receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, Vikings' receivers have had difficulties holding on to Cousins' passes through two games. The hope appears to be that Robinson will help change that.
Kicker Dan Bailey was a surprise pre-season cut by the Dallas Cowboys. It's been repeated many times since that surprise cut that he's the second-most accurate field goal kicker in league history. Bailey has been waiting for the right kicking job. He's turned down a few opportunities. The Vikings are apparently that right opportunity. He signed yesterday. To make room for Bailey, receiver Stacy Coley was released. The roster is again in balance. For now.
Rumor has it that former defensive tackle Tom Johnson is in Minneapolis to re-sign with the Vikings. He had signed with the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason. Due to injuries at other positions, the Seahawks were forced to release him last week in order to add players to field a team for a game. The NFL doesn't wait until you're ready to go. So, it appears that Johnson was released by the Seahawks with the promise that he'd brought back. It also appears that Johnson didn't want to play that game. He's coming back to Minnesota. He was a dynamite situational, interior pass rusher for the Vikings from 2014-17. His addition will be a tremendous boost to the defensive line rotation. As an added bonus, the Seahawks will be paying/paid for a good chunk of his 2018 salary.
In the three days since the tie with the Packers the Vikings have made the following roster moves:
Added
Aldrick Robinson, WR
Dan Bailey, K
Tom Johnson, DT
Released
Daniel Carlson, K
Stacy Coley, WR
?
Some Vikings beat writers have mentioned that the Vikings are very interested in adding Coley to the practice squad. So, there's a chance that he remains in Minnesota but he could get active roster opportunities with other teams.
The NFL is a brutal, fluid business.
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