Vikings Tight Ends

This week, the Minnesota Vikings continued their search for the right tight end room. Without Josh Oliver, that’s a tough ask. The Vikings lost Oliver to a torn bicep injury in Week 3 and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. He’s the best blocking tight end in the league and has been missed. In his absence, the Vikings offense is forced to change rather than simply drop in a replacement player. As they should, the Vikings are looking at and bringing in some tight ends. Two were signed to the practice squad. 

Bryson Nesbit

Devin Culp

Josh Oliver’s injury created a significant tight end need. When the Cincinnati Bengals swiped Cam Grandy off the practice squad earlier this week, the need increased. Bryson Nesbit is a familiar name as he was on the Vikings practice squad last season and was among the team’s final cuts in August. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Devin Culp out of Washington in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s appeared in 18 NFL games and has six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Those 18 games and six catches make him the most experienced tight on the Vikings roster outside of starter T.J. Hockenson. 

The loss of Cam Grandy and addition of Bryson Nesbit and Devin Culp gives the Vikings a tight end room of five players.

Active Roster:

T.J. Hockenson

Gavin Bartholomew 

Ben Yurosek

Practice Squad:

Bryson Nesbit

Devin Culp 

With the NFL trade deadline less than two weeks away, there’s been a lot of fan and media talk of the Vikings taking a big swing at boosting the team. After all, it isn’t often a team starts a season 6-0. Why not take a big swing? Much of that talk has been about adding a running back, an offensive lineman, and/or a defensive lineman. I actually think tight end might be the Vikings biggest immediate need. T.J. Hockenson can’t do everything and definitely can’t duplicate himself when multiple tight ends are needed. Gavin Bartholomew and Ben Yurosek have shown some potential. Maybe they can make further strides with more playing time. Rather than hoping for a player on the roster to emerge, I wouldn’t mind if the Vikings trade for a tight end. The Philadelphia Eagles Dallas Goeddert is probably the biggest name out there. For some reason, trading for Goeddert doesn’t feel right but I’d probably come around to it. A perhaps under-the-radar addition could be Tampa Bay Buccaneers Payne Durham. 

There’s no replacing Josh Oliver but I’d feel better about the tight end position if the Vikings added an experienced and accomplished option.