Nobody would blame the Vikings if they started making roster moves that had an eye on the future instead of the nearly lost 2011 season.
They could trade Donovan McNabb to Miami for a ninth round pick in 2037. They could trade contract-year tight end Visanthe Shiancoe to the Darrell Bevell’s Seahawks. They could think about jettisoning some aging veterans with hopes of giving some younger guys some valuable playing experience that could pay dividends in the future.
Instead, the Vikings are making low key tweaks to the roster that accurately reflect Leslie Frazier’s calming, patient personality.
On Tuesday, the Vikings waived tight end Allen Reisner and promoted fullback Ryan D’Imperio.
The Vikings may be taking a risk with the promising young tight end, as there is no guarantee he makes it through waivers and lands on the practice squad, but it is hard to deny that the team could use a fullback in the active roster.
The move, assuming D’Imperio is active on game day, should allow Jim Kleinsasser to spend more time on the line of scrimmage. This could be a valuable asset to the Vikings in short yardage situations, an area that the Vikings have struggled with at times in their first four games.
D’Imperio also has extensive college experience playing the linebacker position, so it is a reasonable expectation that he could be a contributor on special teams as well.