Former Gophers Safety Cedric Thompson Among Three Vikings Cuts
Austin Belisle
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Earlier this week, the Minnesota Vikings made official the signing of 13 rookie free agents. General manager Rick Spielman’s aggressive approach netted a few intriguing prospects, but that same approach also spelled the end of a few players’ careers in Minnesota.
According to an official press release, the Vikings waived the following players:
- Defensive tackle Sterling Bailey
- Offensive tackle Marquis Lucas
- Safety Cedric Thompson
As Chris Tomasson reported, the Vikings needed to make the moves to bring the roster down to 90 players before rookie minicamp begins this Friday.
Following the draft, Spielman spoke about his fearless approach to overhaul Minnesota’s roster. “We were already up there and we are pretty much done right now,” Spielman said, specifically pointing to his thought process after the seventh round. “We will have a couple of spots to fill, but we were very aggressive and had a game plan of how we were going to attack this so we could get better at it.”
His impressive haul of undrafted free agents left Bailey, Lucas, and Thompson searching for new NFL homes. For those who follow the Minnsota Golden Gophers, Thompson was a standout player before the Miami Dolphins selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He also played for the New England Patriots, but, as Tomasson reports, never appeared in a regular season game,
The Vikings signed Thompson to a futures contract at the end of last season, but Spielman’s drafting of Jack Tocho made him a dispensable member of the depth chart. Tocho played cornerback at North Carolina State but will likely compete at the safety position, where Antone Exum Jr., Anthony Harris, and Jayron Kearse are battling for playing time.
Bailey and Lucas also became expendable pieces with news of Minnesota’s recent acquisitions. With Aviante Collins and Dylan Bradley signed to modest rookie deals—including decent guaranteed figures—the two will not be a part of the franchise moving forward.
Meet all the Vikings’ undrafted rookie free agents.