Image courtesy of Vikings.com
The Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday placed safety Andrew Sendejo on injured reserve due to a groin issue. Sendejo, who originally suffered the injury during the Week 5 matchup against the Eagles, will miss the rest of the season.
Sendejo returned to practice the week leading up to the Vikings Week 9 game against Detroit. However, he may have re-injured or tweaked his injury because he was inactive for the game on Sunday. Sendejo has been unable to practice since.
With a $5.5 million cap hit next year, it’s likely the Vikings will cut ties with Sendejo or ask him to restructure his contract in the offseason. His contract carries no dead money so the team can move on from him without penalty. The 31-year old has been with Minnesota since 2011 and if anything his absence has been a boon for this Vikings defense (especially as of late) and has helped the Vikings win five of their last seven and dramatically increase their odds to make the post season (which has also helped their odds in the betting realm, which if that’s something you’re into, you can click here for a Caesars Casino Bonus Code).
Anthony Harris and George Iloka have each filed in at safety during Sendejo’s absence. Iloka started the first three games for #34, while Harris has started the last four. The Vikings have been able to not rush Sendejo back thanks to the play from Anthony Harris, who has graded out as the best Safety in the NFL at points this season and who has been an amazing ball hawk and gigantic positive for the Vikings defense this season while playing for Sendejo. Even without the amount of interceptions he’s had, his lack of bone-headed penalties (a la Sendejo) have helped the Vikings defense bounce back from a poor start this season to look more and more like the 2017 unit.
In a corresponding roster move, the team promoted cornerback Craig James to the active roster. James (5-10, 195) is a rookie free agent that has spent the last six weeks on the Vikings practice squad. He was originally signed in May following the team’s rookie minicamp and was then released during final cuts.
The Vikings also signed cornerback Jalen Myrick to the practice squad and waived defensive end Jonathan Wynn from the practice squad/injured list. Myrick (5-11, 200) rejoins the practice squad after being released by the Vikings on Oct. 27.
Here’s an updated look at the Vikings practice squad: