Vikings Make First Roster Move in 40 Days
Forty days ago, the Minnesota Vikings released longtime halfback Dalvin Cook, ending a six-year run with the club.
And until Wednesday, that was Minnesota’s last roster transaction to date.
Vikings Make First Roster Move in 40 Days
But with training camp four days away, business picked up — a little bit — as the franchise parted ways with veteran cornerback John Reid.
The Vikings social media team announced the move and got to the point, “The Vikings have waived CB John Reid.”
Reid, 27, will now hit the waiver wire and if no team pounces, he’ll hit open free agency by the end of the week. The Penn State alumnus joined the Vikings on May 4th via waivers about a week after the 2023 NFL Draft. The Atlanta Falcons waived Reid on May 3rd, akin to the Vikings on Wednesday. He lasted 76 days on Minnesota’s roster.
Following the Reid subtraction, the Vikings CB depth chart looks like this:
CB1: Byron Murphy
CB2: Andrew Booth
CB3: Akayleb Evans
CB4: Joejuan Williams
CB5: Mekhi Blackmon
CB6: Tay Gowan
CB7: Kalon Barnes
CB8: C.J. Coldon
CB9: NaJee Thompson
CB10: Jaylin Williams
That batch will shrink considerably on August 30th — probably to five or six men — so offloading Reid now merely gets a jump on the process.
The Houston Texans discovered Reid in 2020 with a 4th-Round pick. He stuck around Houston for one season, playing in 13 games while starting one. In 2021, he trekked to the Seattle Seahawks, appearing in 11 games and starting two. Then last year, Reid landed with the Tennessee Titans, performing in 3 contests with one start. He’s a young journeyman, playing 315 defensive snaps since 2020 — a small number compared to his peers.
Reid joined the Falcons practice squad late last year but experienced no regular season action with the club. The 26-year-old has posted 30 total tackles in his career and 3 passes defended. Reid posted a 103.5 passer-rating-against with the Seahawks in 2021.
In a small sample, his Pro Football Focus resume is rather decent:
- 2020 = 60.4
- 2021 = 66.8
- 2022 = 60.4
The move by Minnesota opens up one roster spot with training camp around the bend, and fans flocked to Twitter to cross their fingers for a Dalvin Cook reunion, although VikingsTerritory can corroborate no tangible realism to the theory.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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