Who’s the New Guy on the Vikings?
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings possessed two open roster spots heading into Monday morning, at the 89-man total because defender Junior Aho, an international player, does not count against the 90-man roster threshold.
In the last seven weeks, the Vikings have released Dalvin Cook and John Reid while signing no replacements.
Who’s the New Guy on the Vikings?
Well, that changed Monday, as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah welcomed tight end Colin Thompson to the roster.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “Former Panthers’ TE and long snapper Colin Thompson, who spent the past three seasons in Carolina, is signing a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings, per source.”
Thompson, 29, will now vie for a roster spot when veterans report to training camp on Tuesday.
Undrafted in 2017, Thompson joined the New York Giants to start his career. Here’s his resume per date and destination:
- New York Giants (2017)
- Chicago Bears (2017–2018)
- *Birmingham Iron (2019)
- **Tampa Bay Vipers (2020)
- Carolina Panthers (2020–2022)
- Minnesota Vikings (2023)
*Alliance of American Football
**XFL
Thompson has appeared in 26 NFL games over six seasons, seeing playing time in 2020 and 2021. In Carolina, he tabulated 1 reception for 7 yards — a touchdown. He’s played 284 offensive snaps in his career, with 234 special teams snaps in the long-snapping role referenced by Schefter.
After the Thompson transaction, these are the Vikings TEs on the active 90-man roster:
- T.J. Hockenson
- Josh Oliver
- Johnny Mundt
- Nick Muse
- Ben Sims
- Colin Thompson
Thompson is unlikely to make the 53-man roster on August 29th, but stranger things have happened than the former Panther ousting Mundt, Muse, and Sims.
Thompson was teammates at the University of Florida with former Vikings defender Sharrif Floyd. After transferring to Temple for 2014-2016, he teamed with current NFLers Haason Reddick, Dion Dawkins, Matthew Ioannidis, and former Viking Nate Hairston.
He experienced most of his on-the-field action with the 2020 Panthers and tabulated a 58.7 Pro Football Focus grade.
The Vikings are expected to sign one more player before too long after working out nine players over the weekend.
Thompson poked fun at himself via tweet over the Vikings acquisition:
Injuries Rear Ugly Head Monday
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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