Vikings Sign Eagles Cast-Off

  |  
Aug 14, 2023
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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings, like 31 other NFL teams, continue roster fluctuation as preseason’s second week gets underway.

Minnesota lost its first exhibition game, 24-13, to the Seattle Seahawks last Thursday night at Lumen Field.

Vikings Sign Eagles Cast-Off

And on Monday, the club tweaked its offensive line depth chart, adding OT Chim Okorafor, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Vikings Sign Eagles Cast
Image Courtesy of NFL Draft Diamonds. Okorafor is an offensvie lineman from Benedictine College. He joined the Eagles as an undrafted free-agent commodity before finding his way to Minnesota. The 24-year-old attended Alta Loma High School in California and will hope to earn a 53-man roster spot in late August of 2023.

Undrafted free-agent rookie lineman Jacky Chen was waived to make room for Okorafor.

Okorafor was undrafted in April, hitting free agency after the event, and was eventually scooped by the Eagles. The relationship didn’t last long, though, as the lineman was released on August 8th.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni in the first half as the Philadelphia Eagles came to East Rutherford, NJ, and defeat their division rivals, the New York Giants, 48-22 on December 11, 2022. Philadelphia Eagles Came To East Rutherford, Nj, And Defeat Their Division Rivals, The New York Giants, On December 11, 2022. © Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Like most free agents at this point on the calendar, especially undrafted rookies, Okorafor faces a longshot bid to make the Vikings regular season roster. Minnesota has until August 29th to trim the depth chart from 91 names to 53, and Okorafor is probably vying for a practice squad assignment unless he has something magical up his sleeve for training camp’s remainder or the final two preseason games.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

The Vikings offensive line struggled mightily in Preseason Game No. 1 at the Seahawks last week, although no starters besides Ed Ingram saw the field. Okorafor should experience preseason action this Saturday night when Minnesota hosts the Tennessee Titans at U.S. Bank Stadium.

This is the Vikings OL depth chart with the new addition:

Left Tackle

LT1: Christian Darrisaw
LT2: Vederian Lowe
LT3: Jarrid Williams
LT4: Chim Okorafor

Right Tackle

RT1: Brian O’Neill
RT2: Oli Udoh
RT3: Christian DiLauro

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell at 2023 mandatory minicamp in Eagan. The Vikings won 13 games in O’Connell’s first season as head coach. He previously won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams as offensive coordinator in 2021.

Okorafor was an NAIA All-American at Benedictine College in Kansas in 2022. He’s 6’6″ and 320 pounds, so a mountain of a man. The new Viking told NFL Draft Diamonds during the lead-up to the 2023 NFL Draft that he idolized San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams.

“Trent Williams because he was the first offensive lineman that I watched when I started playing the position. He has great footwork and is very dominant. I would use the time to absorb knowledge of the game from him and learn his techniques,” Okoafor opined.

Okoafor is 24 years old.

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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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