The Vikings Added 3 New Players on Wednesday
Dustin Baker
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During the NFL’s busiest week of the year for roster change, the Minnesota Vikings trimmed the depth chart to 53 players on Tuesday — and then tweaked it further on Wednesday.
The Vikings Added 3 New Players on Wednesday
Minnesota has 11 days until the regular season, hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at U.S. Stadium on September 10th.
The Vikings brass waived or released about 35 players this week, welcomed 12 back to the practice squad, and signed three newcomers on Wednesday. These are the newcomers.
1. Hakeem Adeniji (OT)
Heading to the Vikings practice squad, Adeniki starts his career’s second chapter in Minnesota.
And the Vikings need an offensive tackle or two after trading second-year lineman Vederian Lowe to the New England Patriots on Sunday night and dropping Christian DiLaruo and Jarrid Williams in the last few days.
Adeniji played for the Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons, was a 6th-Round draft pick in 2020, and appeared in Super Bowl LVI.
He saw action in 39 games for the Bengals, starting 15, and tallying 1,008 offensive snaps in three seasons. His playing time was at its highest in 2021, fielding 556 offensive snaps in Cincinnati.
Here’s Adeniji’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
- 2020: 51.6
- 2021: 48.3
- 2022: 54.1
2. Myles Gaskin (RB)
Perhaps the most significant personnel highlight of the day — or month — Minnesota added a prominent running back in Gaskin. Minnesota searched high and low in recent weeks for running back depth, auditioning veterans Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis while signing Abram Smith and Aaron Dykes, two players cut on Tuesday.
They landed on Gaskin, who should nestle in as the Vikings RB3 in 2023 behind Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. The former 7th-Round draft pick is a dual-threat RB, tabulating 101 receptions since 2019 for 701 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 361 rushing attempts for 1,355 yards and 7 scores. He was at the peak of his powers in 2020, tallying 972 yards from scrimmage in Flores’ second year as Miami’s skipper.
And Gaskin’s Pro Football Focus scorecard:
2022: 66.5
2021: 64.8
2020: 74.5
2019: 57.4
3. David Quessenberry (OT)
When folks woke up Wednesday morning, the Vikings had three offensive tackles on the roster, an unusually low amount with the regular season afoot. Well, they fixed that conundrum by adding the aforementioned Adeniji — and Quessenberry, who will live on the 53-man roster.
Quessenberry, 33, was a 6th-Round draft pick in 2013 by the Houston Texans, missing three years (2014-2016) of his career due to a successful battle with cancer. He’s played for the Texans, Titans, Bills, and now Vikings.
He began experiencing increased playing time in 2020 with the Titans and has since played 375+ offensive plays per year. This is his PFF story since achieving consistent regular action:
- 2020: 61.7
- 2021: 80.6
- 2022: 59.3
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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