Recapping Monday’s Intense Roster News Cycle for Vikings
Monday, July 24th, was the most tumultuous day for the Vikings since the draft. They signed a bunch of players, parted ways with one, placed athletes on injury lists, and it was easy to lose track of all the moves. Veterans arrive at training camp on Tuesday to prepare for a long NFL football season.
Recapping Monday’s Intense Roster News Cycle for Vikings
Because it was easy to miss something, here are all the moves in the Vikings universe that happened on Monday.
Three New Vikings
The Vikings signed three new players – tight end Colin Thompson, offensive tackle Bobby Evans, and offensive guard Jack Snyder.
All three should be tagged ‘camp bodies,’ but they can obviously change the narrative by beating some guys ahead of them on the depth chart. Winning a roster spot by competing with teammates is one of the major stories in training camp.
Thompson also has experience as a long snapper, but Andrew DePaola has that position on chokehold after signing an extension earlier in the offseason. He was named All-Pro long snapper after the conclusion of the 2022 campaign. At tight end, Thompson’s competition is veteran Johnny Mundt, 2022 seventh-rounder Nick Muse, and UDFA Ben Sims. T.J. Hockenson and free agent signing Josh Oliver have their roster spots secured. After a solid first season with the Vikings, Mundt is the favorite to be TE3 for now. The 29-year-old Thompson logged one career catch.
Snyder was a five-year starter at San Jose State and broke the record for the most starts in school history. After going undrafted in 2022, he had a brief stint with the Rams in the offseason and joined the XFL as the first overall lineman taken in the draft. He spent one season with the Houston Roughnecks and later signed with the Vikings. A versatile lineman, it will be tough for Snyder to win a roster spot because the Vikings returned their whole OL group from last year.
Bobby Evans was a third-round pick in 2019 out of Oklahoma and played for the Los Angeles Rams until December 2022. He knows Kevin O’Connell from there. The Rams waived him late in the season, and he signed with the Vikings practice squad. Evans has starting experience, but it is never a good sign if a team can’t wait to get rid of a player, so they waived him a couple of games before his contract expires. He’ll get a second chance in Minnesota, and the team hopes to somehow uncover the third-round talent.
Players Placed on Lists
Pass-rusher Andre Carter was placed on the Active PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list. That means he suffered an injury and can’t practice. The severity of the injury is unknown, but the team can activate him at any point. Carter had a productive college football career playing at Army but is a raw player with enticing physical tools. Head coach O’Connell praised him a couple of months ago. The Vikings must stay patient with their rookie. He is a long-term project, but missing time in training camp will hurt his development.
Offensive guard Chris Reed was placed on the active NFI (Non-Football Injury) list. He suffered an injury but not under the team’s watch. Just like Carter’s status, the time before he can return to the field is unclear. He can also be activated at any point. Veteran Reed needs to be on the field to defend his roster spot after losing in the camp battles last year and dropping down the depth chart.
Departed Player
Wide receiver Malik Knowles was waived with a Non-Football-Injury designation. The team basically cut him, and he enters the waiver wire. If no other team claims him, he’ll return to the Vikings but would automatically be played on season-ending IR. A release with an injury settlement becomes a possibility once he is healthy.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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