RB Formally Added to Vikings Active Roster
On August 30th, the Minnesota Vikings added running back Myles Gaskin to their roster after the veteran tailback was cut by the Miami Dolphins.
RB Formally Added to Vikings Active Roster
About one week later, the Vikings “released” Gaskin, a procedural move to temporarily plop him on the practice squad before a Week 1 call-up to the 53-man roster.
Then on Tuesday, two days after the Vikings lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gaskin was formally added to the 53-man roster. Minnesota’s main social media account tweeted Tuesday morning, “The Vikings have signed RB Myles Gaskin to the 53-man roster and signed WR Lucky Jackson to the practice squad.”
So, barring any more procedural dealings for Gaskin, 26, the man will remain the Vikings RB3 for the foreseeable future. And Minnesota could utilize Gaskin’s services before too long, as the ground game struggled tremendously out of the gate versus Tampa Bay. The Vikings ran the ball 17 times last Sunday, tabulating just 41 yards — in a season where the club promised to run the ball more and do so more efficiently.
No cigar in Week 1.
Minnesota previously auditioned veterans Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis for Gaskin’s job this summer while ultimately signing lesser-know runners Aaron Dykes and Abram Smith to the preseason roster. But Hunt and Davis never signed, and Dykes + Smith left the team amid final roster cuts.
That’s where Gaskin entered the chat, a Dolphins cast-off who found an RB3 job in Minnesota.
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 Brian Flores’ second year as Miami’s skipper.
Here’s Gaskin’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
2022: 66.5
2021: 64.8
2020: 74.5
2019: 57.4
Gaskin did not play Sunday against Tampa Bay but will officially re-slide into the Vikings RB3 slot, meaning he’s an injury to Alexander Mattison or Ty Chandler away from meaningful regular season playing time.
Minnesota ran the football the third least per playcalling percentage in Kevin O’Connell’s first year on the job, ranking 29th in rushing yards. The club hinted all offseason its desire to run the football more in 2023, but then just didn’t do it versus the Buccaneers.
Gaskin was teammates at the University of Washington with new Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.