Jan 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; A general overall view as Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Bobby Evans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
Training camp is right around the corner, so football will also return soon. The Vikings rookies arrive Sunday, the veterans two days later, on the 25th. The squad will travel to Seattle to meet the Seahawks on August 10th for the first preseason contest of the season, exactly one month before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to Minnesota for the Week 1 matchup.
With the release of cornerback John Reid a few days ago, the Vikings have two open roster spots. A rule exception creates the other opening. Defensive lineman Junior Aho doesn’t count against the 90-man roster, as he is a member of the international pathway program, a program that is supposed to increase the chances of international players making it in the NFL.
According to Aaron Wilson, the Vikings tried out nine players:
Bobby Evans is the most recognizable name. He was a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 and stayed with the team until he was released shortly before the end of the regular season in 2022. The Vikings signed him to the practice squad. He has been a free agent since the Vikings ended their season. Still only 26, Evans could be an intriguing depth player with some upside as a former third-rounder who is familiar with Kevin O’Connell. He has appeared in 35 NFL games and started 12 for the Rams, logging over 1,000 career snaps.
Jack Snyder has somehow managed to play 57 games at San Diego State, starting 52. He spent some time with the Rams in 2022 without playing in an NFL game and then joined the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL in 2023.
Guard Travis Sinclair played his college ball at Bethel University and was invited to the Vikings rookie minicamp. He’s an undrafted rookie and a Rogers, Minnesota native.
Rashaad Coward is an experienced player. The 28-year-old came into the league as a UDFA in 2017 with the Bears, where he spent the first four years of his career. He later had shorter stints with the Steelers, Jaguars, Falcons, and Cardinals, appearing in 38 NFL games, including 18 starts and way over 1,000 snaps on offense.
A 2017 fourth-round pick of the Falcons, Sean Harlow, was released in 2018, signed in Indianapolis to be on the Colts practice squad, and returned to Atlanta a month later. He was with the Cardinals in 2021 and 2022. The 28-year-old appeared in 33 career games, including eight starts.
Tight end Sal Cannella played in three different minor leagues, the TSL, USFL, and the XFL. He became an XFL champion with the Arlington Renegades in 2023 and earned All-USFL honors in the USFl in 2022. He spent a couple of weeks on the Packers roster during last year’s training camp and four days with Miami in 2021 but couldn’t keep his job for long. In the XFL, Cannella was second among tight ends in receiving yards (415) and led his team in the same category.
Colin Thompson was rostered by the Giants, Bears, and Panthers in his career and played in the AAF and the XFL. Now at age 29, he logged his only career catch in the NFL in 2020 for seven yards.
Wideout David Moore is 28 and also a veteran as he was a part of the Seahawks from 2017-2020, Panthers, Raiders, Broncos, and Packers all in 2021, Bears in 2022, and Buccaneers in 2023. He recorded his 1,163 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns with the Seahawks.
Quarterback Udinski started his college career at VMI in the FCS, transferred to Maryland after four seasons, where he barely saw the field, and played his final season at Richmond. He went undrafted in this year’s draft.
There are some veterans mixed in and some younger players. All of them are fighting for their careers, and receiving an invite to Vikings training camp would certainly be a big step for them. News about new signings to fill the roster should drop in the upcoming days.
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