Former Viking Works Out for Falcons’ Roster
Remember Wyatt Davis? The guy proposed as a long-term offensive guard solution for the Minnesota Vikings?
Former Viking Works Out for Falcons’ Roster
He might end up on Kirk Cousins’ team.
The Falcons auditioned Davis for a roster or practice squad spot this week, and with any luck, the veteran trenchman could help Atlanta compete for the NFC South crown. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Wednesday, “The Falcons worked out guards Wyatt Davis, J.D DiRrenzo, Joey Fisher, Willis Patrick, William Sherman.”
These are the Falcons OGs at the moment:
- Chris Lindstrom
- Matthew Bergeron
- Elijah Wilkinson
- Kyle Hinton
And here’s Davis’ NFL resume to date:
- Minnesota Vikings (2021)
- New York Giants (2022)
- New Orleans Saints (2022)
- Arizona Cardinals (2022)
- New York Giants (2022–2023)
- Cleveland Browns (2024)
Davis last saw regular season playing time with the Giants in 2023. He signed with the Browns in June and stuck around for about 2.5 months until roster trimdowns. If signed by Atlanta, Davis would likely land on the practice squad and be one promotion away from the gameday roster.
Exiting the 2020 season, Minnesota desperately needed to improve its right guard spot on the depth chart, and Davis was a theorized solution after the 2021 NFL Draft. But he didn’t catch on with the Mike Zimmer-led Vikings, nor did Davis stick around for too long during the switch to Kevin O’Connell’s staff.
Instead, the Vikings found Ed Ingram, who was plucked from the 2nd Round of the 2022 NFL Draft by current general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. After Minnesota decided Ingram was the RG of the future and the Vikings signed veteran Chris Reed in free agency, Davis became expendable and didn’t make the 53-man roster in August 2022. He then began his trek to the Giants, Saints, Cardinals, and Browns.
In April 2021, led by Spielman at the time, Minnesota traded with the New York Jets for two extra 3rd-Rounders. The Jets used the Vikings’ 14th overall pick to select Alijah Vera-Tucker (OG), while Spielman drafted Christian Darrisaw (LT) with the 23rd overall pick and parlayed the 3rd-Round trade capital into Davis and Kellen Mond (QB). Folks championed the trade, but it’s now evident that landing Darrisaw was the only saving grace.
Davis and Mond were released amid Vikings roster cuts at the end of the summer in 2022, along with several other rookies from Minnesota’s 2021 draft class.
During the buildup to the 2021 NFL Draft, at least early in the cycle, some nominated Davis as a 1st-Round talent. In 2019 and 2020, Davis earned 1st-Team All-Big Ten honors and was one of the best collegiate guards in the world. That’s why Vikings enthusiasts believed an unpolished gem could be on the roster.
With the Mike Zimmer version of the Vikings, Davis was banished to the bench — along with the aforementioned Mond — and his Vikings career was brief. And for Davis and Mond, Zimmer was apparently correct as both have already developed into journeyman-type players.
Davis has logged 29 career offensive snaps during the last three seasons, appearing in nine games.
The Falcons also employ former Vikings players Kirk Cousins (QB), Kyle Hinton (OG), Mike Hughes (CB), and Storm Norton (OT).
Davis will turn 26 in two months.
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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. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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