Once Promising Ex-Viking Tries Out for Bills
The Baltimore Ravens thoroughly humbled the Buffalo Bills last weekend, a 35-10 spanking for the then-undefeated Bills squad.
Once Promising Ex-Viking Tries Out for Bills
And heading into Week 5, Buffalo could sign a former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman to a contract: Wyatt Davis.
KPRC2′ Aaron Wilson tweeted Tuesday, “Bills worked out Jeremiah Crawford, Wyatt Davis, Julian Pearl.”
Davis plays guard, and these are Buffalo’s OGs at the moment:
- O’Cyrus Torrence
- David Edwards
- Alec Anderson
- Will Clapp
- Mike Edwards (Practice Squad)
If signed by the Bills, Davis would likely land on the practice squad and be one promotion away from the gameday roster. Here’s Davis’ NFL resume since joining the league in 2021:
- Minnesota Vikings (2021)
- New York Giants (2022)
- New Orleans Saints (2022)
- Arizona Cardinals (2022)
- New York Giants (2022–2023)
- Cleveland Browns (2024)
Davis signed with the Browns in early June and stuck around until roster trimdowns in August. Now, he’ll hope to parlay the Bills audition into a regular season contract.
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 employ 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 Bills also employ former Vikings Lewis Cine (S, PS) and Zach Davidson (TE, PS).
Former Viking Signs with Ravens
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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