Jan 1, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Kene Nwangwu (26) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports.
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the August 27th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to DustinBakerNFL@gmail.com.
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Answer: They had two biggies: Kene Nwangwu not making the cut, and Jalen Redmond included on the 53-man roster.
Nwangwu finally looked productive on offense during the preseason, and the NFL has new kickoff return rules. Everything was trending up for Nwangwu, the Vikings’ fastest player. Now, he’ll hit the waiver wire and probably get scooped by a different team.
In addition to that surprise, UFLer Jalen Redmond, who made the initial 53-man roster, was a stunner. He could be the first guy released if or when Minnesota signs a third running back, but his summer ascension was pretty sweet.
Most UFL or XFL alumni don’t make NFL regular season rosters. Kudos to Redmond.
Answer: We have four ideas: the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and Tennessee Titans.
The Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator is Todd Monken, and he worked at Georgia when Cine was in college. Of course, Monken is an offense guy, and Cine plays defense, but we like the connection nevertheless.
As for Philadelphia, well, they collect Georgia alumni like baseball cards.
Cine is from Texas and grew up about 20 minutes from the Cowboys’ stadium. And the Titans don’t have much safety depth.
Those are our big four for Cine.
A: Yes, probably. Otherwise, they plan to sell C.J. Ham to fans as a running back.
The good news? Dozens of running backs hit the waiver wire and open market on Tuesday. It won’t be difficult to find an RB3 if general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is scouring the wire. Keep an eye on D’Onta Foreman, a 28-year-old released by Cleveland on Tuesday.
For now, however, it’s Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler on the 53-man depth chart.
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 MIN 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.