2 Vikings Players Return … One Day after Roster Cuts
The Minnesota Vikings sliced their roster from 91 players to 53 this week and will now fill out the practice squad.
2 Vikings Players Return … One Day after Roster Cuts
The franchise got a head start on the task Wednesday, reportedly re-signing running back Myles Gaskin and safety Bobby McCain.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “Some veteran practice-squad signings: Mike Ford is heading back to Cleveland, where he played last season. Bobby McCain and Myles Gaskin are re-signing with the Vikings. Jakob Johnson is re-signing with the Giants.”
Gaskin, especially, makes sense as an urgent practice squad signing because Minnesota has just two halfbacks on the roster: Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler. Gaskin can reasonably serve as an RB3, and that might be the 2024 plan.
He initially joined the Vikings roster late in the summer of 2023 after the club auditioned men like Kareem Hunt and Mike Davis for the gig. The Dolphins cut Gaskin loose during roster trimdowns, and Minnesota pounced. Thereafter, he was the odd man out (for a while) when Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a low-risk trade for Cam Akers last September. Gaskin then returned to the Vikings practice squad.
Soon after, the Rams stole Gaskin from the Vikings practice squad in October, a contingency plan when Kyren Williams hit injured reserve. But when Williams returned to the field, plus contributions from Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman, Gaskin became expendable. Then, on November 7th, the Rams dropped him from the depth chart, and the Vikings re-signed Gaskin a week later. An odyssey, to be sure.
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, banking 972 yards from scrimmage.
Meanwhile, McCain’s return is unsurprising. He stood off the page in the preseason as a hard hitter and has ample NFL experience. He’s no stranger to playing time, appearing in 131 games since 2015 while starting 87. He crossed paths with Vikings defensive coordinator Flores in Miami in 2019 and 2020 — the apparent connection drawing McCain to Minnesota for 2024.
The 30-year-old has grabbed 11 interceptions out of the heavens in nine seasons, recording 394 total tackles and 45 passes defended. He last played for the New York Giants in 2023, participating on 19 plays or 3% of all snaps. McCain primarily filled a special teams role last year.
McCain was a 5th-Round draft selection in 2015 and can be called up for regular season action if something happens to Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, or Jay Ward.
The Vikings’ practice squad will expand by 14 more names in the next few days.
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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