Sep 29, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Myles Gaskin (37) during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings have a 10-2 record through 13 weeks and are firmly positioned to reach the postseason, possessing a 99.8% playoff probability per ESPN’s Football Power Index.
The Vikings host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and if they win that contest and get some help with a Buffalo Bills win over the Los Angeles Rams, plus a Seattle Seahawks dub over the Arizona Cardinals, the purple team will clinch a playoff berth.
And to prepare for Week 14 and beyond, Minnesota dropped two players on Tuesday.
Since August 2023, Gaskin has been signed, cut, or re-signed 26 times. You read that right.
So, there’s no reason to believe that Gaskin won’t rejoin the practice squad soon. He just serves as a revolving door for the Vikings, always on the transaction wire.
Without Gaskin, at least for a little bit, these are the Vikings running backs:
Gaskin has logged -1 rushing yards in 2024 but returned 3 kick returns for 60. He served as Minnesota’s RB3 plan for a month and change of the 2024 season until general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah swung a trade for Cam Akers in October.
If onlookers have learned anything about Gaskin in the last 16 months, he’ll probably be back in the roster orbit soon. They can’t quit him.
In Week 9, Vikings long snapper Andrew DePaola succumbed to injury, and he’s missed the last four games.
Accordingly, Minnesota needed a long snapper to hold down the fort. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed McQuaide, who filled in admirably for four games. A measuring stick of a long snapper’s performance involves mistakes — and McQuaide made no notable errors.
The 36-year-old will presumably hit free agency and await his next NFL assignment. His four-game trial with the Vikings should do him wonders if another long snapper injury emerges around the league.
Here’s McQuaide’s career resume to date:
He’ll turn 37 on Saturday.
The move also signals that the kicking game involving Will Reichard and Andrew DePaola could be a full-go this Sunday against the Falcons.
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.