Vikings Sign 3 New Players
The Minnesota Vikings finalized an initial 53-man roster this week, and the regular season is 10 days away.
Vikings Sign 3 New Players
The purple team travels to MetLife Stadium for a showdown with the New York Giants in Week 1, a contest with a pick-’em point spread.
And to prepare for that meeting, Minnesota added three players on Thursday.
1. Brett Rypien (QB)
Minnesota controversially waived second-year passer Jaren Hall to make room for Rypien, though general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Thursday that he plans to re-sign Hall for the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Rypien, however, will man QB3 duties in 2024 and immediately joins the active roster. Here’s his NFL resume to date:
- Denver Broncos (2019–2022)
- Los Angeles Rams (2023)
- Seattle Seahawks (2023)
- New York Jets (2023)
- Chicago Bears (2024)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024)
The nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, Rypien has appeared in 10 NFL games, starting 4, and has tallied 950 passing yards, 4 touchdown passes, and 9 interceptions since 2019. He’s known for his footwork and accuracy, while his arm strength and mobility have been considered weaknesses dating back to the 2019 NFL Draft’s lead-up.
2. Zavier Scott (RB)
This 25-year-old joined the Vikings practice squad after missing the Indianapolis Colts’ final roster cut. He played most of his college ball at the University of Maine and possesses 4.5 speed.
This is the Vikings RB room as of August 28th:
- Aaron Jones
- Ty Chandler
- Myles Gaskin (Practice Squad)
- Zavier Scott (Practice Squad)
If Scott receives a hand-off as a Vikings, it’ll be his first career rushing attempt. He’s that new.
The Scott addition is also noteworthy because earlier this week, fans looked at Minnesota’s depth chart to find just two halfbacks. Many wondered, “What’s going on?” Now, Scott makes it four, which is a much more normal number for an NFL team entering the preseason.
3. Ricky Lee III (OT)
Lee saw action in Carolina last year as an undrafted free agent in six games — all on special teams. He remained with the Panthers for the entire offseason but departed during roster trimdowns earlier this week.
He’s 25, 6’6″ tall, 305 pounds, and went to North Carolina A&T. These are the Vikings’ offensive tackles with Lee III in the house:
- Christian Darrisaw
- Brian O’Neill
- David Quessenberry
- Walter Rouse
- Ricky Lee III (Practice Squad)
He’d be the third line of defense (offense?) if injuries hit Vikings OTs.
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.
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