Getty The Vikings must-avoid draft mistake falls on the defense this offseason.
The Vikings took a major step towards trimming down to its 53-man roster on Wednesday, releasing five players and placing another on the injured reserve list.
In a press release, the Vikings announced the team waived undrafted rookie free agent linebacker Jordan Fehr, defensive ends Stacy Keely and Anthony Zettel, and running back Tony Brooks-James, who was dropped and added from the training camp roster earlier this offseason.
Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson reported that linebacker Quentin Poling was also released from the injured reserve list as the team added rookie seventh-round defensive end Kenny Willekes after an injury he sustained last Friday. A source told Heavy it is a torn ACL before he was added to the list, signaling he may miss the majority of the 2020 season.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content out of Skol Nation!
Close to 53-Man Roster
GettyThe Vikings only have a handful of more cuts to make.
The Vikings roster is now down to 73 players approaching the 53-man roster deadline on Saturday. While there’s still many decisions to make regarding who suits up in Week 1, the team only has to sever ties with a handful more players entirely. Players on the injured reserve list do not count against the 53-man count and this year’s practice squad can house 16 players this season. Players who don’t make the 53-man roster will be conditionally dropped and can be picked up by the team on new practice-squad contracts.
Fehr was the third rookie to be released by the Vikings. Seventh-round safety Brian Cole II was waived last week as the only member to be waived from the team’s 15-man draft class. Undrafted lineman Brady Aielo was also released on Aug. 15.
Starting weakside linebacker Ben Gedeon is currently on the team’s physically-unable-to perform-list (PUP) and can be moved to the regular-season PUP list without counting against the roster. Special teams linebacker Cameron Smith, who had heart surgery last month, is also on the injured reserve list with Willekes.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content out of Skol Nation!
Vikings Clear Enough Cap Space For Yannick Ngakoue
The Vikings needed to clear salary-cap space to officially sign Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to a one-year contract after acquiring him in a trade from the Jaguars on Sunday.
Left tackle Riley Reiff was a candidate to restructure his contract all offseason and with less than a week before the 53-man roster deadline, the Vikings gave Reiff the ultimatum to restructure his $10.9 million base salary this season or be released. Reiff returned to Vikings training camp and on Tuesday and had told teammates he would be cut, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Reiff’s agent was likely fielding the potential market for the veteran — a decision which proved unflattering as Reiff agreed to take a pay cut on Tuesday.
Tomasson said the move saved the Vikings somewhere in the range of $3.3 to $4 million in cap space, although the details of his new contract have yet to be announced.
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Vikings Left Tackle Reaches Decision on Taking Pay Cut: Report
- Ex-Jaguars Star Yannick Ngakoue Puts Vikings First In New Contract Signing
- Budding Vikings Star Irked By Trade For Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue
- A ‘Little Tweak?’ Vikings’ Danielle Hunter a Concern at Training Camp
- Former Vikings QB Asks Fans Who Should Christen Packers Urinal [LOOK]
Trevor Squire is a Heavy contributor covering the Minnesota Vikings and journalism graduate from the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities. Connect with him on Twitter @trevordsquire and join our Vikings community at