Homegrown Vikings WR Bolts for New Team in AFC

Chad Beebe

Getty Former Vikings wide receiver Chad Beebe signed with the Houston Texans on June 8.

Chad Beebe was a perennial contender for Mr. Mankato, an informal award given to a low-profile player with the potential to become a star coming out of Minnesota Vikings training camp.

Undrafted in 2018, Beebe spent four seasons as a bubble player, persevering through training camp cuts and practice-squad placements to become the Vikings’ No. 3 wide receiver in 2020.

Coming off his best season, Beebe suffered a foot injury in the 2021 preseason finale that required him to undergo surgery and ultimately led to his getting cut from the roster.

Beebe quietly recovered, but his era with the purple and gold officially came to a close last week when he signed elsewhere.

The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!

Join Heavy on Vikings!


Beebe Signs With Texans

On June 8, the Houston Texans announced that the team had signed Beebe, 28, likely giving him a one-year trial run.

Before injuring his foot, Beebe was coming off a career-best year in 2020. As the Vikings’ third receiver option behind Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, Beebe caught 20 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns — most notably a redemptive grab against the Carolina Panthers on November 29.

After muffing a punt return that led a Panthers touchdown, Beebe redeemed himself by catching a game-tying touchdown 46 seconds left in the game and setting up Dan Bailey‘s game-winning extra point. It was Beebe’s first NFL touchdown.

Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!

A developmental project by Minnesota’s former regime, Beebe showed flashes of playmaking ability in 2020, but his injury history proved too risky for the new Vikings regime. After being pulled up from the practice squad in 2018, Beebe missed five of eight remaining games with a hamstring injury.

He also missed the final 13 games of the 2019 regular season with an ankle injury.

The son of former Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Don Beebe, Chad will have a chance to continue his NFL career in Houston, while Minnesota’s offense enters a new era.


Vikings Skill Players Rank 2nd in NFC

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky recently ranked the Vikings’ skills players (running backs, tight ends and receivers) the second-best unit in the NFC — behind only the Los Angeles Rams’.

“The Minnesota Vikings quietly have a dominant skill group,” Orlovsky said on June 7. “Obviously, Justin Jefferson is not [just] one of the young best but one of the best receivers in football. Adding [Adam] Thielen, sure-handed as they come — Dalvin Cook is a tailback in not only that stretch zone scheme but is a pass-catching threat.

“I love K.J. Osborn, who came on as their No. 3 wide receiver of last year. And then Irv Smith gets to be that fifth pass-catching option for them as an offensive unit.”

While the Vikings’ skill players have made their names known while flirting with greatness over the past few years, newly hired head coach Kevin O’Connell could elevate this group to an even greater plane of respect in the NFL.

The Vikings offense with Kirk Cousins has 19th (2018), 8th (2019), 11th (2020) and 14th (2021) in points scored over the past four seasons that have seen a new offensive coordinator each year.

Read More
,