The Minnesota Vikings have signed a mainstay from last season’s offensive line to the active roster ahead of a crucial matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Minneapolis Sunday.
Guard Dakota Dozier started all 16 games for the Vikings last season before moving to the practice squad following the 2021 preseason. The 30-year-old has spent most of this year as a member of Minnesota’s practice group, though he has appeared in three of the Vikings’ 14 regular season games to this point, though only as a special teams player.
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Dozier was as reliable as offensive linemen come last season, playing every one of Minnesota’s 1,084 offensive snaps in 2020 on the team’s way to a 7-9 record and third place finish in the NFC North Division. He also lined up for 35% of the team’s snaps in 2019, starting in four games that season and appearing in some capacity across all 16 contests.
Dozier will back up Ezra Cleveland at the left guard position, per the Vikings depth chart. However, he could see snaps elsewhere should any injuries pop up as fellow backup lineman Olisaemeka Udoh is currently listed as the second-string right guard and the second-string left tackle.
Vikings Activate 4 From the Reserve/COVID-19 List Over Last 2 Days
GettyMinnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter is back after being sidelined by the league’s virus protocol.
Aside from the new addition of Dozier, the Vikings regular roster and practice squad were each bolstered Tuesday, December 21 with the activation of three players from the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
Second-string wide receiver Dede Westbrook and defensive end Danielle Hunter cleared the NFL’s virus protocol, as did practice squad wideout Trishton Jackson. Hunter, who is still suffering from an injury to his pectoral muscle, was re-designated to the injured reserve list
(IR) and will not play December 26 against the Rams.
On Wednesday, backup running back Alexander Mattison was also elevated back to active status after spending more than a week on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Chris Tomasson, of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, posted the update online.
#Vikings activate RB Alexander Mattison from the COVID-19 reserve list. Mattison is unvaccinated so he was ruled out 10 days after testing positive and his 10-day quarantine period is over.
“#Vikings activate RB Alexander Mattison from the COVID-19 reserve list,” Tomasson tweeted. “Mattison is unvaccinated so he was ruled out 10 days after testing positive and his 10-day quarantine period is over.”
Vikings Cut 2 Offensive Players Ahead of Rams Matchup
GettyMinnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
Minnesota also parted ways with a couple of players on their roster Tuesday. Running back A.J. Rose Jr. and wide receiver Darrius Shepherd were each cut from the team’s practice squad.
Shepherd’s departure was less of a surprise than was Rose’s, having joined the practice squad just a week before being let go. Rose, however, had a strong preseason. But his potential spot on the active roster was usurped by rookie Kene Nwangwu, a fourth-round selection out of Iowa State University in the 2021 NFL Draft. Then, last week, the Vikings picked up former New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons running back Wayne Gallman Jr., who currently occupies the fourth-string position on Minnesota’s 53-man depth chart.
The moves left Rose out in the cold and left the Vikings with little use for the ball carrier with just three games left in the regular season.
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Vikings Sign Former O-Line Starter, Activate Playmaking RB and 2 WRs