Getty Jacob Hollister celebrates after catching a touchdown against the Washington Football Team.
The Minnesota Vikings made an intriguing addition to their tight-end room on Tuesday.
Minnesota released cornerback Parry Nickerson to make room for veteran tight end Jacob Hollister on the practice squad. But Hollister isn’t the prototype practice-squad player kept for his upside.
Hollister, 28, is a proven veteran, boasting 83 receptions for 707 yards and seven touchdowns in five seasons as a pro. That’s more than any member of the Vikings tight end group, including starter Irv Smith Jr.
Hollister was with the Las Vegas Raiders but was placed on injured reserve and released after final cuts.
Four of the five tight ends in the Vikings organization are on one-year deals with the addition of Mundt. It remains to be seen who the Vikings will keep next offseason, however, there’s officially more competition.
The #Vikings have signed TE Jacob Hollister (@hollister_jacob) to the practice squad and released CB Parry Nickerson from the practice squad.
Crowded Tight-End Room in Minnesota
With the addition of Hollister, Minnesota has five tight ends at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.
Johnny Mundt, Ben Ellefson and Smith are on the active roster, while Hollister and seventh-round rookie Nick Muse are on the practice squad. That order could see a shake-up soon with none of three active tight ends taking a dominant role in the offense.
So far this season, Mundt leads the tight end room with 96 offensive snaps, followed by Smith (coming back from a thumb injury) with 90 offensive snaps and Ellefson with 33 snaps. In the first year under head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have shifted to more 11 personnel sets on offense, deploying three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end.
That spells fewer opportunities in the tight end room after years of Minnesota running often with two tight ends on the field.
Smith remains the primary receiving threat, running 25 routes and seeing six targets on Kirk Cousins‘ 42 dropbacks in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions. Mundt ran just seven routes and saw two targets, while Ellefson ran three routes and saw two targets.
Irv Smith Jr. Could See More Competition for Catches Amid Contract Year
Smith’s had a slow start to the season, marred by a drop in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Amid a contract year, Smith has to prove himself to the new regime, who otherwise could cut weight with the former second-round pick to pick up draft capital before the trade deadline.
That’s where Hollister comes in.
Hollister at his most productive caught 41 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. He’s shown to be more of a receiving threat with blazing 4.64 40-speed. If he emerges as a receiving threat in the Vikings offense, Hollister could create a dilemma of whether to get rid of Smith or not.
That could come down to how the Vikings (2-1) feel about their chances to make a postseason push by the November 1 trade deadline. If Minnesota believes it’s the right year to make a push, Smith likely stays.
However, next offseason, Minnesota will be up against the cap and may not be able to afford to sign Smith to a second contract, making a trade a viable option to recover some draft capital before he walks.