Sammis Reyes, one of the most athletically gifted tight ends to ever enter the NFL,
The Minnesota Vikings are eyeing to improve their tight-end room again.
In an offense that is moving toward more three-wide receiver, single-tight end sets, the Vikings sure are trying to find a bounty of unique weapons to their tight end arsenal.
The Vikings signed veteran Jacob Hollister on September 30 ahead of homegrown tight end Ben Ellefson suffering a groin injury that landed him on the injured reserve list, requiring a minimum four-game absence before Ellefson can be reactive to the roster.
In the meantime, Minnesota appears to be eyeing a move on a free-agent tight end, recently inviting three tight ends in for a workout on October 13: an old friend, a veteran from the Jacksonville Jaguars and one of the most athletic tight ends the league has ever seen.
Vikings Bring in Trio of TEs for Workout
On Thursday, October 13, the Vikings had three tight ends work out at practice: James O’Shaughnessy, Brandon Dillon (who spent three seasons with the Vikings previously) and Sammis Reyes, per the NFL transaction wire.
Reyes is an intriguing undrafted prospect coming out of the 2021 draft class. Reyes is the first native of Chile to play in the NFL and was previously a college basketball player and a prospect for the FIBA World Cup. Impressing scouts at an NFL International Player Pathways (IPP) event, he was signed by the Washington Commanders in 2021.
“I just looked at myself in the mirror one morning and I said: ‘I’m built for this. I should be in the NFL. I belong there,'” Reyes told Washington media when he was signed. “Not only do I know my physical attributes are special — I can jump 40 inches, I’m fast, I’m heavy, I’m 260 pounds — but the mental aspect of it. Everything that happened to me hardened my mindset, my mind, and it allowed myself to look inside and say: ‘Hey, you are built for this life. You are built for something that is not easy.'”
At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Reyes ran a 4.65 40-time and posted a 40-inch vertical. Fantasy Pros Thor Nystrom said Reyes is the “most-athletic size-adjusted TE” the NFL has ever seen, per Relative Athletic Score (RAS)system.
“A Chilean basketball player who briefly played hoops at Tulane recently tested as the most-athletic size-adjusted TE to ever enter the NFL, per the RAS system. And yes, that includes Kyle Pitts.” Nystrom tweeted in April 2021 with Reyes’ RAS results.
As the first Chilean-born player in NFL history, @SammisReyes is opening up doors for those who’ll come next
Reyes played in 11 games for the Commanders last season but dealt with injury throughout the offseason, leading to his release in August.
O’Shaughnessy is the most experienced workout. The 2015 fifth-round pick spent five of his seven years as a professional with the Jaguars, tallying 112 receptions for 1,108 yards and three touchdowns in seven seasons. O’Shaughnessy had his most productive season in 2020, securing 28 receptions for 262 yards in 15 games.
However, his greatest asset may be in pass-blocking. O’Shaughnessy has posted a Pro Football Focus (PFF) pass-blocking grade above 73.0 in four of the past six seasons.
Undrafted in 2019, Dillon spent the past three seasons with the Vikings before making brief stops with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets in 2021. He’s played in five career games, catching one pass for six yards.
No signing has followed, but Minnesota got a better look at the group and likely stuck a pin in the three tight ends for a potential call later this season.
Vikings Moving Forward With 2 TEs After Injury
Through the first four weeks, the Vikings had deployed three tight ends Irv Smith Jr., Johnny Mundt and Ellefson.
But after Ellefson landed on the injured reserve list, seventh-round rookie Nick Muse was elevated to the active roster over Hollister, who remains on the practice squad.
Muse didn’t play a single snap in Week 5, with Smith and Mundt leading the way in tight-end snaps. Muse was elevated likely for just a special teams role, while Smith and Mundt have taken their assumed roles as the top two tight ends.
That’s reassuring, especially for Smith, who came out of the gates slow after undergoing thumb surgery in August. Smith leads the tight-end group with 14 receptions, 25 targets, 133 yards and a touchdown.
It remains to be seen if Hollister will eventually work his way into a role on gameday, however, a source close to the Vikings told Heavy they could see the veteran tight end be “really productive” in the offense.
“I’m not sure Hollister is going to replace Smith,” a league source told Heavy senior NFL reporter Matt Lombardo. “But he definitely has the chance to get involved in and be really productive in that offense.”
Ellefson’s greatest value was as a run-blocker, which may be the skillset the Vikings are trying to fill in the short term.