Courtesy of Vikings The Vikings "came very close" to trading running back Dalvin Cook to the Miami Dolphins in March, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported.
The Minnesota Vikings parted ways with a pair of veterans ahead of Tuesday’s 80-man roster deadline this preseason.
The Vikings cut veteran wide receiver Albert Wilson and waived defensive tackle Jullian Taylor on an injury designation on August 22, per a team release. Wilson and Taylor were both signed in the offseason as depth additions who could compete for a spot on the 53-man roster.
The Viking roster currently sits at 84 players with the addition of Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Nick Mullens. Minnesota must cut the roster to 80 players by Tuesday, followed by the final 53-man roster deadline on August 30.
Taylor, who did not play in Sunday’s preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, can be placed on the Vikings’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
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The #Vikings have waived/injured DL Jullian Taylor and released WR Albert Wilson.
Vikings Confident in Young WR Core
Wilson, who spent four years with the Kansas City Chiefs and another three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, was signed in June as a de-facto replacement for Dede Westbrook, last season’s punt returner.
Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson said that Wilson was signed after Westbrook turned down a deal with the Vikings. But with Wilson unable to win the punt returner job, his chances of making the 53-man roster were rendered moot.
“Wilson was signed after Westbrook turned down a contract offer but Wilson did not provide the punt-return option Westbrook has. So Wilson had little chance of making the 53 over some young WRs,” Tomasson tweeted.
Second-year wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette appears to have the fast lane to be the Vikings’ punt returner.
Cutting Wilson early allows him to make a roster elsewhere and also gives the remaining wide receivers more opportunities to be evaluated.
Minnesota’s top four receivers appear to be set in Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn and Smith Marsette. Bisi Johnson and Trishton Jackson should fill out a six-man receiver corps, followed by Dan Chisena, Myron Mitchell, Jalen Nailor and Blake Proehl who are on the bubble of making the practice squad.
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Vikings D-Line Loses Explosive Weapon in Taylor
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah brought in Taylor as a player he helped the San Francisco 49ers draft while on staff in San Francisco.
Taylor flashed promise despite an injury-filled college career. He tore his meniscus and ACL in the same knee in college, knocking him out of the 2016 season.
However, he flashed promise his senior year when successfully staying on the field. Taylor tallied 41 tackles and 11 tackles for loss in 12 games. It was a strong enough body of work to warrant the 49ers selecting Taylor 223rd overall in the 2018 draft.
At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, Taylor came out of college as a defensive end prospect but was coveted for his quick twitch at the line of scrimmage and taking the fight to the offensive line. At his best, Taylor has shown to be a disruptive force who can win hand battles, fill running lanes quickly and finish as an effective tackler.
His combination of height and explosiveness, testing above the 90th percentile in the broad jump and 10-yard split, per Mockdraftable, could have made him a reliable defensive end who could fill gaps, however, Taylor was still a long shot to make the roster.
It’s a longshot reclamation project for the Vikings, but Jullian Taylor had some upside before tearing his ACL. His athletic numbers were great coming out of Temple in 2018 and he showed some flashes with the 49ers.
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