Getty The Vikings signed Damion Ratley (left) and Darrius Shepherd on Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
The Minnesota Vikings offense is already missing Adam Thielen, who’s currently ailing from a high-ankle sprain and is considered week-to-week.
But a recent COVID-19 scourge has hit the offense’s depth with backup running back Alexander Mattison and wide receivers Dede Westbrook and Dan Chisena placed on the team’s COVID-19 reserve list.
Minnesota signed veteran receivers Damion Ratley, a fourth-year veteran and Darrius Shepherd, in his third season, to the practice squad on Wednesday to alleviate the team’s lack of depth at the moment.
The Vikings currently have three healthy wide receivers on the active roster in Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn and fourth-round rookie Ihimir Smith-Marsette.
The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
Vikings Are the Most Afflicted Team by COVID-19 in NFL
Seven players within the organization have been placed on their respective COVID-19 reserve lists in the past two days.
Running back A.J. Rose Jr., wide receiver Trishton Jackson and guard Kyle Hinton all landed on the practice-squad reserve list this week. Danielle Hunter, out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, was moved from the injures reserve list to a COVID-19 reserve list.
Since Nov. 4, Minnesota has placed 17 players on the COVID-19 reserve list. No team has had more placements on the list in that span than the Vikings, which entered the season with the lowest vaccinate rate in the league, per The Athletic‘s Chadd Graff.
Mattison has already been ruled out of Monday’s primetime matchup with the Chicago Bears, while the remaining players on the COVID-19 reserve list are in limbo until they produce back-to-back negative tests within a 24-hour window, per league protocols.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!
New Vikings Have a Chance to Play
The Vikings currently have Ratley and Shepherd and Myron Mitchell on their practice squad and could call on any of the three to dress on Monday.
Ratley, a sixth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, was waived by the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 16 but is the most experienced of the trio. He’s caught 29 passes for 407 yards and a touchdown in 31 career games. He hasn’t seen the field yet this season.
Shepherd served as a return specialist for the Green Bay Packers for the past two seasons. With Westbrook out, Minnesota needs a new punt-return man.
Smith-Marsette and fellow fourth-round rookie Kene Nwangwu both took punt returns during training camp but have been primarily the team’s kick-returning duo this season.
Depending on how recently signed running back Wayne Gallman fits into this week’s gameplan, Nwangwu may see an elevated role in the offense this week in Mattison’s stead.
Nwangwu and Gallman are the only two running backs besides Dalvin Cook in the Vikings organization. Nwangwu, who has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season, is a threat every time he touches the ball and could prove too valuable to remove from special teams.
Gallman is a veteran running back who fits well in the Vikings scheme.
“He’s a guy we liked coming out of college and he’s had quite a few carries in the league,” coach Mike Zimmer said, per Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson.