Getty The Vikings released Ito Smith on Saturday, Aug. 28, spelling that Alexander Mattison will be ready for the regular season opener.
The Minnesota Vikings brass has begun making final roster cuts approaching Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.
Minnesota released former Atlanta Falcons running back Ito Smith, ex-Houston Texans center Cohl Cabral and undrafted rookie defensive tackle Zeandae Johnson (Cal) on Saturday. The trio all played in the Vikings’ preseason finale loss to the Kansas City Chiefs but didn’t present a strong enough case to supplant their competition.
The roster stands at 76 players following Saturday’s cuts, leaving 23 more cuts needed by Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline. Minnesota will then set a 16-man practice squad. The Vikings will likely sign primarily their own talent back and keep an eye on signing other teams’ players who did not make their respective 53-man rosters.
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Alexander Mattison, RB Injuries Not a Concern
There was concern surrounding backup running back Alexander Mattison, who suffered an injury in the team’s second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 21. He’s yet to practice since that game.
However, considering Smith’s release, the Vikings appear confident Mattison will be back in two weeks for the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Smith proved to be a training camp body for Minnesota, which needed more backs after Mattison joined fourth-round rookie Kene Nwangwu (Iowa State) on the sidelines. Nwangwu suffered a hyperextended knee in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.
Smith mustered just 35 yards on a team-high 11 touches against the Chiefs. He was outshined by undrafted rookie running back A.J. Rose Jr. (Kentucky), who took eight touches 61 yards for two touchdowns.
Rose Jr. is still considered a long shot to make the roster despite posting a respectable 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries through the preseason. Nwangwu holds an advantage over Rose as a special teams contributor in the return game.
At the very least, Rose has earned a stake on the practice squad if he clears waivers this week.
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Vikings Narrowing Depth on Offensive Line
Cabral was one of the few free-agency moves made for the offense this spring. He struggled in the preseason, tallying a 27.4 Pro Football Focus position grade, the worst of any offensive player in the preseason.
Mason Cole, traded from the Arizona Cardinals to the Vikings for a sixth-round pick, outperformed Cabral, posting a 77.9 PFF grade on 112 snaps at center. He’ll likely be the backup to third-year center Garrett Bradbury. Bradbury showed an encouraging improvement in pass protection in the preseason, posting an 81.6 PFF pass-blocking grade and 65.8 position grade overall on 30 snaps.
A walk-on at rookie minicamps, tackle Evin Ksiezarcyzk was cut on Aug. 22, narrowing the offensive tackle backups to Blake Brandel, Zack Bailey and first-round pick Christian Darrisaw — who has been inactive after undergoing a second surgery on a core muscle injury he played through his senior year.
The Athletic projected Dru Samia, Dakota Dozier, Kyle Hinton and Bailey to be the final cuts on the offensive line come Tuesday.