The past couple of days have been pretty rough for the Minnesota Vikings. They suffered a rough 22-6 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, and in the aftermath of that loss, it was revealed that two key pieces of their offense, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Aaron Jones, would have to miss time after suffering injuries against the Falcons.
With McCarthy and Jones out, Carson Wentz and Jordan Mason will take on bigger roles, but these aren’t the only two players the Vikings have lost this week. On Wednesday, it was revealed that the team also lost preseason standout Kahlef Hailassie after he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars to their active roster.
Vikings Lose Safety Kahlef Hailassie to the Jaguars
After not hearing his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft, Hailassie ended up signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. He didn’t make the team’s 53-man roster, as he was released as part of the team’s final roster cuts, but he ended up getting claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns.
Hailassie played sparingly as a rookie, racking up eight tackles and one pass deflection in nine games of action. The fact that he was on their active roster seemed to be a win, but midway through the 2024 campaign, Hailassie ended up getting released, only to return to Cleveland as a member of their practice squad.
Back in January, Hailassie signed a reserve/future contract with the Vikings, and while he put together a strong body of work over the summer, he got released and signed to the practice squad once again. However, Hailassie has gotten a unique new opportunity, as the Jaguars have signed him to their active roster in order to add some depth in their secondary.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed S Kahlef Hailassie,” the team announced on its official website on Wednesday.
Vikings Looking to Get Back on Track Amid Recent Injury Woes
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy talks with head coach Kevin O’Connell.
Losing Hailassie is a bit of a letdown for the Vikings, as the team was working on developing him behind the scenes in hopes that he could earn a role in their secondary in the future. Ultimately, Minnesota just didn’t have a need for him on the active roster, and after stringing together some strong performances in the preseason, Jacksonville has decided to take a flier on him to see if he can earn a depth role for himself in their secondary.
In the meantime, the Vikings will be working on drawing up a plan for their Week 3 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, who also have their own quarterback problems after it was revealed that Joe Burrow would miss three months with a turf toe injury. With that in mind, Minnesota has a shot at getting back on track after losing to Atlanta, even though McCarthy is not going to be on the field. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
Jaguars Steal Vikings Preseason Standout DB From Practice Squad