Getty Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings watches during warmups alongside quarterback Kirk Cousins prior to a game against the Chicago Bears in January 2023.
The Minnesota Vikings‘ release of N’Keal Harry late in the preseason proved to be nothing more than a “see you later.”
The Vikings signed Harry to the practice squad on September 4, releasing center Alan Ali to make room for the former first-round pick, per the league transaction wire.
Harry was having an impressive training camp before suffering a mild injury in warmups of the Vikings’ preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on August 19 derailed his camp.
He was released on August 24 before the final preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals when Minnesota learned that he could not play in the game.
The #Vikings have signed WR N’Keal Harry (@NkealHarry15) to the practice squad and released C Alan Ali from the practice squad.
N’Keal Harry Offers Size to Vikings WR Room
The 32nd overall pick by the New England Patriots in 2019, Harry has secured 64 receptions for 714 yards and five touchdowns in three seasons in New England and a year with the Chicago Bears.
At 6-foot-4, Harry is the largest wide receiver in the Vikings ranks and flashed his ability to make contested catches and be a reliable red-zone weapon this summer.
N’Keal Harry is a red zone THREAT!
Might be the missing piece in a loaded #Vikings WR room!
He was still a long shot to make the final roster, but he was definitely worthy of another week of evaluation, which he missed out on due to his injury.
Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor and Brandon Powell round out the receivers on the 53-man roster to start the season.
Harry joins Trishton Jackson, Lucky Jackson and Thayer Thomas on the practice squad.
Vikings Tight End Poached by the Packers
GettyFormer Vikings tight end Ben Sims brings in a reception during the 2023 preseason.
The NFL is rarely more active than the week of roster cuts where teams not only trim nearly half of their training camp roster but also assess a newly replenished free-agent pool after cutdown day and build a practice-squad roster.
If a player clears waivers without being claimed by another team, that player has the opportunity to be re-signed to their respective team’s practice squad.
Minnesota had its pick for the practice squad as all but one player who was cut signed with a new team last season.
Undrafted rookie tight end Ben Sims was in a meeting at the Vikings training facilities with other prospective practice-squad candidates when he was pulled out of the room and told the Green Bay Packers had signed him.
“One of our player-personnel people, he was like, ‘You just got claimed off waivers. You’ve got to go,” Sims said in a locker room interview in Green Bay after signing to the 53-man roster on Thursday. “I was like, ‘Where am I going?’ He said I was coming to Green Bay. So I grabbed my truck, packed my bags and drove here yesterday.”
Sims will have an opportunity to play right away in Green Bay. And while he moved across the border to a rival, he only had good things to say about Minnesota and a deep Vikings tight end room that had five players make an active roster this season.
“I was pleased with the way I was coached. I was pleased with the guys, the older (tight end) group in Minnesota, they let me lean on them a lot. So I was really fortunate to have a group of vets that really helped me and go out of their way to be there for me,” Sims said.