DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans took a player the Minnesota Vikings were expected to be high on, as evidenced by their decision to use a draft pick on him: Gavin Gerhardt.
“The Houston Texans have signed the following players to the practice squad,” Houston announced via its official website on September 8, noting that Gerhardt and ex-Miami Dolphins QB Mark Gronowski are taking spots vacated by Dominic Bailey and Ka’ena De Cambra.
The Texans, a Super Bowl contender this season, also announced the move with a post on X.
The Vikings selected Gerhardt in the seventh round with the 235th overall pick of the 2026 draft. The pick sparked a perception that he could eventually develop into a starting option at the pivot.
Vikings Lose Chance to Bring Gavin Gerhardt Back to Practice Squad
If head coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings want to bring Gerhardt back, they would need to sign him from the Texans’ practice squad to their 53-man roster, barring a change in his current situation.
“The Vikings addressed a key need with their final pick of the draft,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote in April. “The retirement of Ryan Kelly left the starting job open heading into this offseason, and the Vikings had hoped to land a center earlier than this point. But that’s the way the board fell, and Gerhardt will go to camp with two veterans who shared the load last season when Kelly was injured: Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens. Brandel remains the favorite for the job, at least heading into the start of offseason workouts.”
The Vikings initially waived Gerhardt one day after the cutdown deadline.
That improved the odds of Gerhardt clearing waivers. It allowed the Vikings to re-sign him to their practice squad, which they did.
The Vikings released Gerhardt from their practice squad on September 2 amid a flurry of other moves. Notably, the Vikings signed former Texans defensive tackle Naquan Jones on September 1. The two teams essentially swapped reserve linemen from opposite sides of the ball.
“The Vikings are drafting Cincy C Gavin Gerhardt with the No. 235 pick. One of the lowest allowed pressure rates on true dropbacks among college C’s,” The Athletic’s Alec Lewis posted on X in April in reaction to the selection. “He’s 6-foot-4, 310. 49 college starts, tons of snaps. Helped anchor a line that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.”
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