Minnesota Vikings News & Rumors

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/6/22

Here are today’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/22

As Week 1 practices begin, here are the latest updates to teams’ 16-man practice squads:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers:

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

A former Washington starter and the primary Atlanta cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell last season, Moreau has experience playing both the slot and outside. The former third-round pick signed with the Texans earlier this offseason but did not make their 53-man roster.

The Lions attempted to keep David Blough by offering the Hard Knocks cast member a spot on their practice squad, but the three-year Detroit backup opted to head to Minnesota. He is currently on the Vikings’ 16-man taxi squad. A previous Aaron Rodgers backup, Boyle signed with the Lions last year.

Despite being a former second-round pick, Blair did not make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster this year. Knee injuries have sidelined him for most of the past two seasons. Seattle had stopped using Blair as a nickel, his primary role when on the field with the team that drafted him, during training camp.

Included as part of a 2019 trade that sent Marcus Peters to Baltimore, Young was also traded from the Rams to the Broncos last year. He started all 13 games he played in 2021 — seven as a Ram, six as a Bronco — and helped Denver fill the void created by Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell‘s season-ending injuries. Young spent most of this offseason with the Raiders but did not make their roster.

Latest On Vikings Rookies Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth

The Vikings used their top two selections in this year’s draft to bolster their secondary, though the prospects they landed may not be seeing major snaps right away. According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, neither safety Lewis Cine nor cornerback Andrew Booth are likely to play starting roles to begin the season. 

Cine went No. 32 overall, the slot Minnesota took over as a result of their swap with the Lions which allowed Detroit to move up to the 12th position. The fifth and final member of Georgia’s elite defense to hear their name called on Day 1, Cine was a key contributor on the backend for the Bulldogs throughout his three-year college career.

Taking a step forward with each successive campaign, the six-foot-one, 200-pounder totaled 73 tackles last season, adding an interception and nine pass breakups. Known more for his physicality than his range or ball skills (dropping him below the likes of Kyle Hamilton and Daxton Hill in the position’s draft rankings), Cine has been competing with 2021 fourth-rounder Camryn Bynum for a first-team role. It appears the latter will get the nod to partner with Harrison Smith at least to start the season.

Booth was also selected in the wake of a trade, but in his case, the Vikings moved up to secure him. Hernia surgery may have hurt his draft stock, as he was considered a borderline first-rounder, but the Clemson product is healthy in time for Week 1. He registered 37 tackles (including three for a loss), along with five passes defensed in his final year with the Tigers.

He also ranked tied for second in the ACC with three interceptions, showcasing his ball skills which, combined with his athletic profile, give him a high upside. Instead of Booth, though, the Vikings are poised to use 2020 third-rounder Cameron Dantzler (who almost found himself being traded last offseason) as a bookend to Patrick Peterson on the perimeter.

The Vikings’ pass defense ranked 28th last season, allowing 253 yards per game through the air. While that makes their commitments to Cine and Booth understandable, familiar faces will prevent them from seeing full-time duty to start their respective careers.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/1/22

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: TE Anthony Firkser, TE Tucker Fisk, CB Ka’Dar Hollman

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR Lynn Bowden Jr.

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: LB Davion Taylor

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/22

Teams continue to tinker with their rosters after hundreds of players were cut earlier this week. We’ve tracked all of today’s minor moves below:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Latest On Jets WR Denzel Mims

Despite his trade request last week, wideout Denzel Mims remained on the Jets as teams set their 53-man rosters. Speaking with reporters today, Mims expressed frustration at his situation and reiterated his desire to start.

“I feel like I already pretty much [showed I could start], from OTAs until now,” Mims said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “I mean, they’re pretty set on who they want.

“I feel like, yeah, I feel like [the coaches] have made their mind up, honestly. But I feel like I can change their mind on that. I feel like I’ve been doing that. Their minds are pretty made up, though.”

Mims also mentioned that he expects to be inactive for the Jets Week 1 contest against the Ravens, and he noted that he doesn’t have any issues playing special teams. However, the receiver made it clear that he wants to play, something that probably won’t be possible when he’s behind a deep wide receiver group of Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios, and rookie Garrett Wilson. Those frustrations have led the organization to surmise that Mims doesn’t necessarily want to play elsewhere.

“I wouldn’t say he wants to be somewhere else; he wants to play,” GM Joe Douglas said. “He wants to start. Denzel is very confident. He has voiced that, that he wants to be a starter. Ultimately, you want a team full of guys that feel like they should be the No. 1 guy.”

While the Jets didn’t end up trading the former second-round pick, they still fielded calls on the wideout. According to Connor Hughes of SNYtv (on Twitter), the Vikings, Cowboys, Seahawks, and Panthers were among the teams that reached out to the Jets. However, New York was seeking a fourth-round pick in return for the receiver, and no team was willing to meet that asking price.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BearsLions, Packers and Vikings moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Chicago Bears

Claimed:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Detroit Lions

Claimed:

Waived:

Released from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Green Bay Packers

Signed:

Waived: 

Signed to practice squad:

Minnesota Vikings

Waived:

Eagles To Trade WR Jalen Reagor To Vikings

Despite Jalen Reagor ending up on the Eagles’ 53-man roster Tuesday, he will not play a third season with the team. The Vikings will acquire the former first-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Philly is parting ways with the third-year wideout for a 2023 seventh-round pick and a conditional 2024 pick. The latter selection will either be a fourth- or fifth-rounder. Reagor came up in trade rumors fairly consistently this offseason, and the Eagles are moving on. Two years remain on Reagor’s rookie deal.

[RELATED: Eagles Acquire DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson From Saints]

Two years ago, the Eagles faced a decision between TCU’s Reagor and LSU’s Justin Jefferson. The room was believed to be split, but Reagor won out. The Vikings took Jefferson. That move worked out pretty well. Minnesota, which has seen Jefferson rocket to the Pro Bowl tier quickly, now has both the 2020 first-rounders.

Reagor will be expected to fill in behind the likes of Jefferson and Adam Thielen. The Vikings also have 2020 draftee K.J. Osborn, who is ticketed to again be their No. 3 wideout. The Vikings did just lose Bisi Johnson to a season-ending ACL tear.

Although Reagor showed some promise in his third Eagles training camp, he has come in far below expectations during game action. Reagor failed to exceed 400 receiving yards in each of his two seasons, missing time with an injury as a rookie and seeing the Eagles add at the position (DeVonta Smith) and shift to a run-heavy attack in 2021. Philly made a considerable effort to upgrade its receiving corps this year. After pursuing Christian Kirk and Allen Robinson, the Eagles acquired A.J. Brown during the draft and gave him a monster guarantee. The addition of former Nick Sirianni Colts charge Zach Pascal may have made a bigger impact on Reagor’s standing.

For his career, Reagor has 64 receptions for 699 yards and three touchdowns. Inconsistency has plagued the second-generation NFLer, however, and the Vikings will try to coax supporting-cast production from the once-coveted Big 12 prospect. Reagor, 23, delivered his best college season as a sophomore — a 1,061-yard, nine-touchdown campaign — before posting 611 yards in 12 junior-year games. The 5-foot-11 talent, who ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the 2020 Combine, still became a top receiver prize in a loaded draft, going 21st overall.

Teetering on the bust cliff, Reagor should at least enjoy a friendlier situation in Minnesota. Carson Wentz struggled mightily during his final Philly season, and Jalen Hurts‘ first starter year turned the Eagles into a smashmouth force. Kirk Cousins certainly is not a top-tier quarterback, but he has proven more consistent as a passer than the QBs Reagor has played with as an Eagle. New Vikes HC Kevin O’Connell will attempt to salvage the downtrodden target.

Seahawks Plan To Add QB Sean Mannion To Practice Squad

Sean Mannion spent part of last year’s training camp with the Seahawks, and the veteran backup quarterback agreed to return to the team Wednesday.

Seattle is adding the recent Minnesota backup to its practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Vikings had shown interest in keeping Mannion on their P-squad, but the team essentially demoted him by trading for Nick Mullens this month. Mullens made Minnesota’s active roster, while Mannion and 2021 third-rounder Kellen Mond were cut Tuesday.

The Seahawks cut Mannion last year, and he found his way back to the Vikings’ QB2 role. But this partnership looks a bit different a year later. Going into their 2021 preseason, the Seahawks had Russell Wilson still riding a nine-season run of perfect attendance. Wilson, who missed his first NFL games last season, is now with the Broncos. Despite being connected to Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, the Seahawks are planning to use Geno Smith as their starter.

Wilson’s former backup beat out Drew Lock for the starting gig. Mannion would stand to step in behind this duo, though the Seahawks also cut Jacob Eason on Tuesday. Eason, a Washington alum, caught on with the team via an October 2021 waiver claim.

Despite being a former third-round pick, Mannion has never made inroads to being a starter in the NFL. He backed up Jared Goff primarily with the Rams and played behind Kirk Cousins with the Vikings. Mannion, 30, has started three career games. Two of those came in meaningless Week 17 situations; the third came after Cousins tested positive for COVID-19 last season. The Oregon State alum holds a 61% career completion rate but has one TD pass compared to three INTs.

Browns Claim QB Kellen Mond

Ahead of what will be a historically unusual quarterback season in Cleveland, the Browns added a recent Day 2 pick to their equation. Kellen Mond will head to Cleveland as a waiver claim, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

The Vikings waived the 2021 third-round pick Tuesday, but Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes the team was planning to bring him back on its practice squad if he cleared waivers (Twitter link). The Browns interrupted that process and are adding the Texas A&M product to an active roster that features Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs.

Mond did not particularly impress the Vikings regime that drafted him, and his issues this offseason undoubtedly led the new Minnesota staff to trade for Nick Mullens. The Browns are offering another developmental opportunity. Brissett is in place as the fill-in for Deshaun Watson, whose 11-game suspension began Tuesday, and Dobbs beat out Josh Rosen for the backup job. Mond will be in place to train behind the veterans.

In his final season with the Aggies, Mond set a new career-high mark in completion percentage (63.3%), and passer rating (146.9). The multiyear Aggies starter, however, only came to Minnesota after the team’s push to trade up for Justin Fields failed. Despite Mond’s draft status, the Vikings still brought back veteran backup Sean Mannion this offseason. He and Mond split reps in camp, leading to the Mullens trade. Mullens spent last season with the Browns.