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Browns Claim QB Kellen Mond

August 31st, 2022 at 11:38am CST by Sam Robinson

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.

Vikings Move Down To 53

August 30th, 2022 at 11:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Vikings finalized their initial 53-man roster Tuesday:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Beyond the previously covered quarterback situation, the Watts departure is Minnesota’s most notable cut. The 2019 sixth-round pick started nine games last season, moving into the lineup after Michael Pierce‘s injury. The Vikings cut Pierce this offseason, though Watts did not profile as a pure nose tackle. He was also drafted to play in a different scheme.

Minnesota hired a new DC this offseason (Ed Donatell), and the team acquired former Texans second-round defensive tackle pick Ross Blacklock on Tuesday. The Vikes had also added veteran Jonathan Bullard this offseason. These moves appear to have affected Watts’ status, as does the Vikings keeping only six D-linemen. They retained 10 after 2021’s cutdown day. Some of the changes can be attributed to classification, with edge defenders classified as outside linebackers in 3-4 sets. Watts also carried a $2.5MM cap charge, allowing Minnesota to save some decent money.

The Davis cut represents a quick bailout on a 2021 third-round pick. One of two guard Davises the Vikes shipped out Tuesday (along with Jesse, whom they traded to the Steelers), Wyatt — an Ohio State alum — played in six games last season and did not log an offensive snap. In addition to drafting Ed Ingram in the second round this year, the Vikings signed veteran interior linemen Chris Reed and Austin Schlottmann.

Steelers To Acquire OL Jesse Davis From Vikings

August 30th, 2022 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another trade for the Steelers is going down. Hours after acquiring Malik Reed from the Broncos, the Steelers are landing Jesse Davis from the Vikings, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter).

Davis had seen second-round rookie Ed Ingram move into position to leapfrog him on the Vikes’ depth chart. The veteran will head to a team with more questions up front. Pittsburgh also released veteran O-lineman Joe Haeg on Tuesday, Garafolo adds (on Twitter). The Steelers will send a conditional 2025 seventh-rounder to the Vikings, Rapoport tweets.

Minnesota signed Davis earlier this year, bringing him in on a one-year deal worth $3MM ($2.75MM guaranteed). The Vikings also signed former Colts and Panthers blocker Chris Reed and drafted Ingram. While Davis began Vikings training camp as the frontrunner to start at right guard, Ingram progressed to the point the team did not require a stopgap.

This marks another Steelers move to land an ex-Viking (technically) O-lineman. Although Davis did not end up playing with the Vikings, ex-Minnesota center Mason Cole is positioned to start in Pittsburgh. So is ex-Bears guard James Daniels. The Steelers had held a Kevin Dotson–Kendrick Green competition at left guard, with Dotson expected to keep his job. Davis does bring veteran insurance, having spent extensive time at both guard and tackle in Miami. It would also not surprise if he is starting for the Steelers soon. That has been his primary role.

Davis, who turns 31 next month, has been a starter for the past five seasons. Although he spent time on practice squads prior to making a leap into Miami’s front five in 2017, the former UDFA has made 72 starts in that span. He worked as Ja’Wuan James‘ primary successor at right tackle in recent years but played alongside James at right guard as well. The Dolphins used Davis at left tackle at points as well, but the right side represented his primary domain.

Vikings To Acquire DT Ross Blacklock From Texans

August 30th, 2022 at 2:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former second-round pick Ross Blacklock is changing teams. The Texans are trading the third-year defensive tackle to the Vikings, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Acquired prior to the Nick Caserio regime taking over, Blacklock will head to Minnesota with two years left on his rookie deal. Blacklock could not carve out a starting role in Houston and will likely be better remembered for being taken with the pick acquired in the 2020 DeAndre Hopkins trade.

This is a pick-swap trade. The Texans will land a sixth-round pick for Blacklock and a seventh, Pelissero adds (on Twitter). The TCU product did not play in the Texans’ final preseason game, having suffered a leg injury. Blacklock was on Houston’s roster bubble coming into Tuesday, but the team managed to land a late-round asset instead of sending him to the waiver wire.

Blacklock, 24, started just three games with the Texans. Sixth-rounder Roy Lopez had moved ahead of him last season. Blacklock did register two sacks, a forced fumble and six quarterback hits in 2021, indicating a glimmer of potential as he heads north.

This does put a bow on the Hopkins haul for Houston. The Texans stunned the football world by dealing their perennial Pro Bowl wideout to the Cardinals for David Johnson and a second-round pick. Houston also obtained a 2021 fourth in that deal, but the primary additions from the widely panned Bill O’Brien-era deal (Johnson and Blacklock) are no longer with the team.

The Vikings are shifting to a 3-4 scheme for the first time in decades, and they now have another piece — one that played in a 3-4 base in Houston — to go along with UFA addition Harrison Phillips and 2021 signing Dalvin Tomlinson, among others. While Tomlinson and Phillips will be Vikings starters, Blacklock will seemingly fill in as a rotational presence.

Vikings To Cut Kellen Mond, Sean Mannion

August 30th, 2022 at 12:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

12:45pm: Mannion also received word he has been cut, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. This leaves only Cousins and Mullens at quarterback on Minnesota’s roster. Unlike Mond, however, it appears Mannion has a chance to come back. The Vikings would like Mannion to be their practice squad QB, per Tomasson. As a vested veteran, Mannion does not need to pass through waivers. He can join Minnesota’s practice squad as soon as Wednesday.

10:30am: The Vikings are in line to sort out their crowded quarterback room. The team is waiving Kellen Mond, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).

Minnesota drafted the Texas A&M product in the third round last year, setting him up as a potential Kirk Cousins successor. The interest shown by the Texans in the draft process demonstrated how he was regarded coming out of college.

In his final season with the Aggies, Mond set a new career-mark in completion percentage (63.3%), and passer rating (146.9). While not known for his mobility, he added 294 yards and four touchdowns on the ground as well, cementing his status as a Day 2 candidate. After just one NFL season – during which he made one appearance – though, his future is now far more uncertain than his age and draft status would imply.

The Vikings spent training camp splitting reps evenly between Mond and veteran Sean Mannion. That competition alone left the former in danger of being left off the 53-man roster, but another recent move left him in that position to an even greater extent. The Vikings traded for Nick Mullens, who was himself displaced as a backup by Jarrett Stidham in Vegas.

With Mond on waivers, the Vikings (now led by GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) are content to move forward with Cousins and Mullens at the top of the depth chart. Mannion, meanwhile, is now without competition for the No. 3 role.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/22

August 29th, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have until 3pm Tuesday to slash their rosters from 80 to 53 players. Here are the Monday moves teams are making en route to doing so. The list will be updated throughout the day.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Vikings Open To Trading Alexander Mattison

August 29th, 2022 at 12:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Dalvin Cook signed to a lucrative extension, his veteran backup may not be in the Vikings’ post-2022 plans. Alexander Mattison might not be in Minnesota’s plans for this season, with the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson noting the team is open to trading him (Twitter link).

At least 12 teams have called on the fourth-year running back, Tomasson adds (via Twitter). That would create value here, but the Vikings also like the 215-pound back as their primary backup behind Cook. While it may not be easy to pry Mattison away, this is now a situation to monitor.

No extension talks between Mattison and the Vikings have taken place. Considering the money tied to Cook ($12.6MM AAV), it is unsurprising a regime that did not draft Mattison would view him as replaceable long-term. Making just $965K in 2022, Mattison is going into a contract year.

Cook’s backup is interested in becoming a starter, per Tomasson. While a trade is not certain, Mattison leaving as a 2023 free agent in an effort to forge a clearer pathway to a starting gig would make sense for the former third-round pick. Mattison, 24, has spelled the oft-injured Cook at points during each of the Vikings’ past three seasons and accounted himself fairly well during that span.

Mattison has surpassed 400 rushing yards in each of his three NFL slates; he averaged more than 4.5 yards per carry in 2019 and ’20 and scored a career-high four touchdowns in 2021. The Boise State product has three 100-yard games on his resume over the past two years.

Running back value has obviously nosedived over the past several years, but it would be interesting to see how Mattison would fare away from Cook’s shadow. The Vikings may also prioritize the insurance Mattison provides, however, making a deal tougher to complete.

Despite Minnesota hiring a new GM-HC combo (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell), the team’s offense did not change much, personnel-wise, this offseason. The Vikings should be in the mix to vie for a playoff spot, and Mattison — considering Cook’s history with minor injuries — has proven to help past Minnesota editions. The team does roster second-year back Kene Nwangwu (13 carries, 61 yards as a rookie) and used a fifth-rounder this year on Ty Chandler.

Ed Ingram Moving Toward Starting Job

August 28th, 2022 at 10:17pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Vikings are on the verge of having five homegrown first- or second-round picks as O-line starters. Second-round rookie Ed Ingram is “trending” toward being the Vikes’ right guard starter, Kevin O’Connell said (via the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson). Although Minnesota signed Jesse Davis and Chris Reed as potential stopgaps, Ingram has impressed since moving to first-team duty during camp. Ingram worked with Minnesota’s first team in joint practices against San Francisco, with Davis — who had taken some days off to rest a surgically repaired knee — shifting to the second team, Tomasson adds. Ingram was also held out of the Vikings’ preseason finale Saturday, and while O’Connell stopped short of locking the LSU product into the lineup, that is the likely scenario. Ingram would join 2021 first-rounder Christian Darrisaw, 2020 second-rounder Ezra Cleveland, 2019 first-rounder Garrett Bradbury and 2018 second-rounder Brian O’Neill on a fully homegrown Vikings line.

Vikings WR Olabisi Johnson Suffers Torn ACL

August 28th, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

For the second consecutive year, Olabisi Johnson has suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Vikings wideout tore his ACL, as confirmed (on Twitter) by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. 

The injury occurred during Minnesota’s preseason finale, and affects the other knee than the one which caused him to miss the 2021 campaign. That comes as small consolation given the fact that the 25-year-old will have to begin the recovery process over again, after putting together an impressive training camp.

A seventh-round pick in 2019, Johnson started six games as a rookie. With a statline of 31/294/3, he showed plenty of potential, raising expectations for his second season. He remained healthy in 2020, but saw a drop in production. Nevertheless, last season’s injury was a major blow to his development, especially in the context of this latest one. The Colorado State alum will now head towards free agency at the end of his rookie contract having missed two full campaigns by the time it expires.

The Vikings will still have one of the league’s most dangerous WR duos in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, of course; K.J. Osborn represents an intriguing third option at the position as well. Still, head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s impressions of Johnson will make his absence a notable one for the team’s offense.

Along with Johnson, defensive tackle T.Y. McGill suffered an injury last night. Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets that the 29-year-old has a right ankle sprain, and will miss one or two weeks.

Vikings Release P Jordan Berry

August 25th, 2022 at 1:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings appear to have settled their punting competition. The team announced a pair of moves on Monday which includes the release of veteran Jordan Berry. 

The 31-year-old Australian went undrafted in 2014, but it wasn’t until the following season that he made his debut with the Steelers. He played in Pittsburgh for six seasons straight, with the exception of a brief stretch to begin the 2020 campaign. Overall, he averaged 44.4 yards per punt during his time there.

Last offseason, though, the Steelers permanently parted ways with Berry, turning instead to Pressley Harvin III. The led him to the Vikings, where he set a new career-high in gross average at 46.5 yards per punt. In spite of that, Minnesota will now turn to undrafted rookie Ryan Wright as their punter and holder. The Tulane alum punted 51 times last season, and set a new personal mark at an average of 47.5 yards.

As Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes (on Twitter), the fact that Wright carries a slightly lower cap hit ($707K compared to Berry’s $895K) and that he is nine years younger likely pointed the Vikings in the former’s direction. Wright will continue the recent tradition of introducing new punters on a near-annual basis in Minnesota, while Berry will once again look to find a new spot just before the start of the campaign.

With the roster spot opened up by Berry’s release, the Vikings brought back corner Tye Smith. The 29-year-old made five appearances with Minnesota last season, spending the rest of the campaign on the practice squad. He was among the team’s first round of roster cuts, but will now return for at least the immediate future.

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