- Vikings center Pat Elflein is currently dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries, but head coach Mike Zimmer recently said that the lineman wouldn’t begin the season on the PUP list. However, that might not end up being the case. Chris Tomasson of St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the organization is set to get a medical update on Elflein tomorrow. According to the reporter, the team now isn’t expecting the lineman to be ready for the start of the regular season. The center started all 14 games as a rookie last season. The Vikings recently traded for Brett Jones for some reinforcement at the position.
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The Giants have traded center Brett Jones to the Vikings in exchange for a 2019 draft pick, New York announced. New York will acquire a 2019 seventh-round choice, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.
Minnesota is in desperate need of help on the interior of its offensive line, as projected starting guard Nick Easton is already done for the season after undergoing neck surgery, while center Pat Elflein has been on the physically unable to perform list for the duration of training camp. Elflein is dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer says Elflein won’t begin the regular season on the PUP list, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
A former undrafted free agent, Jones started 13 games in place of the injured Weston Richburg a season ago. Jones, who joined the Giants in 2015 after spending time in the Canadian Football League, graded as the NFL’s No. 18 center among 37 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. However, the 26-year-old was expected to lose New York’s starting center job to Jon Halapio, making him expendable in the Giants’ view.
The Giants re-signed Jones this offseason on a one-year, $2.941MM second-round restricted free agent tender, and the Vikings will now assume the entirety of that contract. At last check, New York possessed only ~$1.5MM in cap space, so moving Jones and his salary off its books will give the club a little financial breathing room.
- Although Mackensie Alexander is battling an ankle injury, he is expected to start as the Vikings‘ slot corner — and “quarterback of the defense” in head coach Mike Zimmer‘s scheme — if he is healthy, as Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune reports. However, first-round rookie Mike Hughes — who is also battling an undisclosed injury — has been pushing for first-team reps, which is fairly remarkable when considering that he did not play in the slot in college. Hughes could overtake Alexander down the line, but in any case, Minnesota appears to be well-set at the position in the long-term. Alexander, a 2016 second-rounder, has made tremendous strides in his third summer with the club.
George Iloka‘s one-year deal with the Vikings is worth the league minimum for his experience level ($790K), according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Iloka signed a minimum salary benefit contract with Minnesota, meaning the club will take advantage of the veteran safety’s deal on their salary cap. While Iloka will actually collect $880K ($790K in base salary plus a $90K signing bonus), the Vikings will see only $630K — the league minimum for a player with two years experience — on their cap.
It’s a incredible bargain for a starting-caliber safety, even one that was released at this stage of the year. Stagnant safety market aside, Iloka likely could have found a better price elsewhere, but Schefter reports Iloka wanted to play for his former Bengals defensive coordinator and current Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.
Iloka figures to supplant Andrew Sendejo and start opposite Harrison Smith in the Vikings’ base defense, but all three safeties could conceivably see the field in sub packages.
It’s a done deal. On Wednesday, the Vikings announced the signing of safety George Iloka.
Iloka was released by the Bengals earlier this week, a move that seemingly came out of nowhere. While Cincinnati preferred to go with younger players in the secondary, plenty of other clubs expressed interest in the hard-hitting veteran. The Cowboys and Raiders both discussed signing Iloka, but he was ultimately drawn to Minnesota in order to reunite with coach Mike Zimmer.
Zimmer was Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator for Iloka’s first two seasons before Zimmer went to Minnesota in 2014. When Iloka became a starter in 2013 under Zimmer, the Bengals’ D ranked third in yards allowed per game (305.5) and tied for fifth in points allowed per game (19.1). His relationship with Zimmer nearly led him to sign with the Vikings as a free agent in 2016.
“If I was going there, I was going because of Zim,” Iloka told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press back in ’16. “I know what type of locker room he has there just by the type of coach he is.’’
The Vikings missed out on Iloka, but they did manage to re-sign strong safety Andrew Sendejo to a reasonably priced four-year, $16MM deal. Now, Iloka may take Sendejo’s place in the starting lineup.
This has been a tremendous offseason for the Vikings’ defense, and the team as a whole. In the last six moths, the club has signed quarterback Kirk Cousins, defensive lineman Sheldon Richardon, and now Iloka. They’ve also managed to extend key players such as defensive end Danielle Hunter, linebacker Eric Kendricks, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The last major item on the agenda is an extension with linebacker Anthony Barr, who says he badly wants to stay with the Vikings beyond the final year of his current deal.
Iloka has 76 career starts to his credit with nine career interceptions and two forced fumbles.
The Vikings will meet with free agent safety George Iloka on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). They also hear that a deal is likely to happen, which would make one of the league’s best defenses even better. 
Iloka and head coach Mike Zimmer have a relationship dating back to their days with the Bengals. If signed, Iloka may move from free safety to strong safety and supplant Andrew Sendejo in the starting lineup. With a starting safety tandem of Harrison Smith and Iloka and cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mike Hughes, the Vikings’ secondary would be especially tough for opposing quarterbacks.
Iloka, a 2012 fifth-round choice out of Boise State, was a fixture in the Bengals’ starting lineup for years. He has been quite durable as well, as he has played in 76 of a possible 80 regular season games and all three of the team’s playoff contests since 2013. Iloka isn’t an interception magnet, but he is a hard-hitting safety who can cover well in the middle of the field.
Last year, Iloka finished out with 79 total tackles and one interception. That was his second season at free safety after spending 2013-2015 at the strong safety position.
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: G Kyle Bosch
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: T Leon Johnson
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Bryce Jones
- Waived/injured: CB Josh Thornton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Nick DeLuca
- Placed on injured reserve: S Don Carey
- Waived/left squad: LB Brooks Ellis
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C Jacob Judd
- Claimed off waivers: RB Luke McNitt
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: WR Josh Huff
- Waived/injured: S Rickey Jefferson
New York Jets
- Waived: WR Jonah Trinnaman
Oakland Raiders
- Claimed off waivers: CB Antwuan Davis (Lions)
- Waived/injured: CB Tevin Mitchel
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived from injured reserve: S Terrell Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Matt Weiser
- Waived/injured: TE Colin Jeter
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Jeff Knox, LB Nyles Morgan, LB Deontae Skinner
- Waived: LB Brandon Chubb, LB Davond Dade, OL Matthew Diaz
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: FB Jalston Fowler, WR Julian Williams
- Waived: FB Luke McNitt, WR Taj Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed WR Cobi Hamilton
- Waived: RB Tion Green
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: FB Kobe McCrary, G Kareem Are
- Placed on IR: DE Ade Aruna
- Waived/Injured: OL Cedrick Lang, FB Johnny Stanton, TE Josiah Price
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Jhurell Pressley
- Waived/Injured: LB Thurston Armbrister
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT Jerel Worthy
- Waived/Injured: LB Shaheed Salmon
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Joshua Kalu
- Placed on IR: DB Kalan Reed
- The Vikings are in need of a guard after Nick Easton‘s neck surgery and Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN (on Twitter) wonders if Chargers offensive lineman Michael Schofield could be a fit. The Vikings made a claim for Schofield last September but lost out due to waiver priority. The Chargers expect to have Forrest Lamp back at 100%, so Schofield could be available via trade. The former third-round pick has appeared in 44 games for the Broncos and Chargers, including 35 starts over the last three years.
The Vikings’ kicking competition is over. The club has released Kai Forbath, according to a team announcement. The Vikings will now turn to rookie Daniel Carlson as their kicker. 
The Vikings traded up into the fifth round to draft Carlson in the spring, an indicator that a kicking change was in the cards. After months of impressive performances, the Vikings feel that the youngster is ready for the job.
Last year, Forbath converted 32 of his 38 field goal attempts and he nailed 34 of his 39 extra point tries. He was re-signed in March, but it was a low-cost deal with little or no guaranteed money, so the release won’t have any real effect on the Vikings’ cap.
Carlson, an Auburn product, converted 92 of 114 field goal tries (80.7%) over the course of his four-year collegiate career. He also nailed all 198 of his extra point tries.