Vikings Work Out RB Stevan Ridley
In need of help at the running back position, the Vikings worked out free agents Stevan Ridley, Bobby Rainey, Troymaine Pope, and Josh Rounds, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
At present, the Vikings have only two running backs on their roster after placing rookie Dalvin Cook — who suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 — on injured reserve. Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon will presumably split time in Minnesota’s backfield, while fullback C.J. Ham is also capable of playing tailback. While the Vikings could hypothetically promote Bronson Hill from their practice squad, one of the above free agents could give the club another option.
Ridley, of course, is most well-known for his four-year run with the Patriots, especially his 2012 campaign in which he totaled more than 1,200 yards on the ground and 12 rushing touchdowns. Injuries have sapped much of the now 28-year-old’s value since then, however, and Ridley has become something of a journeyman. He’s been employed by the Jets, Lions, Colts, Falcons, and — most recently — Broncos since 2015.
Rainey doesn’t quite rival Ridley’s history in terms of changing teams, but he’s been with five teams since entering the league in 2012. Typically used a passing back, Rainey spent the 2016 season with the Giants and was utilized heavily on special teams. He signed with the Ravens earlier this year, but couldn’t make it through final roster cutdowns.
Pope, 23, went undrafted out of Jacksonville State in 2016 and has since spent his NFL career with the Jets and Seahawks. In four career games, Pope has managed 12 carries for 44 yards and one reception for five yards. This year, Pope was part of the Colts’ offseason roster and also saw a few days of action on the club’s practice squad. The Vikings aren’t the only team interested in Pope, as he also has a workout scheduled with the Chargers, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook Done For Season
It’s official – Dalvin Cook‘s season is over. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer confirmed to reporters on Monday that Cook will be shut down with a torn ACL. 
The Vikings feared the worst when Cook exited Sunday’s game against the Vikings. The rookie running back went down without contact mid-stride, so a fully torn ACL was the most likely culprit from the get-go.
Although Zimmer called this a fairly standard ACL injury, the fourth-year Vikings coach said there added there could be damage to Cook’s meniscus along with some cartilage damage, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets.
Cook was averaging 4.7 yards per carry heading into Week 4 and had 10 catches for 82 yards through the air. The Vikings may not be able to replace his production, but they do have internal options to draw from. Latavius Murray, who was the presumptive starter when he signed a three-year, $15MM free agent deal with the Vikings in March, now figures to be the top tailback. The athletic Jerick McKinnon is also on the roster and Bronson Hill could be bumped up from the practice squad for depth.
At Florida State, Cook was the only player to rush for more than 4,000 yards in three ACC seasons in conference history. His future is still bright, but he’ll first have to traverse a long road to recovery between now and September 2018.
Vikings Fear RB Dalvin Cook Has Torn ACL
Vikings rookie running back Dalvin Cook is believed to have suffered a nearly complete ACL tear, according to Ian Rapoport of and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). An MRI on Monday will confirm the severity of Cook’s knee issue.
Cook has been revelation for Minnesota since the Vikings traded up to acquire him in the second round of the 2017 draft. The Florida State product had averaged 4.7 yards per carry heading into Week 4, and had also added 10 receptions for 82 yards through the air. Cook’s only real negative had been his pass-blocking, as he ranked No. 27 among 28 qualifiers in that capacity, per Pro Football Focus. All told, Cook had been on the field for roughly 70% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps.
If Cook is lost for the season, Minnesota does have internal options readily available. Veteran Latavius Murray signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Vikings in March, but has barely seen the field thanks to Cook’s presence. He offers experience, however, as he’s toted the ball more than 550 times in his NFL career. Jerick McKinnon is on the roster, too, and would presumably take over third-down work. Bronson Hill, an Eastern Washington product, is a candidate for a potential practice squad promotion.
The Vikings could look to the free agent market in search of another running back, although no unsigned player is likely to replace Cook’s electricity. Tim Hightower, Ryan Mathews, Shaun Draughn, C.J. Spiller, and DeAngelo Williams are among the veterans available for an immediate signing. A trade could also be possible, and candidates for a deal speculatively include Matt Forte, Jeremy Hill, and former Viking Adrian Peterson.
Cook isn’t the only critical Minnesota offensive player who’s suffered a knee injury this year, as quarterback Sam Bradford experienced swelling following Week 1 and hasn’t played since. With backup Case Keenum leading the offense, the Vikings have posted a 1-2 record and are now 2-2 on the season.
Vikings Must Clear Roster Space For Michael Floyd
Given that wide receiver Michael Floyd‘s four-game suspension will conclude this Sunday, the Vikings will need to make a roster move in order to clear space for the veteran pass-catcher, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Clubs are typically given roster exemptions when a player returns from a ban, so Minnesota will likely have until Wednesday or Thursday to make a transaction. The most likely candidates to be removed from the Vikings’ active 53 appear to be rookie wideouts Rodney Adams and Stacy Coley, per Tomasson, as neither has played much during the 2017 campaign. Floyd, 27, inked a one-year, $1.41MM deal with Minnesota that didn’t include any guaranteed money.
Sam Bradford To Miss Week 4
For a third straight week, the Vikings will be operating without their starting quarterback.
Mike Zimmer said (via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, on Twitter) Thursday that Sam Bradford will miss another game, signalling a third Case Keenum start. Bradford remains out with a knee injury that cropped up before Week 2. Zimmer said (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, on Twitter) Bradford is “feeling better, just not ready to play.”
Keenum struggled against the Steelers but led the Vikings to a dominant home win over the Buccaneers last weekend. He’ll face the Lions on Sunday. Bradford has not encountered any structural damage with a knee that’s endured plenty of it in his career, but it’s become a pain-management issue. And it’s clear from this determination three days before Minnesota’s Week 4 game the eighth-year quarterback isn’t ready yet.
The bone bruise Bradford’s sustained has become a significant issue for the Vikings, who traded for Bradford — in spite of his past knee trouble with the Rams — because of Teddy Bridgewater‘s severe knee injury. Bridgewater remains on the PUP list but is eligible to return come Week 7. With these weekly announcements piling up, it’s not clear if Bradford will be ready to return by then. That would put the Vikes in a strange spot.
Keenum completed 76 percent of his passes in a 375-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Bucs.
Latest On Sam Bradford
- Sam Bradford has missed each of the Vikings‘ past two contests as he deals with a knee issue, and while he didn’t practice today, Minnesota is “doing everything it can” to allow Bradford to play against the Lions on Sunday, according to head coach Mike Zimmer. Because Bradford isn’t dealing with any structural damage, pain management is the only barrier to him suiting up. If Bradford can’t go, the Vikings will once again turn to backup Case Keenum, who 25 of 43 pass attempts for a career-high 369 yards and three touchdowns against the Buccaneers in Week 3.
Former Vikings OL Mike Harris Retires
Former Vikings and Chargers offensive lineman Mike Harris will officially file NFL retirement papers next month, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
Harris, 28, isn’t hanging up his cleats voluntarily, however, as a congenital brain condition — brain arteriovenous malformation — forced Harris to call it a career. Harris originally noticed the symptoms in June 2016 and believed he was having a stroke. Vikings doctors, and later Mayo Clinic staff, diagnosed him, and while the issue wasn’t originally thought to be career-ending, Harris was informed this summer that he shouldn’t continue playing. However, Harris’ brain condition isn’t expected to affect his ability to lead a full, non-football-playing life.
“For a long time, I really depressed about the whole situation but I finally am in the light,’’ Harris said. “At the end of the day, I want to live to be a grown man. Football gave me a good life. I had been playing since I was 10 years old. When it first happened, I didn’t want to talk to the media and any of my teammates, but I’m in a better place now. It took a while but I know my life comes over football.’’
Originally an undrafted free agent out of UCLA, Harris spent the first two seasons of his career with the Chargers before joining the Vikings in 2014. After having served as a reserve for most of his NFL tenure, Harris started all 16 games for Minnesota in 2015 and graded as the league’s No. 23 guard, per Pro Football Focus. That performance led to a new deal, a one-year pact that locked him in with the Vikings through 2016.
Harris spent the 2016 campaign on the non-football injury list, meaning that the Vikings weren’t compelled to pay any portion of his $1.9MM base salary. But Minnesota opted to pay Harris $400K, per Tomasson, and Harris also collected another $100K via a workout bonus. The Vikings ultimately waived Harris in February.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/26/17
Tuesday’s workout updates (links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle or ESPN’s Adam Caplan):
Atlanta Falcons
- CB D’Joun Smith, S Chris Prosinski
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
- LB Kennan Gilchrist, LB Trevor Bates, LB Andrew Gachkar, RB/LB Connor Harris
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Evan Baylis
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers
- LB Josh Mauga
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
- TE Evan Baylis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2017 Record
We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.
Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Browns enjoyed top priority thanks to their 1-15 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week (Twitter links via Field Yates of ESPN.com):
T-1. Bengals
T-1. Browns
T-1. 49ers
4. Giants
5. Chargers
6. Colts
T-7. Texans
T-7. Seahawks
9. Cardinals
10. Jets
11. Saints
12. Bears
13. Dolphins
14. Buccaneers
15. Ravens
T-16. Panthers
T-16. Cowboys
T-16. Rams
T-16. Steelers
T-20. Broncos
T-20. Lions
T-20. Packers
23. Vikings
T-24. Bills
T-24. Jaguars
T-24. Patriots
T-24. Raiders
T-24. Eagles
T-24. Titans
30. Redskins
31. Chiefs
32. Falcons
Teddy Bridgewater Likely To Return Week 7
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list beginning in Week 7, and a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Bridgewater will be “ready to go” at that time.
Bridgewater, who suffered a gruesome knee injury last August and missed the entirety of the 2016 season, would give Minnesota another option at quarterback, a position that’s already been affected by health questions this year. Sam Bradford, whom the Vikings acquired in the wake of Bradford’s injury, posted one of the best performances of his career in Week 1, but has since missed two games while dealing with his own knee issue.
Case Keenum has filled in for Bradford against the Steelers and Buccaneers, and played extremely well in Week 3 against Tampa Bay, completing 75% of his passes for 369 yards and three touchdowns. While Bridgewater’s own health isn’t a given going forward, his presence would give the Vikings three competent players under center if Bradford can return.
If Bridgewater can return, any questions about his contract status would be avoided. If he’d been forced to miss the 2017 campaign, the final year of his rookie deal may have tolled, preventing him from becoming an unrestricted free agent next spring. If he can make it back to the field, however, Bridgewater should hit the open market in 2018 after the Vikings declined his fifth-year option.