Vikings Make Cuts To Reach 53-Man Roster
Most of the Vikings’ roster moves were done ahead of the deadline, but today they did the rest of the work to get down to the 53-man roster. Here are the moves made today to reach the deadline:
Waived:
- OL Alan Adi
- WR Jacob Copeland
- RB Aaron Dykes
- WR Lucky Jackson
- WR Trishton Jackson
- RB DeWayne McBride
- DL Esezi Otomewo
- WR Blake Proehl
- TE Ben Sims
- DL T.J. Smith
- OL Jack Snyder
- WR Thayer Thomas
- OLB Luiji Vilain
- OLB Benton Whitley
- CB Jaylin Williams
Waived/injured:
- LB Abraham Beauplan
Released:
- LB Troy Reeder
- CB Joejuan Williams
A strong preseason performance by backup running back Ty Chandler and the returning prowess of Kene Nwangwu led to the disappointing cut of the seventh-round pick McBride. Besides that, there weren’t many surprises on the offensive side of the ball as the Vikings continually value consistency on the offensive line.
Minnesota needed to work out how to replace the production lost in the departure of pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. The opportunity led to a nice surprise as undrafted rookie Andre Carter II makes the initial 53. Carter is joined on the defensive side by undrafted linebacker Ivan Pace, who got plenty of run in camp as Brian Asamoah recovered from injury. Safety NaJee Thompson is the last undrafted rookie to find his way onto the roster thanks to his contributions on special teams.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/23
In a very busy day for the NFL in transactions, here are some of the minor moves that may have slipped through the cracks:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott
- Placed on PUP: WR Rashod Bateman
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: RB Darrynton Evans, TE Jace Sternberger
Chicago Bears
- Activated from PUP: WR Chase Claypool
- Signed: WR Isaiah Ford, LB Buddy Johnson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on PUP: TE Mitchell Wilcox (after being re-signed)
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Eric Tomlinson
- Waived: LB Ian Swenson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DE Isaac Rochell
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Bobby Evans, G Jack Snyder, TE Colin Thompson
- Placed on NFI: G Chris Reed
- Placed on PUP: OLB Andre Carter II
- Waived from NFI: WR Malik Knowles
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Diego Fagot, WR Jalen Hurd
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Brandin Bryant
- Waived: WR Dre Miller, WR Makai Polk
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LB Jeremy Banks
The Ravens signed Ott after working out a trio of long snappers that also included Ryan Langan and Shane Griffin. The former Pro Bowler for the Seahawks won the tryout and is expected to be the replacement for Baltimore’s usual long snapper Nick Moore, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon during his offseason training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Also, the breath of relief for Bateman is short-lived as, a day after being activated from the reserve/did not report list, Baltimore has placed the young receiver on the PUP list.
On a more positive note, a day after the Bears placed Claypool on the PUP list, he has been removed from it. He’ll now be eligible to participate in training camp starting this Wednesday. Tomlinson returns to Houston after being released back in May. He’ll get another chance to work in the tight ends room that includes Dalton Schultz, Teagan Quitoriano, and Brevin Jordan.
Rams Reduce Roster To 53 Players
As the Rams look to defend their Super Bowl title, the team reduced their roster to the 53-man limit today:
Waived:
- WR Landen Akers
- T AJ Arcuri
- T Chandler Brewer
- DE Earnest Brown IV
- TE Roger Carter
- DE T.J. Carter
- DT Elijah Garcia
- LB Chris Garrett
- DB Jake Gervase
- DB Grant Haley
- TE Jacob Harris
- LB Anthony Hines
- DB Daniel Isom
- G Jeremiah Kolone
- DB Duron Lowe
- TE Jared Pinkney
- T Max Pircher
- RB Trey Ragas
- G Jack Snyder
- DE Brayden Thomas
- WR Austin Trammell
- DE Benton Whitley
Placed on IR:
Placed on reserve/NFI:
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- DB Quentin Lake
Placed on reserve/suspended:
Jacob Harris getting cut came as a bit of a surprise after the 2021 fourth-round pick got into nine games as a rookie. However, he rarely got a look on offense in 2021, and despite the Rams only rostering two tight ends at the end of the day (Tyler Higbee, Brycen Hopkins), Harris was let go. Chris Garrett was also a 2021 draft pick, being selected by the Rams in the seventh round. He only got into one game as a rook.
AJ Arcuri was a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft, but the rookie didn’t show enough to crack the 53-man roster. There’s a good chance the Michigan State product lands back on the Rams practice squad.
Rams Bring In 17 UDFAs
The Rams are the latest team to unveil their crop of undrafted free agents. Here are the 17 UDFAs who have officially signed on with the defending Super Bowl champions:
- TE Roger Carter, Georgia State
- CB T.J. Carter, TCU
- CB Caesar Dancy-Williams, Wisconsin
- P Cameron Dicker, Texas
- IDL Elijah Garcia, Rice
- OLB Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Oregon State
- ILB Jake Hummel, Iowa State
- S Dan Isom, Washington State
- CB Duron Lowe, Liberty
- WR Lance McCutcheon, Montana State
- S Jairon McVea, Baylor
- IDL Dion Novil, North Texas
- TE Jamal Pettigrew, McNeese State
- G Jack Snyder, San Jose State
- OLB Brayden Thomas, North Dakota State
- OLB Keir Thomas, Florida State
- OLB Benton Whitley, Holy Cross
Texas’ kicker for the past four seasons, Dicker is listed as a punter despite only punting in two of those four. Dicker served as the Longhorns’ full-time punter last season but only logged eight punts prior to that senior year. Dicker averaged 46.8 yards per boot last season, earning first-team All-Big 12 acclaim. The Rams cut 10-year punter Johnny Hekker but signed Riley Dixon later this offseason.
Although the four outside linebackers in this year’s crop should not necessarily be connected to the team’s loss of Von Miller in free agency, this quartet joins a team that used one draft choice (a seventh-rounder at that) on the edge spot. Thomas, who teamed with first-rounder Jermaine Johnson at Florida State last season, used his COVID-19-enabled extra season after playing five years at South Carolina. Thomas recorded 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss last season. Brayden Thomas and Hughes-Murray also spent six years in college. They registered nine and six sacks as seniors, respectively.
The Rams pursued UDFA quarterbacks, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, and plan to add one before camp (Twitter link). John Wolford and 2020 UDFA Bryce Perkins comprise Matthew Stafford‘s backup contingent. Jamal Pettigrew is a cousin of former Lions first-rounder Brandon Pettigrew. Jamal transferred from LSU, where he played a backup role on the Tigers’ unbeaten national championship team, to McNeese State and played 18 games — seven in the spring due to COVID adjustments — last year. Counting the draft, the Rams added six rookie cornerbacks