Minor NFL Transactions: 9/11/17
Monday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Philip Wheeler
- Waived: LB Scooby Wright
Carolina Panthers
- Released with injury settlement: WR Brenton Bersin, C Gino Gradkowski, OL Chris Scott
- Waived with injury settlement: S L.J. McCray
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Tyrique Jarrett
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Nick Bellore
- Waived: OT Storm Norton
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Geremy Davis
- Waived: CB Jeff Richards
Minnesota Vikings
- Released with injury settlement: QB Taylor Heinicke
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Adam Bighill
New York Jets
- Released with injury settlement: LB Corey Lemonier
- Waived with injury settlement: WR Lucky Whitehead
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released with injury settlement: S Jordan Dangerfield
Vikings’ 53-Man Roster Set
The Vikings made their mandatory cuts to pare their roster down to the 53-man ceiling. Here are the rearrangements Minnesota made to set its regular-season roster.
Cut:
- G Willie Beavers
- WR Mortiz Böhringer
- G Alex Boone (story)
- DT Dylan Bradley
- CB Sam Brown
- TE Kyle Carter
- DT Jarrod Clements
- OL T.J. Clemmings (story)
- LB Noor Davis
- T Reid Fragel
- WR Isaac Fruechte
- QB Taylor Heinicke (waived/injured)
- RB Bronson Hill
- WR Cayleb Jones
- G Zac Kerin
- K Marshall Koehn
- LB Elijah Lee
- QB Mitch Leidner
- DE Sam McCaskill
- RB Terrell Newby
- DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- CB Jabari Price
- TE Josiah Price
- CB Horace Richardson
- CB Tre Roberson
- LB Edmond Robinson
- WR R.J. Shelton (waived/injured)
- T Austin Shepherd
- CB Terrell Sinkfield
- DT Will Sutton (story)
- P Taylor Symmank
- G Freddie Tagaloa
- S Jack Tocho
- TE Nick Truesdell
Placed on IR:
- DL Datone Jones (story)
Placed on Reserve/PUP list:
- QB Teddy Bridgewater (story)
Placed on Reserve/NFI list:
Placed on Reserve/Suspended list:
- WR Michael Floyd (story)
Vikings Activate QB Taylor Heinicke
The Vikings have released tight end MyCole Pruitt, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. The move will allow Minnesota to activate quarterback Taylor Heinicke. 
To date, Heinicke has spent the season on the non-football injury list after foot injury in July. Heinicke, 23, returned to practice earlier this month, starting the clock on a three-week window during which the Vikings must place him on the 53-man roster. The deadline was tomorrow, but Minnesota has decided to put him on the roster a day early. After recently waiving quarterback Joel Stave from the taxi squad, Heinicke should now have plenty of opportunities to shake off the rust in practice.
Pruitt suffered a sprained MCL late in the preseason and has been largely hampered by injuries this year. The 24-year-old has been cut after appearing in just two games this year.
Heinicke will now slot in as the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart behind starter Sam Bradford and primary backup Shaun Hill. Meanwhile, the Vikings will now move ahead with three tight ends: starter Kyle Rudolph, Rhett Ellison, and rookie David Morgan II.
Vikings Likely To Activate Taylor Heinicke Soon
The Vikings are likely to activate quarterback Taylor Heinicke following the club’s Week 9 game against the Lions, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Heinicke has spent the season on the non-football injury list after suffering a freak injury to his left foot in July.
[RELATED: Teddy Bridgewater’s Career In Jeopardy?]
Minnesota waived fellow quarterback Joel Stave from its practice squad earlier this week, a move that not only signaled confidence in Heinicke’s ability to return, but will allow him to garner more snaps during practice sessions, the source told Tomasson. Heinicke, 23, returned to practice earlier this month, starting the clock on a three-week window during which the Vikings must place him on the 53-man roster. If he’s not activated by November 9, Heinicke will miss the remainder of the season.
If and when he returns to the active roster, Heinicke would served as the Vikings’ third quarterback behind Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill. He’d also have practice squad eligibility, but Minnesota would have to feel comfortable placing him on waivers before sneaking him onto its taxi squad. Heinicke, a 2015 undrafted free agent, was on the Vikings’ roster for his entire rookie campaign, but was never active for a game.
Vikings’ Roster Stands At 53
The Vikings have trimmed their roster down to 53 by making the following moves:
- DT Travis Raciti (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune)
- DL Zach Moore (Twitter link via Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News)
- DE Denzell Perine (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press)
- WR Isaac Fruechte (Twitter link via Wolfson)
- WR Moritz Boehringer (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
- CB Tre Roberson (link via Tomasson)
- QB Joel Stave (link via Tomasson)
- FB Blake Renaud (link via Tomasson)
- RB C.J. Ham (link via Tomasson)
- TE Kyle Carter (link via Tomasson)
- RB Jhurell Pressley (link via Tomasson)
- DE Stephen Weatherly (link via Tomasson)
- LB Brandon Watts (link via Tomasson)
- T Willie Beavers
- T Carter Bykowski
- G Isame Faciane
- LB Jake Ganus
- DT Toby Johnson
- DL Kenrick Ellis
Placed on IR:
- S Michael Griffin (story)
- CB Jabari Price
Placed On NFI:
- QB Taylor Heinicke
Moore, who turns 26 next week, appeared in eight games for the Pats in 2014 after being taken with a sixth-round pick. In 2015, he found his way to Minnesota where he appeared in one regular season contest.
Boehringer, a native of Germany, became the first international player to go straight from a European league to the NFL when the Vikings chose him in the sixth round. He ultimately failed to earn a roster spot, though he could land on the Vikings’ practice squad, per Rapoport.
Vikings QB Taylor Heinicke Out For 3 Months
Vikings quarterback Taylor Heinicke is expected to start the season on the non-football injury list after severing a tendon in his left foot, as ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling writes. The Old Dominion product reportedly suffered the injury while trying to help a friend get back into his apartment earlier this month.
[RELATED: Q&A With Vikings Reporter Darren Wolfson]
Heinicke, in the process of being a helpful friend, apparently tried to kick open the door like Michael Chiklis on The Shield and gave himself a serious injury. There was no foul play or substance abuse involved in the incident, a source tells Goessling. The Vikings signed Heinicke as a UDFA last year and he managed to make the team as the No. 3 QB after an impressive preseason showing. Heinicke was said to be looking good in practice this year before the unfortunate injury.
With Heinicke potentially out until November, one has to wonder if Minnesota could have extra motivation to pursue free agent QB Nick Foles. Foles, released by the Rams on Wednesday, was quickly linked to the Vikings as well as the Cowboys. Last night, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reported that there were ten teams doing their due diligence on the 27-year-old.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Vikings To Sign 10 Undrafted Free Agents
The Vikings are the latest team to announce their 2015 undrafted free agent class, having come to terms with 10 rookies. Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link) has the full list, which we’ll pass along right here, accompanied by bonus info from Ben Goessling of ESPN.com:
- Justin Coleman, CB, Tennessee
- DaVaris Daniels, WR, Notre Dame ($10K bonus)
- Tom Farniok, C, Iowa State
- Anthony Harris, S, Virginia ($10K bonus, plus $10K guaranteed salary)
- Taylor Heinicke, QB, Old Dominion ($10K bonus, plus $10K guaranteed salary)
- Jordan Leslie, WR, BYU
- Gavin Lutman, WR, Pittsburg State ($7.5K bonus)
- Blake Renaud, FB, Boise State
- Jesse Somsel, G, Saginaw Valley State
- Bobby Vardaro, G, Boston College ($2K bonus)