HEADLINES

Tyler Batty

Vikings Activate LB Blake Cashman From IR

October 18th, 2025 at 7:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

Blake Cashman is positioned to make his return in Week 7. The veteran linebacker was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, per a Vikings announcement.

Cashman had his practice window opened earlier this week. That left Minnesota with 21 days to bring him back into the fold, but it is of course a positive development that he has been activated after one week of practice. Cashman will be expected to return to his full-time starting role.

The 29-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 and has been unavailable since. Having Cashman back in place will be critical for the Vikings’ defense, though, considering his impact from last season. During his debut campaign with his hometown team, Cashman set a career high in tackles (112), sacks (4.5) and pass deflections (eight). Expectations will be high for another productive season if he can remain healthy the rest of the way.

Cashman is under contract for 2026. With none of his base salary for next year guaranteed, however, the former fifth-rounder’s future could be somewhat uncertain based on how the coming months play out. Cashman managing to duplicate his impact from 2024 would no doubt ensure he remains in place for next season, but a contract adjustment could be in store one way or another. For now, attention will turn to Cashman’s ability to boost a defense which ranks fifth in scoring but only 24th against the run.

In addition to Cashman, the Vikings have also activated pass rusher Tyler Batty. The undrafted rookie was given the designated for return tag during roster cutdowns, and he returned to practice at the start of October. Minnesota now has five IR activations remaining on the year.

Vikings Open Practice Windows For LB Tyler Batty, FB C.J. Ham

October 1st, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Connor Byrne

The Vikings announced that they have officially opened the 21-day practice window for outside linebacker Tyler Batty and fullback C.J. Ham. Both players opened the season on injured reserve, and the Vikings will now have three weeks to activate them.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell indicated either could come back as early as this Sunday’s game in London against the Browns. Both Batty and Ham, because they were given return designations in August, already count toward Minnesota’s eight regular-season activations.

Batty, an undrafted rookie from BYU, suffered a right knee injury in the Vikings’ preseason finale against the Titans on Aug. 22. A first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2024, Batty played five seasons at BYU and tallied 16.5 sacks over 53 games. The 6-foot-5, 261-pounder appeared in 13 contests last season and totaled 59 tackles (seven for loss), two interceptions and 1.5 sacks.

If Batty debuts this week, he’ll give the Vikings some depth on the outside behind Dallas Turner, who’s filling in for the injured Andrew Van Ginkel. After missing the Vikings’ loss to the Steelers last week with a neck injury, Van Ginkel is likely to sit out again on Sunday.

Ham, 32, also missed the team’s first four games with a knee issue. Now a ninth-year Viking, Ham is the team’s second-longest-tenured player behind safety Harrison Smith. While Ham only received seven touches last year (two carries, five catches), he played over 23 percent of offensive snaps and about 63 percent on special teams. The 32-year-old helped pave the way for an 1,100-yard season from running back Aaron Jones.

With Jones on IR since mid-September with a hamstring injury, Jordan Mason has taken over as the Vikings’ starting RB. The former 49er has racked up 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 56 carries – good for an average of 4.8 per rush.

Vikings Use Both IR-Return Slots, Set Initial 53-Man Roster

August 26th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Vikings slashed their roster down to the required 53-man limit:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (return designation):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Ham and Batty will be eligible for activation to the 53-man roster after Week 4. As a result of these early IR placements, the Vikings’ will use up two of their eight regular-season injury activations. A Duluth, Minn., native, Ham has quietly become the Vikings’ second-longest-tenured player (behind Harrison Smith). This is the Pro Bowl fullback’s ninth season with the Vikes. Batty will take up an IR-return slot as a rookie UDFA.

The Vikings kept three quarterbacks on their active roster, keeping rookie UDFA Max Brosmer behind J.J. McCarthy and newly acquired Carson Wentz. Vannett and Ricci’s exits leave the tight end room at three, while Thomas has now been cut twice times since the 49ers waived him in December 2024 (the Colts waived the former third-round pick soon after adding him late last year).

Vikings Sign 19 UDFAs

April 27th, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Ely Allen

The Vikings owned the NFL’s smallest draft class with only five selections this year, so naturally, they added a good amount of undrafted free agents to form a 24-man rookie class. Here are the 19 UDFAs the team signed:

An undersized runner, Stewart had an incredible year for the Gamecocks. In fact, with 1,678 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns in 2024, Stewart joined top ten pick Ashton Jeanty as the only two FBS backs with over 1,600 yards and 25 scores on the ground.

After two strong years at Oregon State, Bolden wasn’t very productive as a receiver for the Longhorns. He was extremely productive, though, as a punt returner, notching 315 yards on 30 returns and scoring a touchdown. His return abilities netted him $205K in guaranteed money on his UDFA contract, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Brown is a surprising get post-draft, considering he was projected to be an early-Day 3 selection. Likely a significant injury history kept him available to this point. Huber was another likely Day 3 selection. He started 13 games at right tackle at Cincinnati before transferring and shifting inside. He started as left guard in 2023 and right guard in 2024 for the Badgers. Despite only playing offensive line since 2019, Huber’s versatility was able to net him $210K guaranteed on his UDFA deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

Chambliss was impressive in his final season at Georgia with 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, but his route to a 53-man roster will likely have to come through special teams contributions. Impressive length and production should give Vaughn a chance at the opening day roster. In five years at Utah (one redshirt season), Vaughn tallied 27 passes defensed, three interceptions, three sacks, and 14.0 tackles for loss.