The Vikings made a flurry of roster moves on Monday, getting their 90-man roster set (for now) ahead of the official start of training camp on Tuesday.
Here are the moves:
- Signed: TE Colin Thompson
- Signed: G Bobby Evans
- Signed: G Jack Snyder
- Waived/Non-Football Injury: WR Malik Knowles
- Placed on Active/PUP list: OLB Andre Carter II
- Placed on Active/Non-Football Injury list: G/C Chris Reed
Minnesota had two open roster spots coming into the day. After waiving Knowles and then adding three players, they're now at capacity. They actually have 91 players on the roster because Junior Aho doesn't count against the 90-man limit. Carter and Reed remain on the active roster, but they won't be practicing to begin camp.
Knowles, a standout receiver and returner at Kansas State, seemed like an intriguing UDFA signing, but it appears that an injury has gotten in the way of his attempt to stick around with the Vikings.
As for the signings, it's a trio of bottom-of-the-roster depth additions who will face uphill battles to even make the practice squad. Thompson is a veteran blocking tight end who spent the last three seasons with the Panthers. Snyder is a guard from San Jose State who went undrafted in 2022 and recently played for the XFL's Houston Roughnecks.
The most notable name is Evans, a 2019 third-round pick of the Rams who never panned out in LA. He started seven games at right tackles as a rookie, was mostly a backup for a couple years, and then started four games at left guard last season with dreadful results. Across 314 snaps in 2022, Evans earned a 16.4 PFF pass-blocking grade and was charged with 24 pressures and seven sacks allowed. Those are ghastly numbers.
However, the Vikings clearly think he may have a slight chance at unlocking some upside. They signed him to their practice squad back in early January and are now bringing him back for a training camp opportunity. It can't hurt to take a look at a former top-100 pick who was a standout tackle at Oklahoma.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will speak to the media on Tuesday, so perhaps there will be updates on Carter and/or Reed (although there are quite a few more pressing topics to discuss).
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