The Vikings have nearly completed the first step of the roster cutdown process. They needed to get from 90 players down to 85 by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and they're currently at 86 after waiving four players over the past two days.
The standard cuts on Sunday were defensive end Jordan Brailford and long snapper Turner Bernard. On Monday, the Vikings waived wide receiver Blake Proehl and kicker Riley Patterson with injury designations, meaning they'll revert to the team's injured reserve, assuming they clear waivers.
The most notable of that quartet is Patterson, the rookie kicker the Vikings signed as an undrafted free agent this year. The Memphis product with a big leg and a history of clutch kicks was expected to get a shot to compete with journeyman veteran Greg Joseph for the all-important kicker job.
However, Patterson wasn't healthy enough for a competition to ever begin. He missed almost all of training camp with an undisclosed injury, spending most practices riding a stationary bike off to the side of the fields. After being activated off of the PUP list, Patterson looked good in the team's practice at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 7, making both of his live attempts and hitting from 50-plus multiple times in warmups.
But then he went back to doing nothing again. Patterson didn't kick in joint practices or the preseason opener against the Broncos. Despite special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken suggesting he might play against the Colts this weekend, Patterson will head to IR.
The Vikings' kicking job belongs to Greg Joseph — at least for now. If he falters going forward, the team could look to bring in some veteran competition.
Brailford was also a somewhat notable cut. He was signed last October and showed some potential as an explosive speed rusher, making his presence felt in 11 memorable snaps against the Jaguars last December. Clearly, he didn't do enough this year to distinguish himself as a potential contributor for the Vikings' defensive line.
Bernard and Proehl were also rookie UDFAs. Bernard lost the long snapping competition to veteran Andrew DePaola, and Proehl suffered a season-ending knee injury last week. Proehl, who was having a solid camp prior to the injury, will stick around on IR, along with Patterson.
The Vikings will need to make one more move before the Tuesday deadline. Then they have to get down to 80 players by Tuesday, August 24th and finalize a 53-man roster on Tuesday the 31st. After players clear waivers, they can assemble their 16-man practice squad.
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