NFC North foe poaches veteran corner off Vikings' practice squad

The Bears have signed veteran cornerback Joejuan Williams off of the Vikings' practice squad, they announced on Wednesday morning.

This move deals a blow to Minnesota's depth at corner. Williams was functionally the team's CB5, behind Byron Murphy Jr., Akayleb Evans, Mekhi Blackmon, and Andrew Booth Jr. (who has not yet played a defensive snap this season). Rookie NaJee Thompson is also on the 53-man roster, but he's exclusively a special teams player.

The Vikings still have undrafted rookie corners C.J. Coldon Jr. and Jaylin Williams on their practice squad, but they may look to add another at some point.

Joejuan Williams signed a one-year deal with the Vikings this spring after spending his first four seasons with the Patriots, who drafted him 45th overall out of Vanderbilt in 2019. A big, physical corner at 6'3", 212 pounds, Williams began training camp working with the starting defense but quickly fell behind players like Blackmon and Booth on the depth chart. He was released during roster cuts and landed on the practice squad.

Williams appeared in 38 games (including playoffs) over his first three seasons with New England, starting two of them. He missed the 2022 campaign with an injury.

The Bears are dealing with several injuries in their cornerback room, so Williams will add some important depth. The 0-3 Bears and 0-3 Vikings both have must-win games this weekend against the 0-3 Broncos and 0-3 Panthers, respectively.

The Vikings also announced that they signed RB Myles Gaskin, who was released on Tuesday, to their practice squad. They still have a spot open on their 53-man roster.