Vikings place RB/KR Kene Nwangwu on injured reserve

The Vikings placed running back/kick returner Kene Nwangwu on injured reserve on Wednesday evening, meaning he'll miss at least the first four games of the 2023 regular season. The team also officially announced that RB Myles Gaskin and OT David Quessenberry have been signed and WR Jalen Reagor has been waived.

Nwangwu missed the last three weeks or so of training camp with an undisclosed injury and apparently wasn't going to be ready to go to begin the season. By placing him on IR, the Vikings freed up a roster spot to sign Gaskin as their third running back along with Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler.

A fourth-round pick out of Iowa State in 2021, Nwangwu instantly became one of the most dangerous kick returners in the NFL. He returned two for touchdowns as a rookie, averaging north of 32 yards on 18 returns. Last season, he scored his third career kick return touchdown in a win over the Patriots and was named a second-team All-Pro despite his average falling to 26.3 on higher volume.

In two seasons, Nwangwu has 28 touches from scrimmage for just 105 yards. With Dalvin Cook gone, the Vikings seemed to be looking to get Nwangwu's speed more involved in the running game during the start of training camp, but this injury put a stop to those plans.

Until Nwangwu returns, punt returner Brandon Powell seems like the most likely candidate to return kicks; the ex-Ram has significant experience doing both at the NFL level.

Also on Wednesday, the Vikings announced 12 practice squad signings and there were reports of three players joining their PS from outside the organization.