Vikings Sign CB Duke Shelley to Active Roster
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have begun making the finishing touches on what will be their 53-man roster ahead of their game against the Buffalo Bills. Among those final moves included signing CB Duke Shelley from the practice squad to the active roster.
The most likely reasoning behind this move involves the lingering injury to Cam Dantzler that he suffered against the Commanders last weekend. He did not return to the game following the injury, and Akayleb Evans took his place in the defensive lineup.
Evans replacing Dantzler in the starting lineup remains the most likely scenario because of this, but fellow rookie Andrew Booth could also finally see some time on the Vikings defense as well. Additionally, Shelley will be available for play on that side of the field.
Shelley has been on the Vikings practice squad for the entire regular season, and Minnesota has elevated him twice already this year. Seeing as they could only elevate him one more time before being forced to sign him to the roster, they decided to get it out of the way right away. Because of this, it seems unlikely that Dantzler will play against the Cowboys next week, either.
In Shelley’s two games with the Vikings this season, he’s taken eight snaps with them all coming on the special teams. However, he could become a helpful part of the defense with Dantzler’s injury.
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Prior to this season, Shelley spent the first three seasons of his NFL career with the Chicago Bears. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he spent his rookie season mainly as a special teamer.
However, in both 2020 and 2021, Shelley became a crucial piece to Chicago’s defense. Over those two seasons, he played 625 defensive snaps and started six games, including four during the 2021 season.
Shelley’s first career start actually came against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15 of the 2020 season. The Bears ended up winning that game 33-27 at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the CB recorded seven tackles. Overall, the 26-year-old has recorded 53 tackles and four pass defenses in his career.
We’ll see if he gets into the defensive lineup on Sunday for the Vikings, or if he remains a special teamer for the rest of 2022. The Vikings and Bills kick off at 12 PM CST on Sunday.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.