Andre Carter Is Back
Training camp has been full swing in Eagan for the Minnesota Vikings for about a week and a half now.
Over the weekend, the team gave us some very positive news. Andre Carter is back at practice following the Vikings’ decision to activate the young pass-rusher.
Andre Carter Is Back
Carter had begun training camp on the PUP list, and Kevin O’Connell described the injury as “a soft-tissue injury [suffered while] training this summer.”
Just days later, Carter has been activated for camp. The team tweeted on Saturday, “OLB Andre Carter II has passed his physical and has returned to practice.”
Carter had a very interesting journey to the NFL. He is one of the few players to make the league after going through college at a service academy (Carter attended Army). After a very strong season in 2021 during which he recorded 14.5 sacks, he did not have the same production in 2022, recording just 4.5 sacks.
He also had a tough showing at the NFL scouting combine this spring, thus lowering his draft stock so far that he went undrafted in April. This allowed the Vikings to sign him as an undrafted free agent.
However, the Vikings seem confident that he can make the final roster this fall seeing as they gave him a contract worth $300,000 that is fully guaranteed. A contract of that size is rarely seen for UDFAs.
With the Vikings trading Za’Darius Smith in May, Carter could play a significant role in the Vikings defense almost immediately. Minnesota begins their preseason on Thursday, heading to Seattle to take on the Seahawks.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
