Vikings Place an 11th Player on IR
The Minnesota Vikings could officially field an entire unit with the number of players that they have on injured reserve.
On Saturday afternoon, Minnesota announced that, among a number of roster moves ahead of Week 17, they have placed LB Troy Dye on IR, meaning they now have 11 players on injured reserve. That list of players includes:
- RB Cam Akers
- QB Kirk Cousins
- OLB Marcus Davenport
- LB Troy Dye
- TE T.J. Hockenson
- WR Malik Knowles
- LB William Kwenkeu
- DL Dean Lowry
- DL James Lynch
- OT Oli Udoh
- OLB D.J. Wonnum
Vikings Place 11th Player on IR
The Vikings announced Dye’s placement on IR as well as some additional moves on Saturday:
- Dye to IR
- DL T.J. Smith and LB Nick Vigil signed to the 53-man roster
- WR Lucky Jackson and CB Jaylin Williams elevated from practice squad for Week 17
These moves also come just hours after the Vikings made the decision to sign Anthony Barr to the active roster, giving them an extra option at that linebacker position.
Dye’s role had expanded in the weeks following Jordan Hicks’ lower leg contusion that landed him on injured reserve.
In those four games, the linebacker made a pair of starts and put together nine tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pair of QB hits. However, he did not see any snaps on the defense during Week 16’s loss to the Detroit Lions with Hicks making a return to the lineup.
Meanwhile, T.J. Smith and Nick Vigil join the 53-man roster as well, adding further depth to Minnesota’s defensive front. Jaquelin Roy was ruled out for Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers, so Smith could see action in the trenches this weekend while Vigil has seen action in six games for the Vikings this season.
Green Bay and Minnesota each enter Week 17 with 7-8 records and slim hopes of a playoff berth that would be greatly bolstered with a win. Kickoff between the two teams is scheduled for Sunday, December 31st at 7:20 PM Central inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
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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.