Vikings Add an Old Friend for Extra RB Depth Going into Week 11

Josh Frey |

Nov 13, 2023

Nov 28, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin (37) carries the football into the end zone for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the third period at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings won their fifth consecutive game on Sunday by taking down the New Orleans Saints by a score of 27-19.

During the game, though, injuries once again popped up on the Vikings offense as Alexander Mattison would come out of the game with a concussion.

As a result, Minnesota likely needed to find some extra depth behind Ty Chandler in the offense for Week 11, so the Vikings added an old friend in Myles Gaskin, signing him to the practice squad.

Vikings Add an Old Friend for Extra RB Depth

The news was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, who tweeted the following, “Back to Minnesota: The Vikings are signing running back Myles Gaskin to their practice squad after the Rams signed him away from Minnesota, per source.”

The veteran RB spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Over the course of his time with the Dolphins, the RB appeared in 38 games and made 17 starts.

Gaskin initially signed with the Vikings during the cutdown period of training camp after being cut by the Dolphins, and he bounced between the active roster and practice squad for a few weeks before the Rams snatched him off Minnesota’s practice squad.

Aug 11, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin (37) breaks a tackle from Atlanta Falcons linebacker Tae Davis (50) in the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The rushing offense has been a bit of a puzzle for the Vikings to figure out this season. They went into Week 10 with the following rankings in the ground game:

Carries per Game: 22.0 (30th)
Rushing Yards per Game: 81.3 (29th)
Yards per Carry: 3.7 (27th)
Rushing First Downs per Game: 4.11 (32nd)
Rushing TDs per Game: 0.22 (31st)

This is despite having one of the best run-blocking offensive lines per PFF, which came into the weekend ranked fifth with a grade of 68.8.

Sep 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison (2) runs the ball as Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Nick Niemann (31) moves in for the tackle during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Hopefully, Gaskin is able to add some additional support for Chandler, who easily had his career-high for touches on Sunday, carrying the ball 15 times for 45 yards and his first NFL touchdown. However, Gaskin is yet to get a carry or even an offensive snap during the 2023 season and has played in only 8 special teams snaps to start the year.

Minnesota will need a balanced attack on offense to defeat a Denver Broncos defense that was beginning to mesh prior to their Week 9 bye. In the three games before this bye, Denver had not allowed 20 points in a game and gave up just 62 rushing yards to the Chiefs in Week 8.

Kickoff between the Broncos and Vikings is set for 7:20 PM Central on Sunday, November 19th.

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8 Reactions to the Vikings’ Nail-Biter Win over the Saints

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.