Vikings Bring Back Veteran CB and Could Have More O-Line Depth Soon
The Minnesota Vikings have seen a rejuvenation of their defense this season and especially over the past couple weeks.
As a result, Minnesota has climbed all the way back into the playoff race at 4-4, and now, a pivotal contest against the Atlanta Falcons (another 4-4 team) awaits them this weekend.
Prior to that game, the Vikings have decided to bring back a veteran CB to their practice squad who fans will remember from training camp: Joejuan Williams.
Vikings Bring Back Veteran CB
The Vikings tweeted the move on Wednesday, “The #Vikings have signed CB Joejuan Williams (@JoejuanW) to the practice squad and released C.J. Coldon Jr. from the practice squad. G Chris Reed has returned to practice.”
Williams signed with the Vikings in free agency this spring, and during the early part of camp, he was actually getting starting reps with the defense. However, with the emergence of Akayleb Evans and 2023 third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon, Minnesota waived the veteran prior to the season’s start.
Still, the Vikings were able to retain Williams on their practice squad for the beginning of the season. That is, until the Chicago Bears snatched him back on September 27th for their active roster. Williams played in four games for Chicago and largely had a role on special teams, recording a single tackle.
In order to free up space for Williams on the practice squad, Minnesota opted to release C.J. Coldon, who has not appeared in a game this season after signing as an undrafted free agent this spring.
Williams isn’t the only player back with the Vikings, though. Minnesota also announced that IOL Chris Reed would be returning to practice this week. Reed has been out for the entire start of this season with a stress fracture and was listed on NFI prior to the start of training camp.
The Vikings signed Reed last season in free agency, and the veteran actually played a pretty large role with the offense down the stretch. After both Garrett Bradbury and Austin Schlottmann went down with injuries, Reed stepped in as the center for the conclusion of their Week 17 game against Green Bay and started in Week 18 against the Bears.
The timing of this makes the Ezra Cleveland trade to the Jaguars more sensible. If Reed is able to return soon, the Vikings will now have Blake Brandel as well as Reed as options at guard in case either Dalton Risner or Ed Ingram go down with an injury at some point this year.
The Vikings will release an official Week 9 injury report later this afternoon, providing more clarity as to how soon Reed could return. Kickoff between the Vikings and Falcons is scheduled for 12 PM on Sunday, November 5th.
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.