Vikings Cut Veteran CB Joejuan Williams
Josh Frey
|
The Minnesota Vikings and the rest of the NFL have been hard at work trimming their rosters down to 53 players.
The deadline to do so is 3 PM Central today, and the latest Vikings cut involves veteran CB Joejuan Williams. The news was reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pelissero tweeted on Tuesday, “The #Vikings are releasing CB Joejuan Williams, per source.”
Vikings Cut Ties with Veteran CB
Williams was a second-round draft pick in 2019 by the New England Patriots. This is where he spent his first four NFL seasons and played a total of 36 games, making one start. He did not appear in any game during 2022 due to injury.
In all, the cornerback recorded 44 tackles and 8 pass defenses with the Patriots before signing with the Vikings this spring.
For Minnesota, this is a rather surprising cut considering their youth in the secondary. Despite a lack of starting experience, Williams’ 36 games of NFL experience was by far the second-most in the Vikings CB room behind Byron Murphy. Now, that title belongs to Akayleb Evans, who played 10 games during his rookie season of 2022.
With this cut, the expectation should be that the Vikings make another addition at the CB position prior to Week 1. Currently, the room consists of Murphy, Evans, Andrew Booth, rookie Mekhi Blackmon, and undrafted free agents.
One such player could be Desmond King, who was surprisingly released by the Houston Texans on Monday. He offers similar versatility to that of Murphy, being able to play both on the outside and in the slot. He also can be a contributor on special teams with plenty of reps both as a kick and punt returner.
Regardless, the Vikings continue to inch closer to their final 53-man roster with just a couple hours remaining before the deadline.
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.