The Vikings’ Practice Squad Offers Some Good News (and Upside)
Andre Carter II has potential. True, he’s very unlikely to morph into a top-tier EDGE1, but there’s room to grow into an upside EDGE3/4. Cutting him thus came with some risks.
Would another team swoop in?
The Vikings’ practice squad ended up being the landing spot for the Army alumnus. Carter is joining sixteen other players — there’s an added slot since Sammis Reyes, an international player, gets an exemption — on the practice squad. And while the defender may have the highest ceiling, there’s a lot to like about the options who are still within Minnesota’s orbit.
The Vikings’ Practice Squad Has Some Upside
In the NFL, it’s the money that always tells the truth.
Last offseason, Minnesota made it a priority to sign Carter. They committed a whopping $340,000 in guaranteed money to secure his services as a UDFA. Apparently, other teams were in the mix for the super long pass rusher, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was willing to outbid his rivals.
There was some belief within the draft community that the pass rusher should have been a Day 3 selection. Lance Zierlein assigned a RD 5/6 grade.
“Long and rangy, Carter is currently best suited as a 3-4 rush linebacker on passing downs,” Zierlein writes, “but is likely to develop into an every-down player with additional growth both physically and technically. Carter needs to play with more skilled hands and inject a little more glass into his on-field diet in order to meet force with force when the run game comes downhill at him. His explosive get-off and natural bend/agility at the top of the rush are enough to create early opportunities for himself as a quarterback hunter. Carter might need a longer runway to meet his potential, but if does his pass-rush homework, he could take a substantial leap forward as an odd or even front edge rusher by Year 3.”
The placement on the practice squad means that that Year 3 prophecy remains intact. After all, the Vikings are working with Jihad Ward and Patrick Jones II as the EDGE4 and EDGE5, a pair of players who are in their contract years. Seeing Carter slide into an opening next offseason wouldn’t be surprising.
Joining Carter are guys like tight end Robert Tonyan, edge rusher Bo Richter, and wide receiver/returner Lucky Jackson. Seeing any (or all) of these players pickup work in the upcoming season should be expected.
Consider, for instance, the veteran tight end. OC Wes Phillips is a believer in the pass catcher, sending over some enthusiastic compliments to the former Packer back in the offseason: “It was kind of one of those workouts where you just watch [Tonyan] run and catch, and understands what you’re asking him to do from his experience. And it was kind of a no-brainer, everyone just looked around and said, ‘Yeah, let’s get him.’”
Plus, there was a simple proclamation about Tonyan potentially filling the Hockenson gap, at least to a certain extent: “I think Robert can kind of fill some of those roles that T.J. did for us.”
Now, keep in mind that the Vikings’ practice squad is a living, breathing entity that commonly moves around. Already, a pair of players have been subtracted — receiver Jeshaun Jones and running back DeWayne McBride — for tackle Ricky Lee III and running back Zavier Scott (read more).
What’s also going to be fascinating is the fate of Jaren Hall. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wants the young passer to return to the practice squad, but we’re still waiting on that news. Does the smart and athletic Hall get kept around?
If not, Minnesota will have made a mistake in moving on.
The Vikings’ practice squad consists of guard Henry Byrd, EDGE Andre Carter II, linebacker Dallas Gant (impressive preseason), running back Myles Gaskin, tight end N’Keal Harry, receiver/special teams ace Lucky Jackson, tackle Ricky Lee III, safety/slot corner Bobby McCain, EDGE Bo Richter, guard Tyrese Robinson, running back Zavier Scott, receiver/returner Thayer Thomas, tight end Robert Tonyan, corner Jaylin Williams, defensive tackle Jonah Williams, corner Nahshon Wright, and tight end Sammis Reyes.
Minnesota’s Week 1 game takes place on Sunday, September 8th against the New York Giants. Of all the players listed above, Gaskin is the most likely to be elevated.
Editor’s Note: Information from Over the Cap helped with this piece.
Infamous Ex-Viking Gets Cut
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.