There’s the First Stunner of Vikings Roster Cuts
The Minnesota Vikings have been reducing their roster size continuously throughout the day as the organization must reach the 53-man limit on Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. CST.
There’s the First Stunner of Vikings Roster Cuts
Besides the obligatory cuts, reports surfaced saying T.J. Hockenson would stay on the PUP list. Dalton Risner and Gabriel Murphy have been placed on IR. All three guys will miss their first four games of the season but are eligible to return after that fourth contest.
A more shocking development is the release of former fourth-round running back Kene Nwangwu. The former second-team All-Pro kick returner has been shown the door after three seasons with the club.
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling wrote on X: “Source confirms the Vikings are moving on from kick returner Kene Nwangwu, who will be cut if he’s not traded today. He’d had a stronger camp than in the past, but hadn’t quite caught on as a running back during his time in Minnesota.”
The speedy runner out of Iowa State was drafted in 2021, Rick Spielman’s final draft. He shined early in his career, returning a league-high two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2021 and one in 2022. Still, his value decreased as the league slowly turned the kickoff into a fair-catch competition.
With the new rules that will result in many more kick returns, Nwangwu’s value was expected to rise again.
Matt Daniels, Vikings special teams coordinator, said in May: “Huge, that’s the other aspect of (the new rules). The value of a returner now skyrockets. The value of a returner significantly increases, so you want to have a plethora of those guys who you can trust to do it, who can be dangerous with the ball in their hands.”
Not so fast, says the club three months later.
In the preseason, the Vikings tried different kick returners; it remains to be seen who will take that job. Ty Chandler and Brandon Powell were listed as the team’s second and third returners behind Nwangwu.
Nwangwu got some run at running back, and he scored a long rushing touchdown in the first game. Besides that, however, he displayed an inability to see the right holes, and his pass-blocking reps were a disaster, which is something coaches are extremely harsh on.
His exit leaves the Vikings with only two running backs: Aaron Jones and Chandler.
Myles Gaskin, Mo Ibrahmin, and DeWayne McBride have also been axed.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will undoubtedly try to acquire another running back to have a solid depth option behind the duo. Nwangwu is an experienced kick return specialist with a ton of success in the past, and another team will give him an audition in that same role.
In three seasons with the Vikings, Nwangwu appeared in 37 games. He rushed 27 times for 88 yards and caught six passes for another 30. The running back returned 68 kicks for 1,879 yards and three touchdowns.
Nwangwu is 26 years old.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt