Vikings Elevate 2 Practice Squad Players
Coming into Week 16, the Vikings are tied for the NFC North lead with a 12-2 record, a feat nobody would’ve believed four months ago. Now, Minnesota heads to Seattle, trying to win a game there for the first time since 2006. Future Ring of Honor player Harrison Smith has not won in Lumen Field.
Vikings Elevate 2 Practice Squad Players
For the game, the Vikings have already ruled out cornerback Fabian Moreau and defensive tackle Jalen Redmond.
Fullback C.J. Ham and safety Smith are questionable.
To combat those injuries, perhaps even in preparation for the absence of Smith and Ham, the Vikings have elevated practice squad players, Nick Muse and Bobby McCain, the club announced on Saturday.
The Vikes announced: “The Vikings have elevated TE Nick Muse and S Bobby McCain to the active roster for tomorrow’s game. FB C.J. Ham did not travel with the team to Seattle but will arrive separately Saturday night.”
McCain’s presence might indicate Smith’s nonattendance. He signed with the Vikings on July 29 after the secondary lost Mekhi Blackmon to a season-ending torn ACL, and Shaq Griffin suffered a muscle injury, which knocked him out of practice for a few weeks.
He is an experienced veteran in the NFL at both safety and slot cornerback and has a history with defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The defender played under ex-Dolphins head coach Flores in 2019 and 2020. Earlier in the season, McCain appeared in two contests, logging three defensive and 21 special team snaps.
The University of Memphis alumnus arrived in the league as a fifth-round selection in 2015. After providing depth as a backup in his debut season with the Dolphins, McCain became a starter as Miami’s slot cornerback in 2016, and he kept a starting job throughout 2020 when Flores called the shots in South Florida.
In 2021, he left in free agency and signed with Washington, where he stayed for two campaigns until the franchise released him in 2023. The one-year stint with the New York Giants was underwhelming as he barely saw the field.
McCain has played 133 games in the NFL and started 87. During his ten-year NFL career, the defensive back has tabulated 394 tackles, 11 interceptions, and four sacks.
Even if Smith doesn’t suit up, the Vikings still employ Cam Bynum, Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, and Jay Ward in perhaps the team’s deepest position group.
Muse, meanwhile, might function as an additional blocker in case of a potential Ham absence. Numerous teams around the league use a tight end as a fullback if they don’t carry one on the roster.
The tight end joined the Vikings in 2022, in the seventh round of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft. He has been on the move quite a lot, wandering between the practice squad and the 53-man roster countless times in his three-year career.
A hand injury also cost him some time on IR this season. He has played in 16 games, catching one pass for 22 yards on 19 offensive snaps. He is also a capable special teams player, recording 184 snaps in the third phase.
The Vikes also bring fellow tight ends T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, and Johnny Mundt to Seattle.
Both Muse and McCain can play on special teams, where they will likely see most of their work on Sunday.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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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