Vikings Say Goodbye to Young Playmaker
Life comes at you pretty fast in the NFL.
The Vikings have decided to move on from tight end Nick Muse. Doing so comes after they just activated him from injured reserve to function as a fill-in for the injured Josh Oliver. Tom Pelissero, as he often does, comes through with the update: “The #Vikings are waiving TE Nick Muse, per source. They’ll sign him back to the practice squad if he clears.”
Vikings Waive TE Nick Muse
Glass half full: maybe Josh Oliver is getting close to returning.
Following the victory over the Titans in Week 11, Kevin O’Connell revealed that Oliver was working through an ankle injury. In the end, the injury was severe enough to take Oliver out of the lineup for a tough road game against the Bears in Week 12. Does the Muse cut mean that Oliver is closer to his return?
Plenty of Vikings fans are concerned about the fate of the 2022 draft class. After all, five of those players have either been traded or cut. Most recently, corner Akayleb Evans was cut and promptly scooped up by the Panthers.
Minnesota’s tight end spot is perhaps the deepest position on the roster. At the top is T.J. Hockenson, who is coming off of a monstrous performance at Soldier Field. Getting the TE1 back into the mix and performing like his normal self is a major boost to Kevin O’Connell’s offense. Go ahead and take away Justin Jefferson: doing so will lead to situations where Hockenson can feast.
And then there’s the aforementioned Oliver. Known mostly as a blocking bully, Oliver actually has pretty soft hands and he moves reasonably well. Plus, his size makes him an appealing target if there’s a situation where the QB is going to give his guy a shot in tight coverage.
The TE room also features Johnny Mundt — someone whom O’Connell adores — and then the practice squad has Robert Tonyan alongside Sammis Reyes.
As a 7th-Round selection, Muse didn’t have too many expectations getting into the NFL. He has played in fifteen games since getting picked but has never been a starter. His lonely target on offense did result in a catch that went for 22 yards. In all likelihood, Muse’s path to a more permanent roster spot rests in developing his game as a blocker and as a special teams ace.
As Pelissero mentions, Minnesota will be interested in keeping the young tight end (he’s 26) within their orbit if he clears waivers. Re-signing him to the practice squad makes sense to continue fortifying a position of strength.
Next up for Minnesota is a home game against Arizona. Pulling off the win would mean climbing up to an ultra impressive 10-2 record.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.