Vikings Welcome Back a Familiar Face
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for the 2024 campaign. Kevin O’Connell’s operation will play one more preseason game before entering the regular season. In that week, of course, players have their final chance to make their case for the 53-man roster, which will be finalized on August 27. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will show 38 players the door.
Vikings Welcome Back a Familiar Face
The depth players will be the focus on Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Minnesota’s reserves try to capture a 3-0 record in preseason contests.
One of those reserves will be rookie center Matthew Cindric, who returned a few months after the team released him.
League reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted: “Center-guard Matthew Cindric has signed a one-year contract with Vikings following a successful workout, per a league source @KPRC2”
Cindric signed as an undrafted rookie with the Vikings, but the team waived him on May 31st to make room on the 53-man roster for guard Dalton Risner. He spent six college seasons at Cal and played in 35 games (34 starts) in five seasons after redshirting in 2018. His 34 starts were evenly split between center and right guard.
His draft stock never got much traction after suffering season-ending injuries in 2022 and 2023. On his pro day, he performed a 4.99 40-yard dash, which is pretty good for a lineman, and 23 bench press reps.
The interior blocker helped his coaches and teammates by supporting them on the practice field following his season-ending biceps injury last year, and it revived his love for the game. He said about his final year in college football: “Coaching in a funny way almost made me love playing that much more. I do like the fundamentals of coaching and getting out there, working with the guys. I don’t know if the coaching lifestyle is for me. I’m more of a player.”
It remains to be seen whether he will replace someone specific as a corresponding move or if the team just wanted him back. However, it isn’t promising for his future with the organization that the decision-makers thought he would be expendable in May, and his second stint will likely end next week.
The franchise now employs ten interior offensive linemen.
- Blake Brandel
- Garrett Bradbury
- Ed Ingram
- Dalton Risner
- Dan Feeney
- Michael Jurgens
- Tyrese Robinson
- Spencer Rolland
- Henry Byrd
- Matthew Cindric
Brandel, Bradbury, and Ingram appear to be the starting lineup. Veteran Risner lost his job to Brandel. He hasn’t practiced in weeks with a back injury, which doesn’t bode well for his chances to challenge Ingram or Brandel.
Cindric’s competition will be fellow rookie Michael Jurgens and veteran Dan Feeney. The latter is the second-team center and has plenty of experience as a guard in the league. Jurgens has been struggling in the preseason but played well as a guard and center at Wake Forest, which is why the front office used a seventh-rounder to acquire him.
The 25-year-old returning lineman Cindric is an underdog to be part of the 53-man roster, but a spot on the practice squad is possible if he performs well in practices and the final preseason contest.
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