Rumor: Vikings Draft Pick On Shaky Ground as Training Camp Arrives
Football has several sayings to account for the situation the Vikings draft pick finds himself in.
One insists that “you can’t make the club from the tub.” The ice tub is a place where injuries get fixed up; spending too much time there rather than on the field isn’t a good omen. There’s then the insistence that “the best ability is availability.” Basically, a player can ooze talent — think Marcus Davenport — but that’s not going to matter if he isn’t available due to consistent time in the infirmary.
Shift things over to rookie tight end Gavin Bartholomew, the focus of the Vikings rumor piece.
The team’s official social media account shared the update that he isn’t healthy enough to fully jump into action: “The #Vikings have placed TE Gavin Bartholomew and OLB Chaz Chambliss on Active/PUP.” The discouraging update arrives after word of him missing time earlier in the summer.
Vikings Draft Pick on Shaky Ground Due to Injury
Every so often, the NFL reminds us of a central truth: it can be a brutal workplace.
Yes, fame and fortune follow the players who make it, but it’s also a league that doesn’t slow down for anyone. Injuries come up and things keep going. Replacements are found and football continues onward. The basic reality is now confronting Mr. Bartholomew, someone who was a draft pick — chosen at No. 202, which is in the 6th — but who is nevertheless battling for a roster spot.
Now, consider a poor outcome: the rookie tight end struggles to get his body right, leading to a scenario where he isn’t ready in time for Week 1. No doubt, that would be an unfortunate development — one that’s a long way off — but it wouldn’t be the death knell to his NFL career.
Last season, undrafted edge rusher Gabriel Murphy started the season injured. He was inspiring optimism as yet another steal of a pass rusher but he couldn’t bring the promise to fruition due to health, at least initially. He nevertheless hung around in Minnesota, eventually forcing his way onto the 53-man roster before the season ended.
Oh, and then there’s a certain QB who lost his rookie season with a knee injury. He has since come back and is in the midst of fully locking down the QB1 job.
So, ongoing injury issues shouldn’t be understood as being the end of the road for Gavin Bartholomew. The final chapter in his story hasn’t been written, a truth that remains no matter how things go in the coming days and weeks.
Let’s hope and assume, though, that the tight end comes back sooner rather than later. What will Minnesota be getting?
Bartholomew, 22, is listed as being 6’5″ and weighing 246 pounds. Not quite Josh Oliver, but a pretty standard build for a tight end. He played four seasons of college ball for Pittsburgh, seemingly tasked with playing different roles. In 2023, Bartholomew averaged an explosive 18.1 yards per reception, a number that dropped down to 8.5 yards per reception in 2024. The catch totals are fairly modest — 18 receptions in the ’23 season versus 38 receptions in the ’24 season — meaning the yard averages can be skewed more easily than if he were a 100-catch tight end.
Even still, there’s a hint that he’s capable of being tasked with different roles. The 2023 statistics point toward an explosive option to fly down the field (he ran a 4.7 forty, an identical time to T.J. Hockenson). The 2024 statistics, in contrast, point toward a possession-receiver tasked with being a safety valve for the QB.
Dig into the snaps a bit further and one will find more reason for intrigue. Pittsburgh shuffled Gavin Bartholomew all over their offense. He earned 375 snaps inline, 161 in the slot, 136 out wide, and 5 in the backfield (he had a single carry go for 2 yards, so don’t expect the second coming of Dalvin Cook). Goodness, the tight end even took a pair of snaps as a quarterback, going 0/1 for zero yards while moonlighting as a passer.
Minnesota is a team that covets tough, competitive players who are capable of doing multiple things well. Get shuffled all over the field and compete like crazy to win a rep. That’s central to the Vikings’ identity.
The roadblock standing in front of the Vikings draft pick is that he needs to get back onto the field. He’s primarily competing against Ben Yurosek (a UDFA who demanded $254,000 in guaranteed money) alongside Bryson Nesbit (a UDFA who demanded $80,000 in guaranteed money). Both of these players have the capacity to distinguish themselves in the competition for the TE3 spot so long as Gavin Bartholomew is healing rather than playing.
The Vikings’ debut preseason tilt takes place on Saturday, August 9th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, Sports Reference CFB, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
