Vikings Swap 1 Tall Human Being for Another
After weeks of leaving the waiver wire alone, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has started to make some moves during this year’s training camp. On Wednesday, he waived linebacker Max Tooley to make room for safety Gervarrius Owens. Just one day later, he made another move happen.
Vikings Swap 1 Tall Human Being for Another
On the official website, the Vikings announced: “The Vikings on Thursday announced the signing of veteran offensive lineman Matt Nelson. To make room for Nelson, the Vikings waived rookie defensive lineman Alexander Williams with an injury designation.”
A fascinating tidbit: Both Nelson and Williams are 6’7″ tall, tied for the tallest player on Minnesota’s roster. The other 6’7″ player is right tackle Brian O’Neill.
Nelson, from Grant Rapids, Iowa, is 29 years old and attended the University of Iowa. In 2019, the offensive tackle went undrafted and signed a deal with the Detroit Lions, where he stayed for five seasons. Last year, the New York Giants signed him in March but released him ahead of the season opener against the Vikings.
With the Lions, Nelson has competed in 43 contests (14 starts), primarily as a backup lineman. Overall, Nelson logged 1,071 offensive snaps and another 187 on special teams. Most of those took place at left tackle or as a sixth offensive lineman.
His PFF resume:
- 2020: 55.8 (107th of 135 eligible OTs)
- 2021: 50.8 (133rd of 148 OTs)
- 2022: 46.3
- 2023: 58.0
It’s important to note that he only eclipsed 100 snaps in 2020 and 2021. Neither his pass protection grade nor his run blocking stands out. All in all, his PFF page looks like that of a depth lineman, and that’s what the Vikings have hired him for.
At offensive tackle, the Vikings employ starters O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw. The latter has recently gotten some run in team drills for the first time since his knee injury suffered last season. Backup Justin Skule would replace him if he needed some extra time.
In addition to those three, the Vikings have last year’s sixth-rounder, Walter Rouse, under contract as well as undrafted rookie Logan Brown. There’s a good chance we’ll get to see the four depth players in the preseason. Darrisaw certainly won’t play, and O’Neill might, at best, get a handful of reps.
To make room for Nelson, Alexander Williams was waived with an injury designation. We don’t know the extent of his injury. If he clears waivers, which he likely will, Williams will revert to Minnesota’s IR. In case the injury isn’t season-ending, teams and players usually come to an injury settlement, and the player becomes a normal free agent.
Starting his college career in 2018, Williams was buried on Ohio State’s depth chart (like many others) early in his career and decided to transfer to Vanderbilt, where his career stalled. He then stepped away from the game. In 2024, he gave it another shot and played at Middle Tennessee State. After a few games, a season-ending injury ended his college career.
The Vikings gave him a chance after the draft. For now, that chapter is over, but he might be back in a couple of days.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.