Vikings Hosted 3 Free Agents on Saturday
The Minnesota Vikings have started to allow fans to watch the training camp practices. The obvious main attraction is quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is back on the field in front of fans for the first time since last preseason, as a torn meniscus has robbed him of all other opportunities to showcase his talent.
Vikings Hosted 3 Free Agents on Saturday
McCarthy has a roster spot secured, there’s no doubt about it. For other players, training camp is the chance of a lifetime, while they fight for one of the remaining roster spots. In all of that, the franchise always tries to improve its roster and therefore hosts some free agents for workouts.
Saturday, three external players were present. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported: “Vikings worked out defensive backs Trey Dean, Gervarrius Owens, Jason Taylor.”
If you hoped for any big-name players like Asante Samuel Jr., Gus Edwards, or Amari Cooper, you’ll be disappointed. But let’s still take a closer look at the players. As Wilson mentioned, all three of those guys are defensive backs, and neither is an established NFL player.
At defensive back, the Vikings announced one major item on Saturday. Joshua Metellus finally got his contract extension. He didn’t participate in practice, though, and neither did Isaiah Rodgers or Harrison Smith. Potentially, those three guys got a veteran rest day, or they’re dealing with minor injuries. In all likelihood, they just got a day off before the pads make an appearance on Monday. Their absence is the easy explanation for bringing in some DBs.
Trey Dean
Troy Dean, 25, went undrafted out of the University of Florida in 2023. He has had stints with the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, and, most recently, with the DC Defenders in the UFL.
While he has yet to make his NFL debut, the safety already has a Super Bowl championship with the Chiefs and a UFL title with the Defenders in his resume. In the UFL playoffs (two games), Dean logged ten tackles, one interception, and a tackle for loss.
Gervarrius Owens
Gervarrius Owens is, just like Dean, 25 years old and a safety. After playing college ball at Houston, he was selected as a seventh-round pick in 2023 by the New York Giants, and he even made the 53-man roster. Last offseason, the Giants waived him, and he spent a couple of months on the practice squad before being released.
The Tennessee Titans picked him up, and he even appeared in a couple of games. Owens received a future contract after the season but was released in April. Owens has played in five NFL games, logging one defensive snap and 41 on special teams. He made one tackle and recovered a fumble.
Jason Taylor
Jason Taylor had a 15-year NFL career and made 139.5 sacks, most of them with the Dolphins. That, of course, is a different Jason Taylor, who retired over a decade ago.
Instead, the Vikings gave the 2023 seventh-rounder of the Los Angeles Rams a look. Another 25-year-old defender, Taylor wore the Rams uniform eight times in 2023, making five tackles on 39 defensive and 111 special teams snaps.
He also had stints with the Arizona Cardinals in 2024 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025. The Chiefs released him in May.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.