Vikings Quickly React to Cashman Injury With New Addition
The Minnesota Vikings left Soldier Field with a victory, but also with a bunch of injury concerns. Andrew Van Ginkel and Jeff Okudah both landed in concussion protocol, putting their Week 2 status in jeopardy. Ryan Kelly and Josh Oliver have not practiced this week, and running back Ty Chandler was placed on IR.
Vikings Quickly React to Cashman Injury With New Addition
Chandler is joined by linebacker Blake Cashman, who suffered a hamstring injury in the season opener when he was trying to chase down Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. That stint on injured reserve will cost him the next four games, as he won’t be eligible to return to the playing field until after the Week 6 bye.
To combat that reality, the Vikings needed some more depth, considering backup Eric Wilson is set to enter the starting lineup next to Ivan Pace Jr., and the only backups on the roster are rookies Kobe King and Austin Keys. That’s why the purple squad took action on Thursday and added experienced defender Sione Takitaki to the practice squad.
Wide receiver Tim Jones and tight end Nick Vannett were promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, leaving behind two openings on the practice squad. Takitaki and Tyrek Funderburk closed those holes.
The Vikings wrote about Takitaki, “Takitaki, 30, is a former third-round draft pick by the Browns in 2019 (80th overall) out of BYU,” Vikings writer Craig Peters and Rob Kleifield noted. “He spent five seasons with Cleveland before signing with New England during 2024 free agency. Overall, Takitaki has logged 289 career tackles along with four sacks and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown in 2020.”
He’ll start on the practice squad, but it wouldn’t be too shocking to see him get some run rather quickly. Just last year, the Vikings hired linebacker Jamin Davis during the season, and he received playing time in the home game against the Cardinals just a few days later.
The Vikings can call up Takitaki and all other practice squad players three times per season.
More from the Vikings, “Last year Takitaki started four of 11 games for the Patriots and posted 21 tackles across 194 snaps on defense and 112 on special teams. His top statistical campaign was 2022 when he collected 71 tackles in 12 games and eight starts. The Southern California native was released by New England in February. Takitaki flashed from various alignments at BYU, tallying 237 tackles and 14.5 sacks across four seasons.”
Takitaki is a solid football player if you want to believe his PFF resume.
- 2019: 64.5
- 2020: 67.5
- 2021: 67.5
- 2022: 66.5
- 2023: 70.7
- 2024: 63.0
For reference, that’s the numbers of a decent second or third linebacker on his teams. Not a Pro Bowler, but a reliable player on the second level, who can step up if needed. The defender is a reasonably balanced player who would help the Vikings against the run, in coverage, and as a pass rusher, if he were to see the field.
That raises the question, why the hell did the Patriots release him in February? They saved some cap space, but not enough to warrant letting go of a solid defender. However, Mike Vrabel also implemented a new defensive scheme, moving away from a Bill Belichick defense that Vrabel’s predecessor, Jerod Mayo, had run and Takitaki didn’t fit his plans. Brian Flores was part of the Belichick coaching tree. His defense is unique due to the blitzing nature, but Takitaki might be a better fit under his wings.
A potential power play of Vrabel to show that he’s the boss and not executive Eliot Wolf, who signed him, might also have played a role.
Another wrinkle is that Adofo-Mensah was employed by the Cleveland Browns before heading to the Twin Cities, and he crossed paths with the new Viking for a couple of years.
It remains to be seen how quickly he can get acclimated, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him active as soon as Sunday, as it might be too much of a risk to enter the contest with only a pair of rookies as backup linebackers.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.