Vikings Sign 1 Player, Release Another
The Minnesota Vikings have arrived at mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. A practice session was open to the media, and those media members saw a new guy on the grass, while another was missing.
Vikings make a roster change
Earlier on Tuesday, the club announced a pair of roster moves. On the social media airways, the Vikings wrote, “The #Vikings have signed TE Giovanni Ricci and released OLB Matt Harmon.”
On the team website, the franchise added, “Ricci (pronounced REE-chee) originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers following the 2020 NFL Draft out of Western Michigan. He appeared in 36 games, including four starts, and recorded nine receptions for 102 yards in three seasons (2021-23) after spending his rookie season on the Panthers practice squad in 2020.”
Giovanni Ricci
Giovanni Ricci entered the league in 2020. Coming out of Western Michigan, he went undrafted and signed with the Carolina Panthers, where he spent the first four seasons of his career. He ended up making his NFL debut in 2021 and ultimately played 36 games (four starts) for the Panthers, in which he recorded nine catches for 102 yards.
Much more prolific is his work on special teams. Ricci logged 647 special-teams snaps in his tenure in Carolina and registered 19 tackles and a fumble recovery.
After his stint in the NFC South, he signed with the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 offseason but was released towards the end of the preseason. In February this year, Ricci joined the New England Patriots, but he was axed shortly after the draft.
He’s unlikely to make much noise in the new-looking tight end room that includes, besides top guys T.J. Hockenson and freshly-extended Josh Oliver, three rookies (sixth-rounder Gavin Bartholomew and undrafted rookies Bryson Nesbit and Ben Yurosek) eyeing the TE3 spot and a subsequent roster slot. Still, special teamers are valuable, and the Vikings want to give him a look.
He’s 28 years old and was listed as a fullback earlier in his career. That position has been occupied for almost a decade by C.J. Ham.
Matt Harmon
To make room for him, Matt Harmon was let go.
Harmon spent a whopping seven seasons at Kent State and tabulated 105 tackles and four sacks in 49 games. The linebacker went undrafted and attended Minnesota’s rookie minicamp as a try-out player.
He and fellow try-out defender Elijah Williams earned a spot on the 90-man offseason roster.
At outside linebacker, the Vikings still employ Pro Bowlers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard and hope to see a second-year jump from Dallas Turner. Behind those top three, there’s a void, and it remains to be seen who can clinch that rotational job.
Candidates are last year’s undrafted rookies, Gabriel Murphy and Bo Richter, who remained on the roster all year in 2024. They will face competition from this year’s UDFAs, Chaz Chambliss and Tyler Batty.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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