Minnesota Vikings currently have open roster spot. Are they saving it for T.J. Hockenson or a bigger move?
The Minnesota Vikings waived defensive tackle Jalen Redmond this past weekend and didn't fill the roster spot. That raised a lot of questions about the status of tight end T.J. Hockenson. The Vikings activated his practice window on Friday, October 4th with hte intention that he would be returning after the bye week. They wanted him […]
The Minnesota Vikings waived defensive tackle Jalen Redmond this past weekend and didn't fill the roster spot. That raised a lot of questions about the status of tight end T.J. Hockenson.
The Vikings activated his practice window on Friday, October 4th with hte intention that he would be returning after the bye week. They wanted him to get back onto the practice field sooner rather than later and they accomplished just that. He could also miss the week eight game against the Los Angeles Rams with it being on Thursday night.
With Hockenson's return in the coming days, the roster spot could go to him. Although, the Vikings may have other ideas.
The Vikings could be in the market for a running back
Hockenson feels like the most likely player to fill the open roster spot as he is returning, but there is one other option the Vikings have at their disposal.
With Aaron Jones nursing a hip injury and is currently week-to-week, the running back position is in a tough spot. Ty Chandler is currently the only tailback on the roster with C.J. Ham as a fullback.
Now, they do have Myles Gaskin on the practice squad who has already moved between the active roster and the practice squad a couple of times and is currently viewed as the RB3 on the roster.
Depth at the position is paramount. Outside of Chandler, Ham and Gaskin, the only other player on the team is former UConn running back Zavier Scott.
Second-year back DeWayne McBride was on the practice squad but was waived earlier this season. The seventh-round pick from 2023 hasn't done much to inspire confidence that he can be relied upon to be a contributor which is why the Vikings haven't brought him back.
That raises the question of what the Vikings might be willing to do in regard to fortifying the position. Could they try to bring in a free agent? Would a trade be in the works?
As you can imagine, the free agent market is pretty thin at an already weak position. The only options that could be realistic are veterans at the end of their careers. That includes for Vikings Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon as well as Melvin Gordon, Matt Breida and Royce Freeman.
Do any of those players move the needle? Not really but they would provide veteran depth at a position that the Vikings could rely upon for a week or two to help out in Jones' potential absence.
There is the option of trying to sign a player off of another team's practice squad. The options are a little better than what is on the free agent market but still rather limited.
- Arizona's Michael Carter
- Dallas' Dalvin Cook
- Detroit's Jermar Jefferson
Another intriguing option: a trade with the Houston Texans for Cam Akers. Both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce are healthy and he will be expendable. Akers has a lot of experience with head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense and could step in immediately without issue.
They could also prioritize a higher-profile name in a trade but that could prove to be too costly with the Vikings' lack of draft capital this year. It will be interesting to keep an eye on until Jones is back healthy. This is something the Vikings should have prioritized once they committed to Jones with his injury history and now they may have to scramble.
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