Vikings GM Nolan Teasley continues to adjust the active roster to maximize their depth, including the return of a preseason favorite
We are only a few months into Nolan Teasley’s tenure as general manager, and he’s shown a willingness to shake things up.
Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley teased the potential of making a decent splash in the trade market during the season. He spoke to the media after the J.J. McCarthy trade, and hinted at the idea of trading the fifth-round pick they received this year.
“Nothing’s changed. I still believe that he has ability, and that he’s going to have an opportunity to go to New York [Giants] and make a difference,” said Teasley during Monday’s press conference. “We got to the point where the return made sense for us now to get an asset that, in all honesty, is going to help us in the future or it could help us this season. We don’t know. So, to have another asset that can help us continue to build because this season and the roster is going to constantly evolve, and today’s another example of that.”
Minnesota Vikings make multiple roster moves
On Tuesday, the Vikings made multiple official roster moves, along with agreeing to a contract with running back Devin Neal.
We knew that Josh Oliver was going to be placed on injured reserve with a torn bicep, and Max Brosmer was added to replace McCarthy. Plus, Kyle Van Noy was out of elevations, which means that he was bound to be added to the active roster.
Johnny Hekker being released makes all the sense in the world. With Van Noy having just one elevation left going into Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, signing Hekker for one week then putting him back onto the practice squad gives the Vikings more flexibility as Brett Thorson recovers from a hamstring injury. Really smart procedural move from Teasley.
The releases from the practice squad aren’t all that surprising, especially with both running backs gone with the addition of Neal, likely to the active roster. Jonathan Harris is a guy the Vikings will likely keep on speed dial throughout the year.
Of all the moves, adding Dyson brings the most intrigue. He notched two sacks and six pressures on just 15 pass rush reps during the preseason. This came after he got 4.5 sacks across 10 UFL games with the Houston Gamblers this spring. They tried to add him to the practice squad after agreeing to an injury settlement, but NFL rules prevent teams from signing a player to a contract of any kind until three weeks after the injury settlement they gave the player expired. That apparently is now, which is why Dyson is back.
It’s a great upside play by the Vikings. He’s got a ways to go, but with his performance being as good as it was during the preseason, he’s worth trying to develop. It worked well with Jalen Redmond, so maybe they can strike gold twice.
It was a busy two days for Teasley, but the roster is in a better spot now than it was prior.
