Undrafted rookie running back Corey Kiner has found a new home, signing with the Minnesota Vikingsâ practice squad, the team announced Tuesday.
Kiner spent the summer with the San Francisco 49ers but hurt his ankle in the teamâs second preseason game and was placed on injured reserve before getting waived with an injury designation on Aug. 20.
In Minnesota, he joins fellow former 49er Jordan Mason, who ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries in a 48-10 blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Kiner Hurt Ankle in Preseason
After beginning his college career at LSU, Kiner played three seasons at Cincinnati before signing with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in April. In two preseason games, the 5-foot-9, 205-pound Kiner ran 12 times for 68 yards, averaging a team-high 5.7 yards per carry. He also had two catches for six yards.
Kiner was carted off with a high-ankle sprain during the second preseason game, an injury that typically requires a multi-week absence.
That made finding room for Kiner difficult. The 49ers already had Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, Jordan James and All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and they wound up trading for Brian Robinson Jr. All five made the initial 53-man roster.
Kiner Has Drawn Comparisons to Mason
Kinerâs signing was among a series of roster moves announced Monday by Minnesota. The Vikings also released receiver Lucky Johnson and running back Xazavian Valladay from their practice squad and reinstated receiver Jordan Addison, who was suspended three games for violating the NFLâs Substances of Abuse policy.
Aaron Jones (hamstring) and Ty Chandler (knee) are both on IR, leaving Minnesota thin at running back. Working as the primary complement to Mason, Zavier Scott had eight carries for 30 yards and one catch for 20 yards in Week 3. Cam Akers contributed five carries for 19 yards.
Kiner â whose running style has ironically drawn comparisons to Mason â will try to carve out a role on the practice squad.
The 23-year-old posted a photo on social media Wednesday from the Vikingsâ practice facility.
Kiner Starred in College at Cincinnati
Kiner started 24 consecutive games over his final two seasons with Cincinnati. He ran for 1,047 yards and five touchdowns in 2023 and 1,153 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, becoming just the fifth player in program history with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns. His 2,562 career rushing yards ranked eighth in school history.
A pre-draft scouting report described Kiner as a âcompact runner who is light on explosiveness but heavy on production and consistency.â
âThe more film you watch, the more you realize how rare it is to see Kiner brought down by the first tackler. He can slink around solid contact or pinball off of it for additional yardage. Heâs not super fast, but he runs with unchanging pace and a downhill tilt. Kiner is functional in the passing game but heâs not a third-down back and has no real special teams experience. He maximizes each carry to the best of his ability but lacks the burst and athleticism to survive behind a subpar line,â NFL.comâs Lance Zierlein wrote.
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