The Minnesota Vikings have reshuffled the wide receiver room with Jordan Addison‘s return from suspension as the team prepares for a two-week stay in the United Kingdom.
To make room for Addison, the Vikings released wide receiver Tim Jones from the 53-man roster.
But the tougher loss to stomach was the corresponding move.
On Tuesday, September 23, the Vikings also announced the release of third-year wide receiver Lucky Jackson from the practice squad. Jackson was a perennial preseason favorite and had his best camp yet this summer, often filling in for an injured Justin Jefferson at training camp.
Many fans responded somberly to the news of Jackson’s release. Jones played a special teams role for the first three games of the season, which could prove more valuable to the Vikings. It remains to be seen if Jones will be brought back, but the open spot on the practice squad assumes he or another wide receiver could be signed soon.
Vikings Make RB Move Ahead of Europe Trip
The shakeup in the wide receiver room wasn’t the only move made on Tuesday.
The Vikings also signed former San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Corey Kiner to the practice squad. Xazavian Valladay was released to make room for Kiner.
Kiner, 24, went undrafted in April’s draft. He suffered a high ankle sprain in training camp that led to him being waived with an injury designation.
A former teammate of Ivan Pace Jr. at Cincinnati, Kiner took 477 carries for 2,562 yards and 14 touchdowns in 34 games for the Bearcats.
Lacking in upside explosiveness, Kiner made a name for himself with his vision, processing and patience as a runner.
He joins a running back room spearheaded by Jordan Mason and third-year running back Zavier Scott. Cam Akers was signed a week ago and figures to play a role while starter Aaron Jones is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Vikings Offense Reaching Full Health With Jordan Addison’s Return
After two tough weeks with J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings offense showed signs of life last week with Carson Wentz under center.
Arguably the biggest difference-maker was Christian Darrisaw, who made his return from a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Addison’s anticipated return this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers is the next needle mover for Kevin O’Connell’s offense that is poised to take flight after a slow start to the season.
Last week, Wentz was effective, completing 14-for-20 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns.
O’Connell praised Wentz for playing “point guard,” a role that he will likely continue to put Wentz in until McCarthy is deemed ready to return from a high ankle sprain injury.
When that time comes remains a mystery and a point of conversation for the team that has championship aspirations after aggressively awarding over $300 million in new contracts in the offseason.
O’Connell’s words have been under a magnifying glass this week about whether he would commit to McCarthy once he’s healthy. The Vikings coach said that he would need to see McCarthy in a full week of practice before making the call, before pushing back on the need for an answer.
“We saw, as phenomenal as he was getting prepared for the Atlanta game (after the birth of his son), he did miss practice that week,” O’Connell said. “And when you’re in the phase of building up the 10,000 reps and 10,000 hours it takes to play the position at a very high level, which we know J.J. McCarthy is going to do, you can’t cut corners on that.
“And (the initial question) also doesn’t require an answer today.”
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