One of the Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 draft picks could be in danger of losing his spot on the roster after the latest injury move ahead of 2025 training camp.
On Monday, the Vikings placed sixth-round rookie tight end Gavin Bartholomew and outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list in preparation for Wednesday’s first official practice of this year’s training camp.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has since specified that Bartholomew is dealing with a lower back injury and Chambliss has a right foot injury. It is unclear whether Bartholomew’s current back injury is the same one that held him out during OTAs.
Fortunately for the Vikings, Bartholomew and Chambliss are the only two players that the team has needed to place on injury lists after veterans reported for camp on July 22. They are projected to have everyone else healthy for Wednesday’s first practice.
Injury Could Hurt Gavin Bartholomew’s Roster Chances
Bartholomew impressed the Vikings enough during the pre-draft process for them to take a shot on him in the sixth round of this spring’s draft, but that won’t be enough to safeguard him from the roster bubble if his back injury keeps him sidelined for long.
The Vikings are in a good spot at tight end with starter T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver returning for their offense in 2025. The hope is that Bartholomew will compete for the No. 3 role behind them when he is healthy, but he will now miss at least some time in camp after sitting out all of the team’s OTAs in the spring — a valuable time for rookies.
Bartholomew could still bounce back and make himself a factor for the Vikings. He caught 105 passes for 1,257 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons at Pittsburgh and has good size (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) to both pass-catcher and handling blocking duties.
At a certain point, though, the Vikings will need to start seriously considering their other options if Bartholomew cannot get back onto the field in a timely fashion.
Will Another Rookie Bump Bartholomew to Bubble?
Speaking of other options, the Vikings won’t have to search far to find other candidates. They have two other rookies — Bryson Nesbit and Ben Yurosek — signed to their roster along with 28-year-old Giovanni Ricci, giving them plenty of choices to handle reps.
The question now is: Will one of the undrafted rookies bump Bartholomew out?
Both Nesbit and Yurosek were more productive than Bartholomew in college. Nesbit caught 107 passes for 1,510 yards and 13 touchdowns in four seasons at North Carolina, while Yurosek — whom scouts expected would declare for the NFL in 2024 — racked up 123 receptions for 1,527 yards and five touchdowns in five years at the collegiate level.
Either one could make headway on claiming the No. 3 role with a strong start to camp, but it also depends on what the Vikings want from their third tight end. If they want to have another pass-catcher, the taller, swifter Nesbit is probably a better choice than Yurosek, but the latter has a stronger willingness to block, based on his college tape.
Either way, the tight end position behind Hockensen and Oliver is one to watch as the Vikings start building toward the start of the 2025 regular season in September.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Vikings Rookie in Danger of Losing Roster Spot After Injury News appeared first on Heavy Sports.