Tag: Alan Ali

Vikings sign WR N’Keal Harry to practice squad

After spending the beginning of training camp with the Vikings, N’Keal Harry is back with the team.

Wide receiver N’Keal Harry is back with the Minnesota Vikings.

On Monday, the Vikings announced they signed the veteran wide receiver to the practice squad. In a subsequent move, the Vikings released undrafted rookie Alan Ali from their practice squad.

Harry, 25, spent training camp and the early parts of the preseason with the Vikings but was waived as the team cut down to 53 players. In the Vikings’ preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, Harry caught two passes for 24 yards. He did not register a catch in the team’s other two preseason games.

A former first-round selection by the New England Patriots, Harry has struggled to break through in the NFL, spending time with both the Patriots and Chicago Bears in four seasons.

Harry played in seven games for the Bears last season, tallying seven receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. Over his career, he’s played in 40 games, totaling 714 yards and five touchdowns.

With the signing of Harry, the Vikings have four wide receivers on their practice squad. Trishton Jackson, Lucky Jackson, and Thayer Thomas were signed to the team’s first practice squad.

The decision to bring an additional receiver to the practice squad is a head-scratcher, but it may signal some concern regarding Jalen Nailor’s health for the season opener. NFL teams are allowed to elevate three practice squad players to their roster every week, so there’s a possibility that Harry is suited up for the Vikings season opener.

Minnesota Vikings waive OLB Luiji Vilain, OG Alan Ali

The Vikings continue to trim the roster down

The Minnesota Vikings have continued to make roster moves. According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, the Vikings have waived outside linebacker Luiji Vilain and offensive lineman Alan Ali.

The Vikings made it a priority to keep their draft picks last season and Vilain was one of only two players to make the team as an undrafted free agent. Vilain was essentially redshirted last season and only played in three games during the 2022 season.

Ali came to the Vikings after playing five seasons at SMU and TCU. He came with a multitude of experience at center with some at guard. The Vikings primarily used him at guard over the course of the preseason, but he struggled throughout.

The Vikings will continue to make moves to get down to the 53-man roster limit.

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5 under-the-radar Vikings players to watch on offense at training camp

As the Minnesota Vikings approach training camp, these five players could make an impact while flying under-the-radar.

The Minnesota Vikings will see their rookies report to training camp on July 23rd with veterans reporting on July 25th. Training camp will be very interesting one for the Vikings this year, as it will be about building upon a 13-4 2022 season.

Kevin O’Connell won’t have to install his offense this season and there is a lot of continuity within the unit. After the starting unit, there is a lot of intrigue as to what we are going to see in 2023.

Going into training camp, we identified five offensive players that are flying under the radar that could make some noise this August.

State of the interior offensive line: The Real Forno Show

The Minnesota Vikings have some continuity on the interior offensive line. We discuss what that looks like on The Real Forno Show.

As we continue to work through the Minnesota Vikings roster for the 2023 season, the interior offensive line offers a lot of intrigue.

Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram are back together for the second-consecutive season and that kind of continuity is extremely valuable on the offensive line.

Last season, Cleveland and Ingram started all 18 games with Bradbury missing five due to a back injury that was aggravated by a fender bender.

After the starters, the group of reserves has some intrigue. Austin Schlottmann is coming off of a broken ankle and Chris Reed struggled with the transition to center. Josh Sokol is entering his second season and UDFA Alan Ali offers a versatile interior player with really good size.

What should we expect from the interior offensive line group? Can they improve from last season? How will Ingram grow from his oftentimes brutal 2022?

All of that and more on the latest episode of The Real Forno Show, airing Monday and Wednesday nights at 6 pm central on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.

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Vikings state of the roster: Interior offensive line

Can the Minnesota Vikings see improvement from Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury and Ed Ingram in 2023?

The 2023 season is inching closer and closer by the day and we here at Vikings Wire are previewing the season from every angle.

We are currently writing player profiles on each Minnesota Viking on the roster with projections for what their 2023 season could look like. How things look projecting forward is where the real intrigue lies.

Leading up to training camp, we will be looking at each position from a more in-depth perspective. Today, we will be looking at the interior offensive line.

Vikings 90-man roster player profile: OL Alan Ali

The UDFA from TCU played well for the Horned Frogs last season. Can Alan Ali keep that momentum for a roster spot this season?

Welcome to the beginning of our 2023 season preview content!

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at each player on the roster in-depth with backgrounds and how they currently project forward on the Minnesota Vikings roster.

What is the best-case scenario? What is the worst-case scenario? What should we expect from them during the preseason and beyond? We will break all of that down here.

As a staff, all of us at Vikings Wire ranked the entire 90-man roster 1-90 and will be releasing player profiles in reverse order.

7 Vikings UDFAs with best chance to make the roster

The Minnesota Vikings signed 15 undrafted free agents with seven of them having a decent shot to make the final 53-man roster.

The Minnesota Vikings added six draft picks in the 2023 NFL draft with the expectation that they all make the final 53-man roster. They also signed 15 undrafted free agents, but what are the odds that they make the roster?

With multiple holes on the roster, what odds do the undrafted free agents the Vikings signed have to make the roster? I believe that seven of them have a good chance to make it.

Here are the undrafted free agents with the best chance to make the roster and why.

Breaking down the Vikings UDFA signings

The Minnesota Vikings brought in 15 UDFA signings. @TheKevinFielder provides an introduction with a brief synopsis of all 15.

While hearing their name called during the NFL Draft is the dream of every college prospect, some don’t get that luxury.

With just 259 draft picks, more players find themselves waiting after Saturday’s conclusion to find their chance. Often forgotten, these undrafted free agents come into the NFL with limited expectations but high hopes.

Over the years, a laundry list of undrafted free agents have carved out long careers, including former Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame defensive tackle, John Randle.

This season, the Vikings signed 15 players to an undrafted free-agent deal. These players will go through the off-season program, hoping to make the team’s 53-man roster before the regular season begins.

Here are each of those signings.