Tag: Ben Ellefson

Ben Ellefson to stay with team in hybrid role

The Vikings added to their staff with a recently retired player.

After retiring from the Minnesota Vikings as a player, former tight end Ben Ellefson isn’t leaving the team. According to head coach Kevin O’Connell, Ellefson will be moving into a hybrid role described as “some coaching, maybe scouting, maybe player engagement.”

O’Connell also said that the role will be finalized by training camp and continue through the 2023 season.

A graduate of North Dakota State, Ellefson brings with him three years of NFL experience and his knowledge of the system will help out the Vikings staff. Being that he was also a player just a week ago, the idea of a role in player engagement could be an excellent fit. Relating the players thoughts to the staff could be a tremendous asset to O’Connell and the Vikings.

Vikings sign UDFA WR Garett Maag

With the retirement of tight end Ben Ellefson, the Minnesota Vikings signed rookie WR Garett Maag out of North Dakota to the 90 man roster.

The Minnesota Vikings have signed UDFA wide receiver Garett Maag, as reported by The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler. The roster spot was made available with the retirement of tight end Ben Ellefson earlier Thursday.

Maag’s size (6-4, 210 pounds), paired with his ability, has made him a hot commodity since finishing his career at North Dakota. The former fifth-year senior was invited to the rookie camps of multiple teams, including the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. He is a native of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.

Before the draft, he was listed by Fowler as a “sleeper to watch” because of his gaudy measurables at his pro day.

After this, he held a second pro day where he only ran routes and performed the bench press with teammate Tyler Hoosman. He impressed there as well, as scouts from 10 teams, including the Vikings, watched.

The Minnesota receiver room has suffered multiple casualties this offseason, perhaps opening up room for Maag to compete for significant reps this summer.

In his five collegiate seasons, Maag pulled in 164 receptions for 2,205 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Vikings tight end Ben Ellefson announces retirement

Ben Ellefson, who joined the Vikings in 2021, announced his decision to retire in an Instagram post.

Minnesota Vikings tight end Ben Ellefson has retired from football.

Ellefson, 26, announced the decision via a post on his Instagram page.

“Everybody’s story is different,” Ellefson wrote. “And I am proud to say I’ve given the game of football everything I have.”

In the post, Ellefson mentioned that injuries played a role in his decision to retire.

“Injuries are a part of the game and although they are a big reason for me moving on, I am fortunate to be in a spot where I can still walk away from the game aas a player, ready to tackle whatever is next in my life,” Ellefson wrote.

Injuries have, unfortunately, impacted Ellefson throughout his NFL career. Last season, Ellefson suffered a groin injury that landed him on injured reserve in Week 4. Ellefson was later removed from the injured reserve but did not total another reception.

Over three seasons in the NFL, Ellefson played in 16 games, totaling four receptions for 36 yards.

Ellefson’s retirement may open up a spot on the Vikings’ 53-man roster, especially if they intend to keep four tight ends. Barring injury, T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver are likely locks for the active roster, leaving Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse, and undrafted rookie Ben Sims fighting for the additional roster spots.

Grading the Vikings free agency moves after the first week

The Minnesota Vikings have made multiple signings since the beginning of free agency. @TheRealForno graded each signing the Vikings made.

We are eight days into the free agency period and the Minnesota Vikings have been plenty busy in both acquiring and retaining talent.

Despite entering the offseason nearly $24 million over the salary cap, the Vikings made multiple moves by releasing stalwart players like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks. The corresponding moves that they made will help determine where the Vikings go moving forward.

After the first eight days, the Vikings have made multiple moves. Here is how I have graded each of those moves.

Vikings re-sign TE Ben Ellefson hours after deciding not to tender him

Ellefson is set to enter his third season as a member of the #Vikings’ offense after re-signing with the team on Wednesday

The Minnesota Vikings made a shrewd financial decision on Wednesday when they re-signed tight end Ben Ellefson after opting not to tender him as a restricted free agent earlier in the day.

The details of Ellefson’s contract are not yet known, though their decision to let him become an unrestricted free agent before re-signing him is an indication that the deal will be for less than the minimum tender amount of $2.6 million.

Ellefson has been with the Vikings since 2021, though he has only played sparingly in his two seasons with the team. Originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 annual selection meeting, Ellefson is a native of Hawley, Minnesota, and played collegiately at North Dakota State University.

He should prove to be valuable depth for the Vikings in 2023, and should he continue developing in the team’s offense, could see more significant playing time if the team doesn’t invest further at the tight end position.

Vikings place CB Akayleb Evans and TE Ben Ellefson on IR

The Vikings placed both Akayleb Evans and Ben Ellefson on injured reserve Wednesday

The Minnesota Vikings have lost two players for at least the next four weeks. On Wednesday, they placed cornerback Akayleb Evans and tight end Ben Ellefson on injured reserve.

Evans exited the Vikings’ Week 13 game with a concussion and was unable to return. The concussion was the third that Evans had suffered this year and head coach Kevin O’Connell had already ruled him out of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

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Minnesota will now have a new starter at cornerback once again with Evans out and that is hopefully Cameron Dantzler returning from injury. The Vikings activated his 21-day practice window on Wednesday.

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Ellefson was activated last week after his 21 day practice window was about to expire. He didn’t practice at all last week and didn’t play on Sunday against the Jets.

He’s only made one start but helped provide depth with TE Irv Smith Jr. out.

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The Vikings place CB Andrew Booth Jr. on IR, activate TE Ben Ellefson

The Vikings made the obvious roster move on Wednesday

The Minnesota Vikings made the inevitable move placing cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. on injured reserve after he had season-ending surgery on his meniscus.

In turn, the Vikings activated tight end Ben Ellefson, who had been on injured reserve for the better part of two months with a groin injury.

The move to activate Ellefson to the active roster was a necessary one, as his practice window was set to expire. That doesn’t mean that Ellefson is long for the roster. As things currently sit, the Vikings have four tight ends on the roster and they could be primed to waive him as they did linebacker Ryan Connelly and wide receiver Blake Proehl when they were activated.

The move also depletes the cornerback depth. Currently, the Vikings have only five cornerbacks on the active roster. They could wait until next week to activate Cameron Dantzler, but Tay Gowan, who has been activated for the last three games, has a chance to get added to the active roster.

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Vikings TE Ben Ellefson designated to return

The Vikings will be getting their tight end back soon

The Minnesota Vikings got some good news on Wednesday as tight end Ben Ellefson was designated to return from injured reserve and returned to practice.

Ellefson hurt his groin during practice in early October which prompted him to be placed on injured reserve. In his absence, both Nick Muse and Jacob Hollister were elevated two games each in his place.

The Vikings could use Ellefson back in their rotation, as the running game hasn’t been as explosive as they would like.

His return in imminent but the designation to return from injured reserve does give the Vikings a three-week window for him to practice and get back up to game speed.

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TE Ben Ellefson to IR among four roster moves for Vikings

The Vikings made four roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game

With the Minnesota Vikings taking on the Chicago Bears on Sunday, there were a few likely roster moves that were going to occur.

On Saturday afternoon, the Vikings made four roster moves, including putting tight end Ben Ellefson on injured reserve.

Ellefson hasn’t had the best week. He injured his groin on Thursday and was quickly ruled out of Sunday’s game. The active roster was in need of one more safety with Lewis Cine having officially put on injured earlier this week. Dorn getting the roster spot is consistent with how the Vikings have done their practice squad call-ups, as he got the call when Cine missed week one against the Green Bay Packers.

With Ellefson missing the game, they needed one more tight end, and with Jacob Hollister having only been in the building for less than a week, the Vikings 2022 seventh-round pick Muse will make his NFL debut.

Also being elevated is Chisena which is a signal that wide receiver Jalen Nailor, who is questionable with a hamstring injury, will not suit up on Sunday.

The Vikings kick off against the Bears on Sunday afternoon at 12 pm central time.

Vikings PFF Grades: Best and worst performers in week 1 win vs Packers

The best and worst of the PFF grades from Sunday’s game

The Minnesota Vikings dominated the Green Bay Packers by a score of 23-7 in a game that never really felt close.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell became the fifth head coach in Minnesota Vikings history to win his debut for the franchise.

When the grades came in, they looked really good but there were some disappointing performances.

Here are the best and worst of Sunday’s PFF grades.