Tag: Blake Brandel

Vikings sign OT Blake Brandel to the practice squad

The Vikings have signed OT Blake Brandel to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.

Vikings OT Blake Brandel had a decent preseason, and that led some to thinking he had a chance at a swing tackle spot.

Well, Minnesota waived Brandel recently, but at least the team has the option to elevate him as depth. That’s because the Vikings announced that they have signed Brandel to the practice squad.

Minnesota waived Brandel in the process of signing RB Ameer Abdullah to the active roster, leading up to the Week 3 game against Seattle. Abdullah had 24 rushing yards on five carries in the game.

Brandel can offer something to the team at the moment, on account of Christian Darrisaw still recovering from a groin injury. As of now, it’s really just Rashod Hill and Brian O’Neill as the only primary tackles who are healthy, though guards Ezra Cleveland and Oli Udoh can both play tackle. So in the meantime, it’s not out of the question that Brandel gets called up the active roster at any point.

Vikings players who need a big game against the Chiefs

Here are some Vikings players who need to have strong performances.

A lot of Vikings players could use big games against the Chiefs for a confidence boost or just to get on the right track before the season.

But for the players on this list, the stakes are higher. Vikings Wire compiled a list of players who need to have a good preseason game, or else they could be looking at a small role on the roster, or a spot on the practice squad.

A note: players who were out of practice on Wednesday are not included on this list. That said, if Dru Samia and James Lynch end up participating in the Chiefs game, they would really need to play well.

Here is the list:

Vikings roster bubble: Which players have helped their case recently?

Here are some Vikings players who have helped their case to make the team.

The Vikings, just like every other NFL team, have two more cut dates this offseason: Aug. 24, when the team has to cut its roster down to 80 and Aug. 31 when it goes down to 53.

Minnesota’s active roster currently has 84 players on it after linebacker Cameron Smith announced his retirement.

Basically, the Vikings have more work to do in order to finalize the team for 2021. Of course, many of the players cut by the Vikings will soon be signed to the team’s practice squad. But for an NFL player, it’s better to make that active roster.

Here are some players on the bubble who have greatly helped their case recently:

Vikings T Blake Brandel has been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list

The Vikings also announced that cornerback Nevelle Clarke has passed his physical and was removed from the Active/Non-Football Injury list

On Thursday, the Vikings had eight players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced.

On Friday, Minnesota got some good news: One of those players was taken off the list. The team announced that it activated offensive lineman Blake Brandel from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Minnesota drafted Brandel, a tackle out of Oregon State, in the sixth round of the NFL draft. It would be very surprising if he won a starting tackle position, but Brandel could fill out a role as a reserve for the offensive line.

The Vikings also announced on Friday that cornerback Nevelle Clarke has passed his physical and was removed from the Active/Non-Football Injury list.

The Vikings gave Clarke $115,000 ($15,000 signing bonus, $100,000 base salary guarantee) in guaranteed money on his deal, which is a good contract for an undrafted free agent Vikings Wire listed Clarke as one of the three undrafted free agents who are most likely to become contributors in 2020.