Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Catch up on all the Vikings roster moves
With the Vikings having to trim down their roster twice over the last 10 days, there has been a lot of movement.
Not only have they trimmed the roster, they made a massive trade to improve the backup quarterback position on Monday.
While they have already made a lot of moves, there is still quite a bit that needs to be done. Along with that, there are likely players that they will claim on waivers once the initial 53-man roster is finalized at 4 pm eastern time next Tuesday, Aug. 30th.
The UDFA is still healing from a torn ACL
Part two of roster cuts came on Tuesday as the Minnesota Vikings needed to trim the roster down to 80 players by the 4 pm eastern deadline.
The Vikings began those moves on Tuesday by waiving former fifth-round draft pick Harrison Hand and former Denver Broncos TE Shaun Beyer while also placing LB Ryan Connelly on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.
Those moves continued on Tuesday when they also placed WR Blake Proehl on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list per The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.
An undrafted receiver out of East Carolina, Blake is the son of Super Bowl champion WR Ricky Proehl who played across 17 seasons for seven teams.
As for Blake, he signed with the Vikings after the 2021 draft but tore his ACL ending his season. As with Connelly, Proehl is eligible to return in week five. Upon his return, Proehl is likely a practice squad candidate.
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Wait until you see Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
If you needed a little pick-me-up to brighten your Tuesday morning, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Blake Proehl, otherwise known as the social media extraordinaire, is at your service.
He recently uploaded a TikTok video of himself prowling around the team facilities looking for any and everybody he could get with the sad face filter. The players are obviously getting back into the groove of organized team activities, and Proehl is looking to turn some of those smiles upside down.
The caption on the video reads, “My teammates were a little upset today.”
Just wait until you see the looks on Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen’s face in the video. Try not to laugh.
This filter on the @Vikings is absolutely hilarious. đâšď¸ (via @BlakeProehl) pic.twitter.com/It3UVWdqRU
— NFL (@NFL) May 10, 2022
Proehl should definitely make this a weekly series.
Personally, I’d love to see coach Kevin O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with an angry face.
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Proehl just dropped his first song
Minnesota Vikings second-year receiver Blake Proehl is showing he can do more than just run routes and catch footballs. It was from the gridiron and into the music studio with the former East Carolina prodigy recently releasing his first song.
On social media, he described the track as a âballadâ that revolves around âlearning how to love.â Proehl writes:
âMy first song ever is officially out on all platforms!! I couldnât be more thankful for all the talented people that made this possible. âFalling Into Youâ is a personal ballad about learning how to love, and I hope It resonates with you as much as it does with me.â
My first song ever is officially out on all platforms!! I couldnât be more thankful for all the talented people that made this possible. âFalling Into Youâ is a personal ballad about learning how to love, and I hope It resonates with you as much as it does with me. pic.twitter.com/ehLrhcWMho
— Blake Proehl (@BlakeProehl) March 25, 2022
Who couldnât relate to finding that special someone and falling in love? Even for those individuals still searching, you canât give up trying, right?
Itâs good to see Proehl is a man of many talents because itâs going to be hard to get on the football field with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn and even an emerging Ihmir Smith-Marsette on the depth chart.
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The firepower at receiver is unreal
For the Minnesota Vikings, the 2021 season was a teaser to what should be one of the best receiving units in 2022 and beyond. It doesnât matter who starts under centerâKirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, a rookie or some veteran free agent the Vikings decide to bring into the fold.
Some quarterback will be playing with the Infinity Gauntlet of offensive firepower.
The opportunity will clearly be there for the Vikings to morph into one of the most explosive teams on the field with an offensive-minded head coach like Kevin OâConnell leading the charge.
They arenât going to be a team afraid to take risks, and theyâre going to consistently push the ball downfield. You can also expect plenty of pre-snap movement in order to bait and confuse opposing defenses.
Grab a cold beverage, a bowl of popcorn and pull up a chair. Things are about to reach new levels of excitement in Minnesota.
Hereâs where the Vikings stand at wide receiver.
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Minnesota’s kicker competition just got a lot more clear.
As the Vikings progress through the preseason, the team has been making some roster moves that will clear up some space on the team.
Recently, Minnesota waived/injured kicker Riley Patterson and wide receiver Blake Proehl, both of whom signed as undrafted free agents. If those two go unclaimed, they will revert to the Vikings’ IR.
Operating under the assumption that both players revert to the IR, they will have to wait a minimum of three games before they can play for the team again.
With that in mind, the Vikings’ kicker competition got more clear. Greg Joseph is the only kicker on Minnesota’s active roster at the moment. On Saturday against the Broncos, Joseph hit both of his field goals in the 33-6 loss.
As reported by Stephen Igoe of 247 Sports, Proehlâs knee injury, that he suffered during training camp, is expected to put an end to his 2021 season. Currently, there has been no official reports as to how serious Patterson’s injury is.
A tough break for Blake Proehl and the Vikings wide receiver corps.
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Vikings WR Blake Proehl left practice on Wednesday with an injury. On Thursday, Proehl posted on Instagram, saying the “road to recovery starts now.”
As reported by Stephen Igoe of 247 Sports, Proehl’s knee injury is expected to put an end to his 2021 season.
This is a tough break for the Vikings wide receiver room. Proehl was tabbed as a possible contributor in 2021, due to the lack of depth Minnesota had at wide receiver already.
If Proehl’s injury does leave him out for 2021, Minnesota will have lost two wideouts to season-ending injuries this offseason. WR Bisi Johnson also tore his ACL in practice.
WR Dede Westbrook is still recovering from an injury he suffered in 2020, while Justin Jefferson remains on the sideline with a shoulder injury. The Vikings were thin at wide receiver in 2020, but the team got lucky with Jefferson and Adam Thielen staying healthy. This offseason, Minnesota has already had some bad injury luck at a very important position.
The Vikings wide receiver room has received another setback.
Vikings wideout Blake Proehl has been tabbed by some as an enticing undrafted free agent, one who could go on to be a useful player for the team.
Proehl could still do that, but he received a tough break on Wednesday when he went down with an injury during training camp. According to FOX 9 Sports’ Hobie Artigue, Proehl’s knee buckled when he was trying to make a cut in 1-on-1 drills. The rookie wide receiver had to be carted off the field.
Proehl was seen as a possible contributor in 2021 due to the lack of depth in the wide receiver room. Earlier this offseason, wideout Bisi Johnson went down with an ACL tear. With Dede Westbrook still recovering from his injury, the Vikings have a paper thin wide receiver corps.
Wide receivers Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson have to stay healthy. As of now, Jefferson is currently not participating in practice amid a shoulder injury. For what’s it worth, Thielen said that Jefferson is doing well, his injury is not serious and he will be back at practice soon, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. The Vikings will have to hope that is the case.
Will there by any undrafted free agents to make the Vikings 53-man roster this year?
The Vikings were thin at wide receiver last year, but the team has tried to change that.
Minnesota drafted Ihmir Smith-Marsette and signed Dede Westbrook, both of whom have a chance to be immediate contributors.
However, WR Bisi Johnson tearing his ACL derails things. Minnesota needs to find depth at wideout beyond Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson, Westbrook and Smith-Marsette. That depth could be Blake Proehl.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report tabbed Proehl as the Vikings undrafted free agent most likely to make the roster. Kay wrote:
“Regardless, Proehl is reportedly doing well in campânotably torching veteran defensive back Xavier Woods in one highlightâand could end up contributing for this squad during the regular season.”
Kay also mentioned that Proehl is the highest-paid undrafted free agent on Minnesota’s roster this year. That helps his case. Minnesota kicker Riley Patterson is also an undrafted free agent who has a good chance of remaining on the roster.
