Tag: Eddie Yarbrough

66 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 66

With 66 days remaining until the start of the season, we take a look at everyone who’s worn No. 66 for the Vikings.

It’s the final countdown…

Well, sort of.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 67 days at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players that have worn that specific jersey number.

The last Viking to wear 66 was punter Ryan Wright and there was a 24-year gap with players who wore the number.

With 66 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 66 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

Updated list of Vikings free agents still left unsigned

Here’s a list of Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned.

The Minnesota Vikings are preparing for their first padded practice in their second week of training camp, while former players for the team are still looking for a job.

There are multiple key veteran players, including four-time Pro Bowler Anthony Barr, waiting around for the right offer from another team. Granted, it was recently reported that the Dallas Cowboys should be one of the teams to watch out for as a potential suitor for Barr.

And perhaps that’ll be the case for some of the other names on this list with interest eventually coming from other teams.

As we get deeper into training camp and eventually the preseason, more opportunities will arise with players getting injured or even cut from teams. That could open the door for players on this list to get back on the field. But until that happens, the waiting game will continue.

Former Vikings offensive tackle Rashod Hill was recently picked up by the Washington Commanders. So opportunity can clearly come knocking at any moment.

Here’s the updated list of Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned.

Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned

Heading into the month of July, these are the Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned.

Training camp is right around the corner, and there are still impactful Minnesota Vikings free agents that have yet to be picked up by a team.

There have been some updates since we last checked in a month ago, most notably with wide receiver Chad Beebe finding a home with the Houston Texans, and Dede Westbrook receiving a contract offer to return to Minnesota.

Beebe fell through the cracks when he was still with the Vikings due to the rapidly growing talent at the receiver position. The arrival of players like K.J. Osborn and Ihmir Smith-Marsette pretty much ensured that he’d never see the field.

He’s hopeful that’ll change as a veteran for a Texans team seeking new direction.

Meanwhile, Westbrook still remains a free agent, despite receiving a contract offer from the Vikings after a spring workout. However, he turned down that offer, and the team signed Albert Wilson to a one-year deal instead.

Keep in mind, more opportunities will obviously open up when teams get into camp, and rosters are impacted by performance and injuries. Here’s the list of Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned in July.

List of remaining unsigned Vikings free agents

There are some surprising names on this list

With OTAs wrapping up and veteran mandatory minicamp right around the corner, there are still some noteworthy names on the list of Minnesota Vikings free agents that remain unsigned.

The biggest name on that list is obviously former four-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro outside linebacker Anthony Barr.

After spending eight seasons with the Vikings, Barr’s contract was allowed to expire in the offseason ahead of the regime shift in Minnesota.

Not only did the team replace him with Za’Darius Smith, but they also gave away the No. 55 jersey he wore during his time with the franchise.

It’s a bit shocking that he’s still one of the players on this list considering he’s more than capable of helping a team in need at the linebacker position. The same could be said about other names on this list as well, assuming they end up in the right situation.

Here are the Vikings free agents that still remain unsigned to this point.

Vikings place DE Kenny Willekes on Reserve/COVID-19

The Vikings placed DE Kenny Willekes on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.

The Vikings have mostly been disappointing in 2021, but there have been occasional silver linings, such as DE Kenny Willekes.

Willekes, who suffered a season-ending injury in 2020, has worked his way into the defensive line rotation recently, despite being on the practice squad still. Minnesota promoted him to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement this week.

Then, Willekes hit a snag in his comeback story. The Vikings announced that they placed the defensive end on the COVID-19/Reserve list on Friday. Minnesota signed DE Eddie Yarbrough in Willekes’ place.

Willekes played in both the Cowboys and Ravens games and had a solid pressure rate in limited snaps. With Danielle Hunter out for the year, the Vikings still need depth edge rushers to step up.

Yarbrough signed with the Vikings last year and played in four games. Like Willekes, Yarbrough will be expected to provide an edge rush in limited reps on Sunday.

The Vikings who won’t be signing futures contracts

The Vikings have signed a lot of players to futures contracts already, but what about those who will reportedly be moving on?

For Minnesota, this is gearing up to be a whirlwind offseason.

The Vikings are coming off a year in which the team went 7-9, missing out on the postseason.

With the way the roster is presently constructed, Minnesota will have some decisions to make that will affect the long-term future of the team.

The team’s decisions, however small, will be crucial. Even the Vikings signing players to futures contracts is important, which the team is well in the process of doing.

But what about the players who won’t be signing futures contracts with the team? There are reports of that happening. Here’s a list of the players who will most likely be moving on.

Vikings elevate Eddie Yarbrough, Tae Hayes and Cordrea Tankersley to the active roster

Minnesota announced that it was elevating cornerbacks Tae Hayes and Cordrea Tankersley, in addition to defensive end Eddie Yarbrough.

Minnesota has plenty of absences heading into its game against Detroit in Week 17. It should help, then, that the Vikings elevated some players for the defense.

On Saturday, the team announced that it was elevating cornerbacks Tae Hayes and Cordrea Tankersley to the active roster. Defensive end Eddie Yarbrough has been elevated to the active roster, via COVID-19 replacement.

Yarbrough has played in three games for the Vikings this season, while Tankersley has played in one. Hayes, however, has yet to play with Minnesota. He saw action in two NFL games this year with Miami.

Yarbrough can serve an important reserve role for the team, due to Jalyn Holmes and Ifeadi Odenigbo being ruled out for the game.

Tankersley and Hayes could still see some playing time as well, due to a lack of depth at defensive back and the low stakes of this Week 17 game.

Bottom three PFF grades for the Vikings on offense, defense vs. the Saints

Here are the lowest graded Minnesota Vikings from the loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Minnesota Vikings had a must-win game that the team did not end up winning on Friday.

The Vikings traveled to New Orleans and were ran over by the Saints on Christmas. After the game, Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer had this to say:

“Yeah, this is a bad defense,” Zimmer said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “Worst one I’ve ever had.”

The Vikings had a plethora of different issues that ended up being exposed by the Saints. It helps to look at PFF’s player grades to see what went wrong.

Here are the lowest graded qualifying Vikings on offense and defense in the loss to the Saints:

Vikings elevate FB Jake Bargas, DE Eddie Yarbrough for Week 16 Saints game

The Minnesota Vikings announced that the team was elevating two players to the active roster: Eddie Yarbrough and Jake Bargas.

Minnesota has utilized fullback C.J. Ham quite often this season. Ham has helped lead to the way for Dalvin Cook in the running game. The fullback has even made an impact in the receiving game at times.

It’s no secret that a run-heavy team like the Vikings enjoy to use a fullback. So with Ham questionable for the Friday game against the Saints, it makes sense that the team has added some insurance at that position.

Minnesota announced that it has elevated fullback Jake Bargas to the active roster for Week 16. Bargas, a rookie, converted to fullback for the NFL. He played tight end for North Carolina in college. If Ham isn’t ready to go, we may see how Bargas’ positional change has worked out.

Minnesota also elevated defensive end Eddie Yarbrough. He’s a decent depth option for a struggling defensive line. We’ll see if he gets playing time against the Saints.

Vikings elevate DE Eddie Yarbrough, TE Brandon Dillon to active roster

The Vikings have elevated some positional players who should provide depth for Minnesota against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Minnesota faced a familiar predicament before Sunday’s game.

On the Vikings’ Friday injury report, the team ruled out some key players. Those players were TE Irv Smith Jr. and DE D.J. Wonnum.

Expect defensive end Jalyn Holmes and tight end Kyle Rudolph to see increased roles in production on Sunday because of that. But also, Minnesota ended up elevating two players to help with some of the depth issues Wonnum and Smith Jr.’s absences create.

The Vikings announced that DE Eddie Yarbrough and TE Brandon Dillon would be upgraded to the active roster for the game against the Jaguars. I wouldn’t expect either of them to start or play more than 20 snaps, but they could be useful reserves in a game that the Vikings desperately need to win.

You never know, maybe Dillon or Yarbrough step up and earn themselves some playing time even when the Vikings are healthy at their positions.