Tag: hercules mata’afa

Hercules Mata’afa leaving shows how deep the Vikings are at defensive line in 2021

A player like Hercules Mata’afa not landing a roster spot shows that the Vikings are deep at defensive line this year.

The Vikings waived Hercules Mata’afa and he ended up not signing with the practice squad this offseason.

With Minnesota, Mata’afa showed promise as a player who could provide pressure. He had a good preseason this year as well.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see Mata’afa enter into an NFL team’s defensive line rotation, and it wouldn’t even be a surprise if he thrived as a pass rusher in 2021.

Even if that’s the case, the Vikings probably won’t have regrets. This is a team primed to have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Mata’afa could have maybe helped at times, but overall, Minnesota has plenty of good options.

The Vikings will likely start Michael Pierce and Dalvin Tomlinson on the interior defensive line. Minnesota can rotate in Sheldon Richardson, a player who provides pressure from the three-technique spot, just like Mata’afa can.

According to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, the anticipation had been that Mata’afa would join the Vikings practice squad, but then things changed. The fact that the team had to resort to leaving him off the 53-man roster says a lot about its defensive line in 2021.

Hypothetically, Mata’afa might not even have been the most promising defensive lineman on the practice squad, with second-year edge rusher Kenny Willekes performing well in the preseason after recovering from a 2020 injury.

Some NFL teams maybe would have cut a few players on the Vikings roster instead of Mata’afa. James Lynch had a worse preseason, but he’s shown flashes of promise and was picked in the fourth round just a year ago.

Players like Stephen Weatherly and Armon Watts are probably safer bets for defensive line depth than Mata’afa would be next season. The only player I personally would have cut in favor of Mata’afa is Jalyn Holmes, a defensive lineman who was released by the team later that week.

So overall, the Vikings were left with some tough decisions to cut down their roster to 53 players. Seeing a player like Mata’afa leave the team must be tough, but what are the Vikings to do when they have so many defensive linemen who are at least decent? Sometimes the tough problems are good ones to have.

Vikings make several roster moves

A lot can change in a day.

With the way the Vikings constructed their initial 53-man roster, more moves appeared to be on the horizon.

It makes sense, then, that Minnesota had a whirlwind Wednesday roster-wise.  The Vikings cut punter Britton Colquitt, according to the NFL transactions wire.

Also, it was originally reported that Hercules Mata’afa was headed to the Vikings practice squad. However, things changed and Mata’afa announced his departure from the team.

Another thing that changed: the anticipation is that Jake Browning will no longer sign with the practice squad. Instead, the Vikings will sign former Minnesota backup quarterback Sean Mannion, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.

Minnesota also placed TE Irv Smith Jr., RB Kene Nwangwu and WR Dan Chisena on IR, the team announced. The team’s decisions to revert Smith and and Nwangwu shouldn’t be too surprising at this point.

As previously reported on by Vikings Wire, Minnesota signed tight end Ben Ellefson. To make space on the roster, the Vikings cut Jalyn Holmes, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.

Minnesota Vikings roster cuts: Tracking the path to 53 players

Looking at how the Vikings’ 53-man roster is taking shape.

For the Vikings and every other team in the NFL, it’s cut day.

Minnesota has to whittle its roster down to 53 players by before 4 p.m. on Tuesday. As of now, that leaves a lot of decisions left to be made.

The Vikings had some fringe roster players step up this offseason. Will the team carry more running backs than usual? Will it elect to go deep on defensive tackles? Just how many undrafted free agents will end up making the cut? These are all things that will be decided in the upcoming hours.

So Vikings Wire elected to make a comprehensive list. Here’s a look at Minnesota’s latest cuts.

The four hardest cut decisions the Vikings may have to make

The Minnesota Vikings have some tough decisions to make.

The Vikings made a strong effort, in free agency and the NFL draft, to become deep at various position groups. On a day like today, that can lead to some difficult calls.

It’s cut day, and Minnesota has strong depth at running back, cornerback and defensive line. While depth might not be a luxury of the linebacker unit this year, the team might still have a tough decision to make near the bottom of the depth chart.

The Vikings had some players stand out this preseason, players who may end up off the 53-man roster today. Here is a list of the Vikings’ toughest calls to cut down the roster to 53 players on Tuesday: