Joe Webb, Mistral Raymond Will Have Increased Role

Injuries have forced the Vikings to make a bunch of roster adjustments this week. On Tuesday they put Michael Jenkins, Husain Abdullah, Tyrell Johnson and Cullen Loeffler on season-ending IR, and signed WR Stephen Burton, S Jarrad Page, S Andrew Sendejo and LS Matt Katula to replace them.

But replacing a guy on the roster and replacing him in the line-up are two different things. Katula is ready to long-snap right away, and Burton might be able to contribute given that he has been on the practice squad most of the season, but the two safeties are coming right in off the street and probably won’t be much of a factor on Sunday. In light of this situation, Leslie Frazier has announced that Mistral Raymond will get the start at safety alongside Jamarca Sanford vs. Denver. Raymond and Sanford figure to spend a lot of the day in run support as Denver doesn’t like to throw it much.

In addition, Frazier said during his Wednesday presser that Joe Webb will get more of a look at wide receiver this week. Webb we remember was originally drafted as a WR before being converted back to QB. Webb has gotten some snaps at QB in special packages this season but has received few actual reps as a receiver. With the Vikes down to three healthy experienced receivers, it makes sense to give Webb more of a role. Webb has speed and size and at this point of the season there’s nothing to lose by throwing a guy in there and seeing what he can do.

I hope this Sunday Bill Musgrave opens up the offense, regardless of whether Adrian Peterson returns, and lets Christian Ponder throw it around. Ponder and Percy Harvin hooked up for some big plays on Sunday but Musgrave still didn’t seem to trust Ponder enough and went back to the ground in some places where maybe the Vikings should’ve gotten more aggressive. At 2-9, there’s no reason not to play loose and let the kid wing it. Who knows, maybe he’ll discover a new weapon in Joe Webb.

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