Allen Reisner Waived to Make Way for Jerome Simpson

Jul 27, 2012; Mankato, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Allen Reisner (83) catches passes in drills at training camp at Blakeslee Stadium at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

Someone had to go to make room on the roster for Jerome Simpson when he came off his suspension. The Vikings had till Thursday to make that decision and by all accounts they waited until the last minute to do so. In the end, tight end Allen Reisner was the guy let go.

Reisner was a special teams contributor over the first three games but saw no action on offense. With John Carlson entrenched as the #2 tight end, for reasons of money if not actual production, and Rhett Ellison showing much more value as a blocker, Reisner was eminently expendable. He could be brought back to the practice squad after clearing waivers.

The Vikings will roll with three tight ends and six receivers, at least for the time being. Six receivers seems like a lot for a team that doesn’t exactly spread the ball around but this does give them the flexibility to keep Jarius Wright inactive for another week while he comes back from his injury troubles. We’ll see what other moves they might make down the road. Once Wright is ready to contribute, I have to believe one of the other receivers will be let go. They’re also thin at safety with Mistral Raymond down for a month and Andrew Sendejo once again struggling with an ankle injury. There’s a chance they’ll go into this weekend’s game with only three healthy safeties.

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