Vikings training camp mystery guest: Terrell Sinkfield
By Dan Zinski
Does speedster Terrell Sinkfield have a chance to make the Minnesota Vikings roster out of training camp?
The Vikings figure to break camp with six wide receivers: Stefon Diggs, Jarius Wright, Laquon Treadwell, Charles Johnson, Cordarrelle Patterson and Adam Thielen.
It’s hard to envision anyone outside that six breaking through in training camp and making the 53-man roster. But if there’s one man on the team who can do it, that man is Terrell Sinkfield.
What specific traits give Sinkfield an edge over the other receivers battling to make the squad? Speed, speed and more speed.
Three years ago when Sinkfield was an unheralded player coming out of Northern Iowa he made waves by venturing to Minnesota Golden Gophers pro day and running a stupefying 4.19 forty.
That performance earned Sinkfield a shot as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins. Sinkfield would fail to catch on in Miami and would spend the rest of 2013 bouncing like a ping-pong ball from one practice squad to another.
More from Minnesota Vikings News
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022
- Vikings have reportedly begun extension talks with T.J. Hockenson
After that frustrating year on the fringes of the NFL, Sinkfield headed to Canada to hone his skills. He started out with the Toronto Argonauts but was surprisingly cut. Hamilton picked him up and he went on to post two productive seasons.
The Vikings liked what they saw when they checked Sinkfield out and signed him to a futures contract. Here he sits on the verge of his first training camp with Minnesota, waiting for his shot to crack the roster.
Realistically, Sinkfield is a very long shot to usurp any of the six men favored to leave camp with the Vikings, but I do think there is a glimmer of hope.
Look at the Vikings’ presumptive receiver corps for 2016 and you see a pretty diverse array of talents. Stefon Diggs is the best all-around player in the bunch, Jarius Wright is an undersized speedster, Laquon Treadwell is the big-bodied red zone threat, Charles Johnson has a nice-but-underwhelming combination of traits, Cordarrelle Patterson is tall and fast but has known issues and Adam Thielen is the grind-it-out blue-collar guy.
What don’t you see in that bunch? A player who combines decent size with blazing speed. Terrell Sinkfield is listed at 6-2, 195 and needless to say he is fast.
The obvious argument against carrying Sinkfield or any other speed receiver is that Teddy Bridgewater lacks the kind of deep accuracy needed to take advantage of what such a player brings to the table.
It’s hard to take the top off a defense when the defense doesn’t respect a quarterback’s ability to complete deep passes.
However, were Minnesota to decide that a speed dimension is necessary to round out their offense, Sinkfield is someone they would want to take a long hard look at.
Next: NFL Network forgets great Vikings trick play
What if Minnesota decides that Sinkfield’s speed is more valuable than Adam Thielen’s versatility? What if they determine that Charles Johnson just doesn’t bring enough to the show to warrant a roster spot?
What if, miracle of miracles, Minnesota manages to convince someone to take Cordarrelle Patterson off their hands in exchange for a draft pick?
The receiver corps seems set, but in fact nothing is yet chiseled in stone. If one of the top six should lose favor with the coaching staff or otherwise come to be seen as expendable, Sinkfield by virtue of his speed is the favorite to slide in and claim a spot.