Considered a project when he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, now the offensive lineman will have to catch on elsewhere.
When the T.J. Clemmings fell all the way to the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, some thought the Minnesota Vikings were getting a steal when they snagged the offensive lineman off the board. At 6-foot-5, 307 pounds, Clemmings had the prototypical mold of a sufficient NFL offensive tackle.
However, his first two seasons with the Vikings did not really go as well as he or the team hoped. A player who probably should have spent his first two years in Minnesota on the bench learning from the sidelines, injuries to other offensive lineman forced the team to play Clemmings way too early and his flaws eventually had an affect the Vikings’ offensive performance.
After spending his first two years with Minnesota as an offensive tackle, the team tried to convert him to a guard this offseason with the hopes that his skills could still be utilized in some way. But unfortunately for Clemmings, his journey with the Vikings will not be continuing in 2017 according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Vikings G TJ Clemmings getting released, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2017
Clemmings is one of the first to be let go by Minnesota before the 53-man roster limit deadline this weekend. The Vikings have to cut their roster from 90 players down to 53 before 4 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The offensive lineman was not the only player to be shown the door by Minnesota on Friday. Cornerback Jabari Price and tight end Josiah Price (no relation to each other) were also waived by the Vikings along with Clemmings.
Next: Vikings preseason: Week 4 ups and downs
Only 34 more players for Minnesota to cut in order to get their roster down to 53. Seems simple enough.