Minnesota Vikings add son of former Super Bowl star to 2018 roster
By Adam Patrick
Chad Beebe, son of former NFL wide receiver Don Beebe, was signed by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday along with three others.
The NFL offseason is the time for opportunity. It’s the time for unknown players to step up and make a lasting impression on those who are giving them a chance.
One of these opportunities came this past weekend during the Minnesota Vikings rookie mini camp. The Vikings had a number of players participating including their 2018 draft class, their recent undrafted free-agent signings, and even more who were just given a shot to tryout for the team.
On Monday, Minnesota announced that four of these players who were participating in the minicamp on a tryout basis have been signed to contracts. Wide receiver Chad Beebe, cornerback Craig James, fullback Johnny Stanton, and linebacker Brett Taylor are the four newest additions to the Vikings’ 2018 roster.
Since Minnesota’s roster size was already at the 90-man limit, the team had to let go of long snapper Nick Dooley, wide receiver Armanti Foreman, defensive tackle Caushaud Lyons, and fullback Kamryn Pettway in order to make room for their new signees.
Beebe spent his college years playing at Northern Illinois University. He is the son of former NFL wide receiver Don Beebe, who most know as the guy who stripped the ball out of Leon Lett’s hands during Super Bowl XXVII.
Beebe and the Buffalo Bills eventually lost that game to Lett’s Dallas Cowboys, but the receiver eventually got a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Green Bay Packers in 1996.
His son, Chad, caught 28 passes for 417 yards and one touchdown in nine games for Northern Illinois in 2017. He returned 16 punts and 12 kickoffs for the school last season as well.
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His chances of making Minnesota’s final 2018 roster are likely slim, as is the case for the the team’s other three additions on Monday. But the Vikings clearly felt these four rookies were worthy of a spot on the team’s current roster after their performances during last weekend’s minicamp.