The Viking Age
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Minnesota Vikings sign three players heading into preseason Week 3

By Adam Carlson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 21: Kobe McCrary #22 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers carries the ball against Nate Hobbs #8 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first quarter of the game on October 21, 2017 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Fighting Illini 24-17. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 21: Kobe McCrary #22 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers carries the ball against Nate Hobbs #8 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first quarter of the game on October 21, 2017 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Fighting Illini 24-17. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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After the Minnesota Vikings made some transactions following the team’s preseason Week 2 game, the franchise has signed three players to the roster.

Week 2 of the NFL preseason found the Minnesota Vikings in a position where they needed to make a few transactions. The franchise released kicker Kai Forbath and placed rookie defensive end Ade Aruna on injured reserve, opening up two spots on the team’s roster and another spot opened up due to waived players.

Those spots didn’t stay open for long. In fact, the Vikings announced on their official website that three open roster spots were filled on Monday, August 20, 2018 and August 21st by signing a fullback, a guard, and a center.

The fullback signed is Kobe McCrary. He will replace Johnny Stanton on the team, since he was the team’s second fullback until being waived with an injury designation. McCrary is a rookie out of the University of Minnesota where he earned a spot based on his tryout after being an undrafted free agent. In two seasons with the Gophers, he amassed 738 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Plus, there’s a nice rate of success for players named Kobe who wear purple and gold.

At guard, the Vikings added Florida State’s Kareem Are. In his second season in the NFL, Are spent some time with the Oakland Raiders during the 2017 preseason and now could find himself blocking for Seminoles running back Dalvin Cook in Minnesota if he can make the most of his opportunity with the Vikings.

Meanwhile, Minnesota also brought in center Jacob Rudd out of Western Illinois. Like McCrary, he was part of tryouts after being an undrafted free agent and being named a CoSIDA Academic All-American. The Vikings seem to be attempting to find any capable bodies on the offensive line to evaluate going forward, and Rudd should see some preseason action, especially if he can stick around for the fourth week.

Next. Ups and Downs from Week 2 of the Vikings preseason. dark

Congratulations to Jacob Rudd, Kareem Are, and Kobe McCrary on getting a chance to impress with the Minnesota Vikings during the NFL preseason and hopefully the team can find some more talented players to develop on the 53-man roster, the practice squad, or keep on speed dial in case of emergency.

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