The Minnesota Vikings need to trim their roster to 53 players before starting the 2019 NFL season and got started early by letting go of two individuals.
With the Saturday, Aug. 31 deadline looming for the Minnesota Vikings and other NFL teams to trim their rosters fo 53 players, there will be plenty of players being released and hoping to latch on to another franchise or land on a practice squad.
Those cuts appear to have already started within the Vikings front office as two free-agent signings from this offseason were released today as shared by Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune on his Twitter account.
Here is that tweet:
The #Vikings have released CB Bene Benwikere and WR Jordan Taylor.
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) August 27, 2019
Jordan Taylor came to the Minnesota Vikings on Apr. 13 to be a big-bodied target in the passing game. His 6-foot-5 frame made the Super Bowl 50 champion an interesting prospect who flashed a little in training camp but apparently didn’t do enough to lock down a roster spot.
Meanwhile, Bené Benwikere made the Vikings his eighth NFL team since being a fifth-round pick in 2014. He’s best known for being part of a Panthers defense which allowed Julio Jones to have a 300-yard receiving day in 2016 but was looking to prove his worth to Minnesota.
Young talent behind those experienced players made it tough for them to stick on the roster. The emergence of players like Bisi Johnson, Chad Beebe, Mike Hughes, and others have made them expendable.
Plus, releasing them early allows them to have more opportunities to land on another team’s roster.
It would be a bit of a surprise to see Minnesota Vikings sign players to replace the two released individuals considering the deadline to reach a 53-man roster, but bringing in more competition to evaluate, even if it is just for one preseason game or a few practices, might be seen as valuable by the front office and coaching staff.