Minnesota Vikings add George Iloka to 53-man roster

The Minnesota Vikings have decided to keep George Iloka around.

At the beginning of the 2020 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings had some glaring holes in their roster. The team was moving forward with only two safeties: the starting duo of Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris.

Minnesota actually ran with this roster for a while, promoting some players here and there, including bringing up safety George Iloka from the practice squad for the last two weeks. However, that has changed.

According to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press on Twitter, the Minnesota Vikings have decided to sign Iloka to the team’s 53-man roster from their practice squad.

This move is interesting for a couple of reasons. Iloka has experience working in a Mike Zimmer defense and is familiar with the Vikings defense. This move will not only finally provide a stable backup but it will allow Minnesota to possibly use their safeties in more creative ways.

Another big thing to take away from this transaction is the player released to make room for Iloka. Eddie Yarbrough has been in the league since signing with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and brought some experience to the backup defensive ends.

The release of Yarbrough could be signaling faith in rookie pass rusher D.J. Wonnum, who has flashed at times and has five tackles with one sack in very limited action. The team could love his potential and feel confident in his potential development.

Congratulations go out to safety George Iloka on his promotion to the 53-man roster of the Minnesota Vikings. Also, The Viking Age would like to wish nothing but the best of luck to Eddie Yarbrough on all his future endeavors and thank him for his time in Minnesota.