Vikings add an intriguing new wide receiver to their roster

On Monday, the Minnesota Vikings announced the addition of rookie free-agent wide receiver Warren Jackson.

Heading into this summer’s training camp, depth at wide receiver was among the biggest concerns some had for the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings are set at the top of their wide receiver depth chart with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. But if Jefferson or Thielen has to miss any games during the upcoming season, Minnesota might not have enough depth to make up for either one of their absences.

Currently, Jefferson is recovering from a sprained AC joint he suffered last week and the Vikings recently lost Bisi Johnson to a season-ending torn ACL as well. So on Monday, the Vikings decided to add a free-agent receiver who can actually be used in practice at this moment in time.

Minnesota Vikings sign rookie free-agent receiver Warren Jackson

In addition to Johnson and Jefferson being out of action, Thielen has been getting some extra rest during Minnesota’s last few practices, and Dede Westbrook hasn’t been able to do a whole lot on offense as he is still healing from his own ACL injury that he suffered last season.

So it wasn’t shocking on Monday when the Vikings announced the signing of rookie free-agent Warren Jackson.

After a college career at Colorado State, Jackson went undrafted earlier this year before eventually ending up with the Denver Broncos. The rookie receiver hit free agency again earlier this month, and Minnesota obviously felt he was worth giving a shot.

At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, Jackson has the build of a wide receiver that head coaches around the NFL dream of. If he can figure out how to use his size to take advantage of his opponents more often than not, then he might have a chance to have a solid career at the pro level.

He opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the 2019 campaign was his final time in a Colorado State uniform. During that season, he hauled in 77 passes for 1,119 yards (14.5 average) and eight touchdowns.

For now, it seems like he could just be a camp body for the Vikings, and at best, he would be kept on the team’s practice squad for 2021. Let’s just see what he can do in a few preseason games first and take it from there.