Vikings activate Kene Nwangwu, release Ameer Abdullah

The Minnesota Vikings made a few moves at running back on Tuesday, releasing a veteran and activating a rookie from injured reserve.

Last week against the Panthers, Ameer Abdullah was handing kickoff returns and acting as the third running back for the Minnesota Vikings. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, as the team released the seven-year veteran.

Taking his place on the roster is Kene Nwangwu, a fourth-round draft pick out of Iowa State who caught the eye of Vikings coaches thanks to his speed and agility. He was activated from injured reserve after dealing with a knee injury he sustained in the preseason.

Here is the tweet from the official Twitter account of the Minnesota Vikings announcing the transaction.

What should the Minnesota Vikings expect from Nwangwu?

Kene Nwangwu should be immediately inserted as the team’s kickoff return specialist after spending most of training camp winning that role. He should excel in this spot while he continues to learn and develop as a running back.

Unless there is an injury to Dalvin Cook or Alexander Mattison, it may be tough for Nwangwu to see the field on offense. However, his speed and athleticism could make it hard for the coaching staff not to use him situationally going forward.

At his Iowa State pro day, Nwangwu ran the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds. This speed helped average 28.9 yards per kickoff return and take five returns for 30 or more yards and two of those for 65 or more.

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Welcome to the 53-man roster of the Minnesota Vikings, Kene Nwangwu. In the meantime, it is unknown if the team will attempt to sign Ameer Abdullah back to their practice squad or if they will allow him to become a free agent and seek another team to call home for the 2021 NFL season.