Former Vikings offensive lineman signs with bitter NFC rival

On Wednesday, the New Orleans Saints made a few roster moves, one of which included signing former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Chris Reed to their practice squad.

This past Sunday, Saints center Erik McCoy had to exit the team's Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after just three snaps because of a groin injury. McCoy now needs surgery, so the team placed him on injured reserve, signed guard Shane Lemieux to their active roster, and signed Reed to their practice squad.

Reed spent the 2022 and 2023 campaign with the Vikings as a reserve offensive lineman, and his last appearance in an NFL game was during Minnesota's Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions last season.

Former Minnesota Vikings player released by Cleveland Browns on Wednesday

In addition to Reed landing a new job with the Saints, another former Vikings player was on the move on Wednesday, as former Minnesota linebacker Luiji Villain was released from the Cleveland Browns practice squad.

Villain had only spent around two weeks on the Browns practice squad after signing with the team earlier this month. Now, he's free to join any team in the NFL that shows interest.

Prior to his brief stint with Cleveland, the former Minnesota linebacker attempted to make the Carolina Panthers final 2024 roster. But he was let go in August when the Panthers selected their 53 guys for the team's regular season roster.

Villain first entered the NFL in 2022 when he signed with the Vikings as an undrafted rookie free agent. In two years with Minnesota, he appeared in a grand total of four games, with most of his snaps coming on special teams.

Before signing with the Vikings in 2022, Villain, who is a native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, was selected in the third round of the 2021 CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts. However, he never joined the Argonauts and decided to extend his college career for one more season instead before eventually landing with Minnesota in 2022.

More Vikings News and Analysis