Vikings make surprising decision to part with special teams ace

The Minnesota Vikings made a surprising move on Wednesday, as special teams ace NaJee Thompson was waived by the team with an injury designation.

Thompson was signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL Draft and immediately made an impact on special teams. Thompson’s effort as a punt gunner helped him make the 53-man roster out of training camp, and he appeared in 15 games last season, recording seven tackles and recovering a fumble.

Thompson also tied for eighth on the team last season with 193 special teams snaps, and his 72.9 special teams grade ranked sixth on Minnesota's roster, according to Pro Football Focus.

NaJee Thompson could still return to Minnesota Vikings after departure on Wednesday

Thompson was slated to resume his role as a special teamer this season, but he suffered a knee injury at the beginning of camp. While Thompson was set to return to practice this week, KSTP-TV’s Darren Wolfson reported that the injury flared up, which led to the move.  

The decision to waive Thompson comes with an injury designation that allowed Minnesota to claim tight end Neal Johnson from the New York Jets on Wednesday. The Vikings could still keep Thompson and stash him on injured reserve if he clears waivers.

Thompson wasn’t the only move for the Vikings on Wednesday, as they signed offensive lineman Matthew Cindric and waived fellow lineman Jeremy Flax with an injury designation. Cindric signed with the Vikings as a UDFA out of Cal last spring, but he was waived when Minnesota signed Dalton Risner.

Flax is a 6-foot-6, 340-pound tackle out of Kentucky who can also be placed on Minnesota's injured reserve list once he clears waivers.

This type of roster juggling will be common over the next couple of days as the Vikings face the 53-man cutdown date on August 27th.

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