Inside The Vikings

Minnesota Vikings Practice Squad Tracker: Alexander Hollins, Aviante Collins, More

The Vikings are filling out their 16-man practice squad on Sunday. Here are the latest updates.

Will Ragatz

One day after cutting their roster down to 53 players, the Vikings are now in the process of building their 16-man practice squad. That unit has been expanded from its usual size of ten because of the unique circumstances with COVID-19, meaning Rick Spielman and the front office are able to bring back a good chunk of the players they released on Saturday.

There were fewer waiver claims than usual this year. The Vikings added linebacker Ryan Connelly, and none of the players they cut were claimed.

Here are all of the players confirmed to be on the Vikings' practice squad so far. All of these were first reported by Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press unless otherwise noted.

QB Jake Browning

QB Nate Stanley

Multiple reports yesterday indicated that the Vikings wanted to keep both Browning and Stanley on the practice squad to have them available if needed. Now, both guys are officially being signed to the PS. This will allow them to continue to develop under the Vikings' coaching staff and it's possible that one could succeed Sean Mannion for the backup job in 2021.

C Brett Jones

I thought Jones would make the 53-man roster, but it makes sense that the Vikings are at least keeping their backup center on the practice squad. He's a vested veteran, so in a normal year he would've have been eligible. This year, teams can have up to six players with any amount of experience on their PS. Per Tomasson, this means local kid Jake Lacina is unlikely to make the practice squad.

G/T Aviante Collins

Collins went from competing for the Vikings' left guard job to being cut, but he'll at least stick around on the practice squad for depth purposes. Collins has some versatility to play multiple spots as needed.

G Kyle Hinton

Hinton's spot on the practice squad was first reported by Darren Wolfson of KSTP. The seventh-round pick is another unsurprising addition. The Vikings like Hinton's athleticism and want to see what he can become over time.

FB Jake Bargas

Bargas always seemed like a lock for the PS because the team needs a backup fullback. If C.J. Ham were to miss time, the Vikings would want someone who knows their offense. FB is a very important position in their scheme.

LB Blake Lynch

The UDFA linebacker from Baylor is a long-term developmental project for the Vikings. He could be activated if one of their five LBs gets hurt.

CB Mark Fields II

Fields spent most of last year on the Vikings' practice squad after coming over from the Chiefs in a trade. He can play in the slot.

WR Alexander Hollins

I wonder if any team considering putting in a waiver claim for Hollins, who had a fantastic camp. The lack of film from preseason games definitely reduced the number of claims this year, and the Vikings are glad to keep the speedy Hollins around.

TE Brandon Dillon

S Josh Metellus

CB/S Nate Meadors

T Blake Brandel

The four players above weren't reported by Tomasson but were announced by the Vikings themselves. All of them make sense. Metellus and Brandel were sixth-round picks this year, while Meadors and Dillon impressed as 2019 UDFAs. The Vikings list Meadors as a cornerback, but he was exclusively working at safety in camp. He and Metellus are currently the only backup safeties the team has.

K Chase McLaughlin

Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal has reported that McLaughlin is heading to the PS in Minnesota. He went 18 of 23 on field goals with the Colts, Chargers, and 49ers last year. It makes sense to keep a kicker around as Dan Bailey's backup.

DT Albert Huggins

According to Wolfson, the Vikings are adding Huggins to their practice squad as the 15th member. He and McLaughlin traveled to Minnesota on Monday. Huggins was a 2019 UDFA out of Clemson who has bounced all over the league in the last year-plus.

LB Hardy Nickerson Jr.

Tomasson has reported that Nickerson cleared waivers and is being added to the practice squad. He lost his spot on the 53-man roster to waiver claim Ryan Connelly, but will still have a chance to develop in Minnesota. That means all 16 spots are currently filled.

Update: the Vikings have now confirmed the final three spots.

Placed on IR: Myles Dorn

Another one of the players competing for a backups safety job this year, Dorn was a UDFA from North Carolina who had some solid moments in camp. He joins Kenny Willekes and Cameron Smith on the Vikings' injured reserve.

Notable omissions from practice squad

  • WR Quartney Davis
  • CB Nevelle Clarke
  • LB Jordan Fehr
  • DT David Moa
  • C Jake Lacina
  • S Steven Parker
  • DE Stacy Keely
  • DE Anthony Zettel
  • RB Tony Brooks-James

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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