Kene Nwangwu a surprise cut from Vikings' roster after strong preseason

The Vikings' first surprise move of the day is moving on from Nwangwu.

Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Kene Nwangwu (26) returns a kickoff against the Detroit Lions during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The first surprising cut for the Vikings this year is running back and kick returner Kene Nwangwu. Per Tom Pelissero, Nwangwu will be released by Minnesota on Tuesday if he isn't traded.

This is an interesting one, given that it leaves Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler as the only running backs on the Vikings' roster (they also cut Myles Gaskin, DeWayne McBride, and Mo Ibrahim this week). After a strong training camp and preseason, I figured Nwangwu's spot was secure as the RB3 and kick returner. Instead, the Vikings will likely look to add a different RB3 option via waivers, trade, or free agency.

A fourth-round pick by the Rick Spielman regime in 2021, Nwangwu came to the Vikings as a developmental RB who hadn't played much at Iowa State. Where he provided plenty of value was on special teams. Nwangwu returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as a rookie and added another in 2022. Last season, though, he handled a career-low 15 returns in nine games.

Across three seasons, Nwangwu had just 33 touches on offense, 17 of which came as a rookie. Yet one reason why this move is surprising is that he looked solid as a running back throughout training camp and in preseason action, where he ran 12 times for 97 yards — including a 48-yard touchdown.

Clearly, the Vikings' coaching staff felt they could upgrade at RB3. Perhaps they also viewed Nwangwu as a poor fit for the NFL's very different new kickoff return format.

Follow along here as we track all of the Vikings' moves on cutdown day...