Vikings sign the Veteran to their practice squad after both teams agreed on the trade deal
Safety Lewis Cine and running back Kene Nwangwu, cut by the Vikings on Tuesday, found new homes on Wednesday.
Many Vikings players did not have to clean out their lockers at TCO Performance Center in Eagan despite being part of the nearly 40 transactions that took place over the past few days.
The Vikings re-signed 17 players to the practice squad Wednesday afternoon, including 10 players on offense: running backs Myles Gaskin and DeWayne McBride; tight ends
In their final 53-man roster construction on Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings released running back and kick returner Kene Nwangwu.
The move was shocking, given the upside that the Iowa State product provides on special teams, and it leaves the Vikings with a massive question mark heading into the season.
Minnesota also waived Malik Knowles, a wide receiver from Kansas State with some return experience. So, with both players now gone, who can the Vikings turn to with the new kickoff rules in effect?
Brandon Powell is likely to be the primary punt returner for the Vikings heading into the season and should have a chance to win the kick-returning job as well. The shifty receiver cracked the roster and has plenty of experience on special teams.
While Powell is not as electric of a playmaker as Nwangwu, he does bring a veteran presence, which could come in handy with the rule changes. A more explosive option to try and bring a spark should be the preference for Minnesota, but Powell will get an opportunity.
If the Vikings want to keep this position in-house with an explosive athlete, Ty Chandler is probably the most likely candidate. He has some breakaway potential and has proven to be a dynamic ball carrier at times in his young career.
The primary concern with Chandler currently is the lack of depth in the backfield. There are currently just two true running backs on the roster so using one of them as a kickoff returner is too much of a risk. If they do bring in some extra depth for the running back room, Chandler could be a more serious candidate to return kicks.
Cody Schrader was waived by the San Francisco 49ers following the preseason, and he could be an option for Minnesota. The rookie running back out of Missouri was a productive back in college and showed some promise as a return man in the preseason.
In four attempts, Schrader averaged 30 yards with a long of 33 but was beat out for the job by fellow rookie Isaac Guerendo. Schrader is not going to be an alarming athlete by any means but he proved that he can be a consistent returner if needed.
This would be a bit of a safe move for the Vikings and may not result in a ton of excitement but Cody Schrader could be a name to monitor during the waiver period.
