Vikings place Michael Griffin, Jabari Price on IR, settle on 53-man roster

The Vikings finalized the initial 53-man roster by Saturday afternoon's deadline.

Among the most notable moves were two players headed to injured reserve in safety Michael Griffin and cornerback Jabari Price. The team also placed fourth-round pick OL Willie Beavers on waivers. The rookie disappointed this summer and eventually found himself behind Zac Kerin, who made the team, and Isame Faciane, who didn't make the initial cut, at guard.

General Manager Rick Spielman predicted a tougher roster to crack as the Vikings improved depth across the board. That was the case as three draft picks were let go in Brothers, sixth-round WR Moritz Bohringer and seventh-round DE Stephen Weatherly.

The Vikings also waived two quarterbacks in Joel Stave and Brad Sorensen.

Up to 10 players could rejoin the roster via the practice squad, which the Vikings will begin forming on Sunday. Most will likely come from Saturday's cuts. Bohringer, RB C.J. Ham, Weatherly, Faciane and Stave are strong candidates should they go unclaimed on waivers.

Griffin, 31, had initially posted a goodbye to the Vikings organization on his social media accounts, leading to speculation that he had been released. A back injury forced Griffin out of Sunday's preseason game and he had been held out of practice and Thursday's exhibition finale.

After the Vikings traded for QB Sam Bradford on Saturday, the team placed injured QB Taylor Heinicke on the reserve/non-football injury list.

Heinicke is ahead in his rehab from a torn tendon in his foot suffered in July, though he'll now be sidelined for at least the first six weeks of the regular season before he can return.