Vikings' No. 3 center Nick Easton making a case to earn roster spot

Overlooked during C.J. Ham's 10-yard touchdown run Friday was the young center who didn't flash across the field so much as he clomped and tumbled.

While the Russian judge is unlikely to award him style points on that play, Nick Easton showed some of the qualities that have the Vikings coaching staff excited about his potential when he smartly slid off a double team and sought out additional contact at the second level, leaving his feet to get just enough of a Cincinnati Bengals linebacker to nudge him out of Ham's way.

"In the games and in any competitive situation that he's been in, he's caught my eye one way or another," offensive line coach Tony Sparano said. "What we need now is consistency and to see him play against better people."

Easton is used to going unnoticed in the public eye during his time in Minnesota. In fact, he welcomed it after getting traded twice in a 31-day span early in his rookie season. But the Vikings notice the work he has put in and the blocks he has been throwing. And they hope they can save a spot on their 53-man roster for Easton despite the presence of veterans John Sullivan and Joe Berger.

Hey, the last Harvard center they invested time in turned out pretty good.

"I wouldn't mind having half of [Matt Birk's] career," the 24-year-old said.

Easton doesn't need to be an Ivy Leaguer, though, to know he's got a ways to go. After all, he's trying to avoid having to find his fourth NFL team in a year.

Early last September, on the day NFL teams were required to trim their rosters to 53 men, Easton took the field in Baltimore and figured he would learn his fate after the morning practice. But between reps, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, after a brief huddle with General Manager Ozzie Newsome, pulled Easton out of a drill and told him he had just been traded to the San Francisco 49ers.

"[Harbaugh] said it was the first time he had ever done that," Easton said. "But I didn't know any different. It was my first lesson in the business."

Easton spent the first four weeks of the season in San Francisco. He was a healthy scratch as he frantically tried to process the 49ers playbook. Then he was informed that he was being dealt again, this time to the Vikings, who had expressed interest in Easton that spring after he went undrafted.

"It was definitely a surprise, especially since the first trade had happened so recently," the 6-3, 303-pounder said. "I just made the best of it."

The Vikings, who traded linebacker Gerald Hodges to acquire Easton and the 2016 sixth-round draft pick they used on wide receiver Moritz Bohringer, handed the rookie a practice jersey, a playbook and told him to start learning.

They didn't need him to do anything else because Berger was playing well in place of the injured Sullivan and they were comfortable with youngster Zac Kerin as a potential emergency fill-in. So Easton did not suit up for a single game.

"Most of his work came on the [scout team]," offensive coordinator Norv Turner said. "He's always had very good leverage. He's always been able to get on people and move them. I think he has a lot better understanding of our offense."

Ten months after the second trade, Easton does feel much more comfortable in the offense. And he has taken to the fiery coaching of his straight-shooting new position coach, Sparano, who got on him pretty good at times during training camp. Easton, who was the second-string center in Friday's preseason 17-16 victory over the Bengals, believes he could step in with the starters if called upon.

The Vikings hope they won't need Easton this season. But they do believe he has a bright career ahead of him and they would prefer he continues it with them.

Difficult decisions must be made in the coming weeks, though.

They still are determining whether they can rely on Sullivan, who had a pair of back surgeries in 2015 and missed the entire season. The 31-year-old was pushed around at times during training camp and in the two joint practices with the Bengals. But he held up well physically in the preseason opener.

Berger turned 34 in May, but he is smart, versatile and cheap. And he graded out well while starting every game at center last season. So his roster spot seems secure even if Sullivan takes the starting center job back from him.

The Vikings also like Kerin, who split time at guard and center Friday night.

Potentially working against Easton is that the Vikings see him as strictly a center at this point, and versatility is important for linemen vying for backup roles.

But does Easton have enough untapped potential for them to keep him around?

"That's important right now, that the kid is making some progress. And I do think he is going to find a home, however this unfolds," Sparano said. "He's going to find a place and he'll be just fine."