Vikings re-sign 17 players to practice squad, including two running backs

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 Robert Tonyan, N’Keal Harry and Sammis Reyes; receivers Lucky Jackson, Thayer Thomas and Jeshaun Jones; and guards Henry Byrd and Tyrese Robinson. They kept seven players on defense: outside linebackers Andre Carter II and Bo Richter; linebacker Dallas Gant; defensive tackle Jonah Williams; cornerbacks Nahshon Wright and Jaylin Williams; and safety Bobby McCain.

Two of the highest-profile cuts, safety Lewis Cine and running back Kene Nwangwu, won’t be coming back anytime soon.

Nwangwu, the fourth-year kick returner, was claimed off waivers by the Saints, where former Vikings offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak holds that position in New Orleans.

No other NFL team wanted to claim Cine’s first-round rookie contract off waivers. He cleared waivers and originally agreed to sign a new deal with the New York Jets practice squad. However, on Thursday morning a league source confirmed reports that Cine changed his mind and agreed to a different deal with the Buffalo Bills practice squad.

The Vikings did not offer Cine a spot on their practice squad, according to a source, as both sides wanted to move on from each other. The source added that the Vikings had fielded exploratory trade calls about Cine before and after this year’s NFL draft in April, but could not get a deal done.

Cine appeared in 10 games over two seasons; the first ended because of a compound leg fracture in Week 4 and the second was spent on the bench under a new defensive coaching staff. He leaves a $5.7 million salary cap charge on the Vikings’ books, according to OverTheCap.com, about two years after he was the first 32nd overall pick to sign a fully-guaranteed contract. That could be offset by a fraction through Cine’s practice squad salary with the Jets.

The Vikings forfeited additional salary cap space to move on from Cine, who was scheduled to count $3.1 million against this year’s cap. The increase comes from future cap charges accelerating into the year a player is released.

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After keeping only two running backs, Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler, with fullback C.J. Ham on the initial 53-man roster, the Vikings retained two more for the backfield. Gaskin, the 27-year-old former Dolphins starter, is most likely the No. 3 option. He was efficient in heavy usage during three preseason games, accumulating 27 carries for 128 yards. McBride, a 2023 seventh-round pick, is still learning the position at an NFL level.

The Vikings kept two other experienced veterans in Tonyan, the former Packers and Bears tight end, and Williams, a former Rams starter on the defensive line. NFL rules allow teams to sign up to six players with unlimited experience to practice squads.

Former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is expected to sign with the Cowboys practice squad, according to NFL Media. Cook, 29, was cut by the Vikings before last season, when he averaged a career-low 5.6 touches per game while appearing in 16 games (including one playoff game) for the Jets and Ravens. Cook reunites with former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, who was hired this offseason as the Cowboys defensive coordinator.

Gable Steveson, the former Gophers All-America wrestler and Olympic gold medalist, was released by the Buffalo Bills after his first NFL training camp as a defensive lineman. The team did not retain him on the practice squad Wednesday, when Steveson wrote on Instagram: “Put on my first pair of cleats, pads, and played my first ever football game as a NFL player here in Buffalo! Even made some plays along the way! All love!! This isn’t the end. … Back to the drawing board!!”

Guard/tackle Doug Nester, who spent this summer with the Vikings as an undrafted rookie out of West Virginia, signed with the Steelers practice squad.