Marcus Sherels and Joe Webb made the cut as the Minnesota Vikings quietly trimmed their roster down to 53 men Saturday to make an NFL deadline.
As WCCO reports, the Vikings waived 19 players, including wide receivers Stephen Burton, Rodney Smith and former Minnesota State University star Adam Thielen.
Burton, a seventh-round draft pick in 2011, had a strong training camp, but Greg Jennings, Jerome Simpson, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jarius Wright were assured spots.
Sherels was not much of a surprise, given his latest performance Thursday against Tennessee, where he returned a kick for 109 yards and also had an interception. In a sense, he can fill two roles, as fifth cornerback and reprising his punt return duties.
And so can Joe Webb, in the fourth and final year of his contract, the former QB whose pure athleticism has kept him with the team, this time as a fifth wide receiver.
After converting Webb to wide receiver this spring, the Washington Post reports, following a failed emergency playoff start at quarterback when Christian Ponder was out with an injury, the Vikings kept the versatile former sixth-round draft pick for special teams value and depth at an important position.
Third-string quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson made the cut as well, reports the Pioneer Press.
Guard Seth Olson was placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in the final preseason game Thursday. Fullback Jerome Felton (three games, substance abuse policy violation) and tackle DeMarcus Love (four games, performance enhancing substance policy violation) don’t count against the limit while serving suspensions by the NFL.
