The Minnesota Vikings didn’t make the splash Ndamukong Suh signing on Monday, but they are signing second-year tight end Shaun Beyer to fill the last vacant spot on the 90-man roster, per the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson.
It’s an interesting signing considering the legitimate need at the tight end position. The team was believed to be entertaining calls from former Viking Kyle Rudolph before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Beyer joins a group of tight ends with blocking as their primary expertise, aside from their No. 1 option, Irv Smith Jr. The former Iowa standout follows a talented line of Hawkeyes tight ends that have recently included T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant.
As expected, there was a lot of waiting for Beyer to finally get his opportunity in college, but throughout his tenure, he only hauled in 18 passes for 275 yards and one touchdown. So this likely isn’t the insurance option Vikings fans were hoping to see as a backup for Smith.
If anything, Beyer is a supreme athlete with experience playing multiple sports. The hope here is that head coach Kevin O’Connell can get more out of him at the NFL level at some point.
As for Suh, the door isn’t completely closed on the Vikings landing the star defensive tackle. But like they did when they waived quarterback Nate Stanley, they’d have to move another player on the roster to create an open spot for him on the team.
