Minnesota Vikings part ways with explosive running back despite strong offseason

Roster cuts are happening all across the NFL today, as teams must trim their rosters down to 53 players by 4 p.m. Eastern time this afternoon. With that comes many surprising roster decisions by teams as they make their final roster decisions. The Minnesota Vikings made one of those surprising roster moves when they were expected to trade or release running back Kene Nwangwu.

The former fourth-round pick had a strong training camp and offseason showcasing his development as a runner. While Nwangwu was never going to become a significant focal point of the Vikings offense, he also provided value as one of the better kick returners in the league. With the new kickoff rule, many believed Nwangwu would capitalize on it to make an impact on the team.

With the expected departure of Nwangwu, the Vikings have only two running backs on their roster: Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler . Given Jones’ injury history and Chandler only having a limited amount of touches, the team keeping only two running backs is an interesting decision.

Nwangwu will likely catch on somewhere. A player with his returning upside will be a hot commodity with the new kickoff rules, and with the former Iowa State Cyclone continuing to grow and mature as a runner, he can provide value in a third-down role on a team thin at running back.

The Minnesota Vikings and all 31 other teams in the league will be making roster changes all day, and you can follow all the transactions on our roster tracker .

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