Earlier in the day, the Minnesota Vikings announced a couple of roster moves. The Vikings cut an o-lineman while then using that open spot to bring in a corner.
Take a look at the word from the team’s Twitter account: “The #Vikings have signed CB Jameson Houston (@jh_era11) and waived T Chim Okorafor.” Okorafor was a recent add who was being relied on to beef up the competition among the depth offensive tackles. Houston will take on a similar role, but among the corners. Winning a spot on the 53-man roster isn’t realistic, but maybe he’ll secure a spot on the practice squad.
Vikings Cut an O-Lineman and Add a Corner
Jameson Houston has been around the NFL since 2020. Since then, he has bounced around the league, playing for the Browns, Panthers, Eagles, Jaguars, and Seahawks. The Vikings are his sixth team in just a few seasons.
Currently, the Vikings are experiencing no shortage of uncertainty at the CB spot. Byron Murphy, the team’s marquee free agency addition, is the locked-in CB1 for the 2023 season. After him, the Vikings will be leaning on sophomores Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr., rookie Mekhi Blackmon, and former Patriot Joejuan Williams. NaJee Thompson is also expected to make the team, but his main role will be to create havoc on special teams (as he’s done during the preseason).
Houston’s task involves standing out among the other depth corners. More specifically, the journeyman will be thrust into a competition with Tay Gowan, C.J. Coldon, Jaylin Williams, and Kalon Barnes.
Meanwhile, the Vikings’ OL will be operating with a bit less depth. The Okorafor subtraction isn’t unforeseen, though.
Offensive tackle is arguably Minnesota’s most impressive position. Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, when healthy, challenge for the NFL’s top OT tandem. Behind them are Blake Brandel, Oli Udoh, and Vederian Lowe. The depth trio gives the Vikings ample insurance at one of the game’s preeminent positions.
Back to the corner. He has a connection to Minnesota given that he first went to Cleveland when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was a Browns employee. Very likely, that connection made a difference when the team began looking around for a little extra help in their secondary.
The only playing time Houston has been able to get was in 2020 with Philadelphia. He picked up 22 defensive snaps and 22 special teams snaps across 3 games. He stands at 5’11” and 200 pounds. He’s 27.
The Vikings take on the Cardinals tomorrow at U.S. Bank Stadium. With a loss, Kevin O’Connell will drop down to 0-6 in his preseason career as a head coach. Last year’s 0-3 Vikings went on to win a remarkable 13 games, so the end result doesn’t matter too much.
Houston may be able to pick up some snaps for both Matt Daniels and Brian Flores. His experience across several different teams will help him to pick up the knowledge his needs in short order.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
