The Vikings were not awarded any players during the first round of waiver claims on Wednesday. If they put in any claims for players who were waived during Tuesday’s roster cutdown day, they didn’t have the priority (they were 24th on the list) to land them.
29 players were claimed on waivers by 16 different teams. Two of them were waived by the Vikings on Tuesday. Linebacker Dorian Mausi went to the Tennessee Titans, who had the top priority and claimed a league-high four players. Cornerback Reddy Steward was claimed by the Dallas Cowboys.
That obviously means those two won’t be on the Vikings’ practice squad. But all of Minnesota’s other notable cuts — players like Gabriel Murphy, Zemaiah Vaughn, Kahlef Hailassie, Taki Taimani, and a few wide receivers — went unclaimed and will be candidates to land on the 16-man PS.
Mausi signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent this year. He was beaten out by fellow UDFA linebacker and former Auburn teammate Austin Keys for a spot on the 53-man roster in Minnesota. Mausi played 62 defensive snaps for the Vikings in the preseason and earned strong PFF grades. He played well in the finale against the Titans and now lands on Tennessee’s active roster. The Titans previously claimed LB Brian Asamoah II off waivers from the Vikings but then waived him among their cuts on Tuesday.
Steward signed a futures deal with the Vikings back in January. He originally signed with the Bears as a UDFA out of Troy in 2024, shined in the preseason, and was elevated for one regular season game while spending most of the year on Chicago’s practice squad. He only played 46 snaps for the Vikings during this preseason, but Steward was their single highest-graded defensive player (per PFF). The 24-year-old now gets the opportunity to compete for playing time on the Cowboys’ active roster.
It’s a minor blow to the Vikings’ cornerback depth, assuming they wanted to bring Steward back to their practice squad. They only kept four corners on their initial 53-man roster, which suggests an addition of some sort is coming eventually. They could look to bring back Vaughn and Ambry Thomas on the PS when those are formed, which is a process that will begin on Wednesday.