The Minnesota Vikings are cruising into the season’s final four games with an unexpected 11-2 record. One more win by the Vikings would clinch Minnesota a playoff spot just a few months after the offseason win total was set at 6.5.
Recently Released Vikings RB Pursues Next Venture
In that offseason, the Vikings made various changes, including the switch at quarterback from Kirk Cousins to a duo of Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy. Aaron Jones replaced Alexander Mattison in the backfield to improve a dramatically bad running game. That worked to some extent, but it still leaves something to be desired and will continue to be a point of emphasis in the upcoming offseason.
His backup to begin the season was Ty Chandler, who had some success late in the 2023 campaign, but the coaching staff has always been hesitant to give him more work. Cam Akers arrived a few weeks into the season to take over the RB2 role.
That demoted Chandler and the next man in line, Myles Gaskin.
Gaskin had been moved up and down between Minnesota’s 53-man roster and the practice squad until he was released last week. Now, he has moved on, signing with an AFC club.
Florida Times-Union‘s Demetrius Harvey tweeted Wednesday, “The Jaguars signed RB Myles Gaskin, OL Jerome Carvin and OL Dieter Eiselen to the practice squad. They’ve released LS Tucker Addington and P Matt Haack from the practice squad.”
The Jaguars have one of the deeper running back rooms in the NFL, although starter Travis Etienne hasn’t quite lived up to the offseason hype after a strong 2023 season.
- Travis Etienne
- Tank Bigsby
- D’Ernest Johnson
- Keilan Robinson
- Myles Gaskin (Practice Squad)
- Louis Rees-Zammit (Practice Squad)
In his second season with the purple franchise, Gaskin appeared in five games, rushing three times for -1 yard. He caught one pass for 11 yards and returned three kicks for 60 yards.
The runner also spent the majority of the 2023 season on Minnesota’s practice squad, with a short stint on Sean McVay’s Rams. He appeared in three games (two with the Vikings) and played ten special teams snaps. His time as a productive NFL running back might be over after only carrying the ball ten times in 2022 and not a single time last year.
The 2019 seventh-round pick started games in Miami in 2020 and 2021. In his four years with the Dolphins, Gaskin rushed for 1,355 yards and seven touchdowns. He added 701 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a pass-catcher.
In the last 16 months, Gaskin appeared in the news 26 times, either because he was signed, cut, or re-signed by the Vikes. The 27-year-old moves on ‒ at least for now.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt