Minnesota Vikings seventh-round pick Stacy Coley is still injured and will be limited in practice as training camp begins.
The rookie wide receiver told Zone Coverage that he is dealing with a quad injury that has bothered him since organized team activities. Coley missed the majority of OTAs and mini-camp with the injury, but he appeared to be progressing toward a return when the team dispersed in mid-June. After participating in some tests upon his arrival, however, Coley was not deemed to be 100 percent.
“You’re just taking mental notes and making your mind play for you if you’re not out there playing physical,” Coley said.
This could be a significant hurdle for Coley in his attempt to make the Vikings 53-man roster. With Coley’s Mankato roommate, fellow rookie WR Rodney Adams, looking promising during the offseason program — and starting a cool YouTube channel — Coley’s path to become a backup wide receiver and/or special teams ace is getting murky.
The Vikings seem to have a solid six at wide receiver with Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Laquon Treadwell, Jarius Wright, Michael Floyd and Adams, though Floyd is suspended for the season’s first four games. Coley’s best hope to make the roster would be to get healthy and become the team’s sixth receiver while Floyd sits out.
Of course, there are other paths where Coley could sneak onto the 53, such as an injury or a surprise cut of Wright or Floyd, but he’s not the only receiver vying for the job. Isaac Fruechte and Cayleb Jones may also be getting looks to fill the potential void left by Floyd.
“He’s a quick-twitch guy, very productive player in college,” said offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur of Coley. “For the short time we saw him, we really liked what we saw in the spring, so for him it’s going to be a challenge to get healthy and get himself in the right type of condition where he can go out there and compete.”
Coley scored 22 touchdowns with the Miami Hurricanes, 20 of them through the air, one on the ground and on a kickoff return. He handled the majority of kickoff and punt return duties his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Keenum Competing
With the veterans’ report date still two days out, former Texans and Rams quarterback Case Keenum is the oldest player on the practice fields.
The 29-year-old backup is looking to solidify the No. 2 job, presumably behind Sam Bradford and ahead of Taylor Heinicke as Teddy Bridgewater recovers from a serious knee injury.
“Any time you can get extra reps in this league, it’s a good thing. It’s a really good thing,” said Keenum. “They don’t come often, especially at the quarterback position because only one’s in there at a time, so any time you get extra reps behind the play, watching other guys go is a really good thing.”
Keenum, Heinicke and undrafted free agent Wes Lunt are the three quarterbacks currently in camp. Bradford and Bridgewater will report with the veterans on Wednesday.
Heinicke, Keenum’s primary competition, missed the bulk of last season with an ankle injury but has intrigued the team enough to keep him around for two seasons after joining the club as a UDFA out of Old Dominion. Keenum was benched last season in Los Angeles after a 4-5 start in which he threw 11 interceptions and just nine touchdowns.
“I couldn’t tell you anymore than I’m going out and I’m going to compete,” Keenum said when probed about the battle for the backup job.
Roster Updates
The Vikings were busy Monday morning with a series of roster moves and allocations. First, they signed 24-year-old offensive tackle Arturo Uzdavinis, who joins his fifth organization after going undrafted in the 2016 draft. He previously spent time with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions. Uzdavinis, out of Tulane, is one of the team’s taller offensive tackles at 6-foot-7, 305 pounds.
Minnesota also sent RB Latavius Murray and LB Shaan Washington to the Physically Unable to Perform list, from which they can be activated at any time. Murray is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, while Washington wore a boot on his foot for most of OTAs. Both were in uniform but not participating in the morning walkthrough.
Finally, Sharrif Floyd was moved to the non-football injury list. The fifth-year defensive tackle is still rehabbing from apparent complications stemming from his September knee surgery. Floyd didn’t rule out a return this season when asked on May 31, but his timetable is uncertain.
