Remember when I said that Drew Henson would only be on the Vikings roster as a warm body to take snaps in practice until Tarvaris Jackson got healthy again?
Well. . .apparently Tarvaris Jackson is healthy again.
Yes, the Vikings released Henson, as well as wide receiver Maurice Mann (and, presumably, his Rare Earth Band). To replace Mann on the active roster, the Vikes signed Bethel Johnson. Johnson has had NFL stints with the New England Patriots and the New Orleans Saints over the course of his 4-year NFL career.
Johnson hasn't produced much as a receiver in his short stay in the NFL. . .in 3 seasons with the Patriots, he averaged 15 yards/catch (450 yards on 30 receptions) and totalled 3 receiving touchdowns. As a kick returner with New England, he averaged about 25 yards a return, and took 2 kickoffs back for scores.
Johnson, drafted in the 2nd round (45th overall) out of Texas A&M by the Pats in 2003, was traded to the Saints this past off-season for uber-bust defensive tackle Jonathan Sullivan, drafted with the #6 overall pick in that same draft. The Patriots have since, I believe, released Sullivan.
(Hey, remember back when everyone was lamenting that we got "stuck" with Kevin Williams instead of Sullivan in the '03 Draft? Yeah, neither do I.)
In any event, it looks like Johnson's role on this team will be to replace Troy Williamson on kickoff returns, and maybe get some occasional reps at WR. He's not a big receiver (5'11", 200#), so I'm not sure how many offensive plays he'll actually get in on. But I don't want TW back there on kick returns any more, anyway. While he's shown some occasional flashes, he's not a KR in the NFL. Maybe this will allow him to focus more on the little things. . .like, you know, catching the damn football.
And that's pretty much the news. Man. . .is it just me, or do bye weeks seem longer than every other week?