49ers sign Elijah Lee; Vikings sign Antwione Williams to Practice Squad

When the roster cuts were announced earlier this month, the Vikings were pleased to learn that Elijah Lee, the Kansas State linebacker drafted in the 7th round by the Vikings this year, made it through waivers and accepted a position on the team’s Practice Squad. Lee still needed a little work, and the emergence of players like Eric Wilson made the Practice Squad a perfect landing spot for Lee’s rookie year in the NFL. The Vikings even limited Lee’s playing time for the last couple games of the preseason to try and prevent other teams getting a good look at him on film. The strategy appeared to work at first.

Unfortunately, that strategy didn’t work for long.

The San Francisco 49ers have signed Lee to their 53-man roster. NFL rules state that teams can sign players to their active roster from any other team’s Practice Squad. Lee played only six defensive snaps against the 49ers in the third preseason game, but apparently San Francisco still liked him enough to add him to their roster. With the ankle injury suffered by rookie LB Reuben Foster in Week 1, it makes sense that the 49ers would look to add some depth at the position.

The Vikings have announced the signing of linebacker Antwione Williams to fill the vacant spot left by Lee on the Practice Squad. Williams was a 5th-round pick for the Detroit Lions in 2016. He appeared in 14 games for the Lions last year playing defense and special teams.