Vikings Waive Bucky Hodges With Injury Designation

When the Minnesota Vikings were awarded former San Francisco 49ers tight end Blake Bell on waivers earlier on Sunday, it came as a bit of a surprise. The Vikings already appeared to have some solid depth at the tight end position, with Kyle Rudolph as the starter and David Morgan and rookie Bucky Hodges in reserve.

Unfortunately, it appears that Hodges isn’t going to be on the squad after all. . .at least for now.

In order to place Bell on the 53-man roster, the team has waived Hodges with an injury designation, which means that if no team claims him off the waiver wire, he will go on injured reserve. The Vikings had the same thing done with quarterback Taylor Heinicke in yesterday’s final cuts.

Hodges suffered a concussion in the preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins, which will allow the Vikings to move him to injured reserve. Once Hodges recovers from his concussion, there is a chance that the team might reach some sort of injury settlement with him so that he can gain his outright release.

Hodges is a player that a lot of folks. . .yours truly included. . .thought could be a major part of the Vikings’ offense in short order. With his big frame and outstanding leaping ability, Hodges could have potentially been a big asset for a team that has had their issues in the red zone in recent seasons.

Sadly, barring any strange happenings, it doesn’t appear as though Hodges is going to fulfill whatever potential he might have in Minnesota.