Vikings elevate Kenny Willekes to 53-man roster, make several practice squad moves

Ahead of their departure for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Minnesota Vikings have made a few roster moves.

For the second week in a row, the team has elevated defensive end Kenny Willekes to the 53-man roster, designating him as a COVID-19 replacement. That designation means that this elevation does not count as one of the two “standard” elevations that a practice squad player can have during the course of the year, so the Vikings will be able to elevate him one more time if necessary.

The team has also added two offensive linemen to the practice squad in centers Cohl Cabral and Spencer Pulley. Cabral spent Training Camp with the Vikings and was one of the team’s first cuts during the preseason. You can read more about him right here from the story we did about him when the Vikings claimed him off of waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.

Pulley has been in the NFL since 2016, when the (then) San Diego Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt. He spent two years with the Chargers, starting all 16 games at center for them in 2017. He then spent three seasons with the New York Giants, getting 10 starts over the 2018 and 2019 seasons before apparently missing the entire 2020 season. Pulley was in Training Camp with the Tennessee Titans this preseason and was released by the Titans with an injury settlement in August.

In order to make room on the practice squad, the Vikings released defensive end Nate Orchard, who they had signed just a couple of days ago.

If the Vikings decide to make any more moves before they take the field on Sunday, we will be sure to pass those along to you.