Vikings sign LB Tanner Vallejo, waive LB William Kwenkeu

The Minnesota Vikings made a bottom-of-the-roster move at the linebacker position on Sunday afternoon.

The team has announced the signing of linebacker Tanner Vallejo, and they have also announced that they have waived linebacker William Kwenkeu with an injury designation. Should Kwenkeu pass through waivers, he will go on the Vikings’ injured reserve list.

Kwenkeu suffered an injury in the Vikings’ preseason-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He started last season on the practice squad and eventually worked his way up to being a special teams contributor on the main roster.

Vallejo is a bit of a journeyman, to say the least. He was drafted out of Boise State by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and spent the 2017 season with Buffalo before being waived during the 2018 preseason and signing with the Cleveland Browns. He then moved on to the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 and, after a brief stint in Washington later that year, came back to Arizona later in that season. He stuck with the Cardinals through last season and became a free agent when last season officially ended.

It would appear that Vallejo’s best shot at making the roster. . .and it’s a pretty long shot, if we’re being honest. . .is to fill the sort of role that Kwenkeu filled on special teams for the Vikings. We’ll see if he can make enough of an impression over the last two preseason games to stick around or get signed to the Minnesota practice squad.