{"id":79443,"date":"2024-01-11T03:49:06","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T03:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/?p=79443"},"modified":"2024-01-11T03:49:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T03:49:06","slug":"vikings-sign-former-1st-round-wr-ahead-of-2024-season-kieu-linh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/vikings-sign-former-1st-round-wr-ahead-of-2024-season-kieu-linh\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Sign Former 1st-Round WR Ahead of 2024 Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

With questions at wide receiver this offseason, the\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0secured former first-round pick\u00a0N\u2019Keal Harry\u00a0to their plans at the position in 2024.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/p>\n

Harry\u00a0signed a reserve\/future contract\u00a0with the Vikings on January 8, ensuring the 26-year-old is under team control through the offseason.<\/p>\n

The 32nd overall pick by the\u00a0New England Patriots in the 2018 draft, Harry joined the Vikings practice squad for the 2023 season. During training camp, he made a strong case to make the 53-man roster before suffering a lower-body injury that led to his release before the final game of the preseason.<\/p>\n

The Vikings signed Harry to the practice squad after the dust settled from 53-man roster cuts around the league. He played in nine games this season, primarily on special teams.<\/p>\n

In five seasons, Harry has\u00a0caught 64 passes for 714 yards\u00a0and five touchdowns. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Harry offers mismatch opportunities to make contested catches as a\u00a0reliable red-zone weapon.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s among 11 players from the Vikings practiced squad who have signed reserve\/future contracts.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the full list:<\/p>\n

RB Myles Gaskin
\nWR Trishton Jackson
\nWR N\u2019Keal Harry
\nWR Thayer Thomas
\nRB DeWayne McBride
\nCB Joejuan Williams
\nCB Jaylin Williams
\nLB Abraham Beauplan
\nT Cory Cronk
\nG Henry Byrd
\nG Tyrese Robinson<\/p>\n

Vikings Have WR3 Needs With K.J. Osborn Poised for Free Agency<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"K.J.<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Harry\u2019s signing offers the Vikings options at wide receiver with the potential departure of third wide receiver\u00a0K.J. Osborn.<\/p>\n

A 2020 fifth-round pick, Osborn didn\u2019t log a single offensive snap his rookie year but has developed into a reliable option in the passing game. In his past three seasons, Osborn has averaged 52 catches, 615 yards receiving and five touchdowns.<\/p>\n

The wide receiver market has boomed in recent years even for players who aren\u2019t quite at WR1 status.\u00a0Adam Thielen\u00a0secured a\u00a0three-year, $25 million deal\u00a0with the\u00a0Carolina Panthers\u00a0last offseason despite entering the league year at the age of 33.<\/p>\n

Osborn is expected to garner a similar value in free agency. Spotrac estimated Osborn to secure a two-year, $15.1 million deal worth $7.5 million a season, which would rank 38th among wide receivers entering the 2024 free agency period in March.<\/p>\n

The Vikings would be unwise to compete with an offer like that, especially considering\u00a0Jordan Addison\u00a0overtook the WR2 role this season. There\u2019s likely a price the Vikings are willing to bring Osborn back, but in Osborn\u2019s defense, the prospects in free agency are likely much better in terms of his projected role in another offense and the compensation of that role.<\/p>\n

The Vikings will likely look internally and potentially add some upside-free agents or draft prospects in the offseason to compete for the third wide receiver role behind\u00a0Justin Jefferson\u00a0and Addison.<\/p>\n

Vikings\u2019 Jalen Nailor Must Earn WR3 Spot<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Jalen<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Vikings wide receivers room is considered one of the league\u2019s best, but the prospects of losing Osborn reveal a serious drop off in on-field production.<\/p>\n

For two years, the team has shown favoritism to 2022 sixth-round pick Jalen Nailor. Nailor was a player in the draft that wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell \u201cpounded the table\u201d for during pre-draft meetings.<\/p>\n

Nailor flashed his rookie year, catching 3 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in a Week 17 loss to the\u00a0Green Bay Packers. Nailor made his first start in a meaningless season finale against the\u00a0Chicago Bears, snaring 4-of-5 targets for 62 yards.<\/p>\n

But in 2023, Nailor struggled to stay healthy and put together a productive body of work.<\/p>\n

Nailor dealt with a lower-leg injury in training camp but managed to make the 53-man roster before he was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury in September.<\/p>\n

Returning from injured reserve, Nailor played in four games before he landed in concussion protocol after a hit he took against the\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders\u00a0on December 10.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Nailor finished his second year with 3 catches for 29 yards in a disappointing showing for the promising receiver prospect..<\/p>\n

Undersized in college, there were concerns over his durability but given time in NFL strength and conditioning programs, Nailor still has hope to become a productive receiver in the Vikings offense.<\/p>\n

However, Nailor will have to earn his spot next summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With questions at wide receiver this offseason, the\u00a0Minnesota Vikings\u00a0secured former first-round pick\u00a0N\u2019Keal Harry\u00a0to their plans at the position in 2024. Harry\u00a0signed a reserve\/future contract\u00a0with the Vikings on… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79443\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}