The Minnesota Vikings are auditioning Dede Westbrook to re-join the team.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Westbrook is working out with Minnesota on Tuesday. Other teams are reportedly interested in the 28-year-old wide receiver, who is expected to sign somewhere this week.
Westbrook caught 10 of 15 targets for 68 yards in 15 games with the Vikings last season. He also returned 22 punts for 183 yards.
Westbrook spent his first four NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who made him the 110th pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Blinn College. After hauling in 66 of 101 targets in both 2018 and 2019 for a combined 1,377 yards, he missed most of 2020 with a leg injury.
Minnesota boasts one of the NFL’s best receiving duos in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn emerged as a sturdy third option by scoring seven receiving touchdowns last season. Yet Kirk Cousins hasn’t spread the wealth to ancillary options; Westbrook and Ihmir Smith-Marsette (five catches) were the only other Vikings wide receivers to tally any receptions last season.
The Vikings have more competition to round out their receiving room. Bisi Johnson is returning from a torn ACL that cost him all of the 2021 season. Minnesota also drafted Michigan State’s Jalen Nailor in the sixth round before signing Myron Mitchell and Blake Proehl as undrafted free agents.
Leave a Reply