Lest we get too excited about things too quickly
About half of the Minnesota Vikings’ 90-man roster has reported to Eagan for the start of training camp, with all of the rookies and a handful of selected veterans having already checked in. A couple of those players are going to have a slightly different schedule from the rest.
The team has announced that they have placed tight end Gavin Bartholomew and linebacker Chaz Chambliss on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List.
Bartholomew, a sixth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, was the final player selected by the Vikings in this year’s selection meeting. Chambliss is an undrafted free agent out of Georgia who was signed in the post-draft UDFA free-for-all.
This is as good an opportunity as any to remind everyone what happens when a player goes on the PUP List (or the Non-Football Injury List, for that matter). A player who is on the PUP List can not practice with the team, they can only continue to do rehab work. Players have to be placed on PUP before they participate in a practice. Any player who has already gone through a practice during the preseason is ineligible for PUP or NFI. They also do not count against the 90-man roster while they are on either of those lists, so it’s possible the Vikings could sign some temporary replacements.
People may be surprised to not see some notable veterans on the list, namely offensive linemen Christian Darrisaw and Will Fries, both of whom are still rehabbing injuries that they suffered last season. Players can still be added after the veterans report, which is scheduled to happen on Tuesday. So not seeing Darrisaw and Fries on the PUP List at this point doesn’t mean they won’t be on it. . .they just aren’t on it yet. We’ll know more about that tomorrow.
Football is officially in the air, folks. Can you feel the excitement?