Over Two Dozen Former Vikings Make XFL Rosters
The inaugural season of the revamped XFL is just over a week away. Beginning on February 8th, eight teams will play a ten-week schedule that culminates with four making the playoffs and a championship game on April 26th.
For everyone missing football after the Super Bowl, the XFL is hoping to fill that void. It'll be easy to watch, with every game appearing on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, or FS1. It should be exciting – or at least interesting – considering all of the rule changes to PATs, kickoffs, overtime, and more. There will also be plenty of recognizable names, as the league is made up primarily of former NCAA studs who couldn't quite make it in the NFL. The intensity promises to be high, as all of these guys are still chasing their dreams.
That includes a bunch of players who have spent time in the Vikings organization. Most of these guys weren't in Minnesota for very long, but it's still fun to see some names you may have forgotten. Out of the current 52-man rosters for all eight teams, I identified 25 players who were a Viking at one point. Here they are, broken down by team.
D.C. Defenders
CB Jalen Myrick – Former Minnesota Gopher spent 2018 on the Vikings practice squad and was waived in April 2019.
RB Jhurell Pressley – Signed as a UDFA by the Vikings in 2016 and notably had both a receiving touchdown and a kickoff return touchdown in a preseason game against the Rams, but was released in final roster cuts.
LB Antwione Williams – A fifth round pick by the Lions in 2016, Williams spent the 2017 season on the Vikings' practice squad and was waived after 2018 training camp.
Dallas Renegades
WR Jeff Badet – The XFL draft was split up into quarterbacks, skill position players, offensive line, defensive front seven, and defensive backs. Badet, who spent parts of 2018 and 2019 with the Vikings, was selected fourth overall in the skill position portion. He had a productive college career at Kentucky and Oklahoma.
S Derron Smith – Former Fresno State safety was with the Vikings in training camp last year.
LB Greer Martini – Former Notre Dame linebacker was brought in by the Vikings in 2019 after the AAF folded.
LB Reshard Cliett – The former sixth-round pick of the Texans (2015) spent the last two seasons on the Vikings practice squad.
OG John Keenoy – A PJ Fleck recruit at Western Michigan, Keenoy was a UDFA with the Vikings in 2019 but didn't make the team or practice squad.
OT Willie Beavers – Also out of WMU, Beavers was a bit of a failed fourth-round pick by the Vikings in 2016. He spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad (but did play 11 offensive snaps in the regular season, which is 11 more than a lot of these guys) and was cut after the 2017 preseason.
New York Guardians
CB Terrence Alexander – Former LSU DB was with the Vikings in the 2019 training camp.
LB Garret Dooley – UDFA out of Wisconsin who spent the 2018 preseason with the Vikings and was on the practice squad for a month. Once had three sacks and 1.5 TFLs against my alma mater (Northwestern), which wasn't ideal for me.
DT Toby Johnson – Former Georgia Bulldog was with the Vikings in 2016, impressing with a highlight-reel interception in the preseason. He was called up to the active roster in December when Sharrif Floyd went on IR, playing 23 snaps over two games with two tackles and a QB hit. Waived in May 2017.
Note: Former Vikings OG Zac Kerin (2014-16) would be on the Guardians' active roster but was placed on IR in December.
Houston Roughnecks
RB De'Angelo Henderson – Former Coastal Carolina RB who set an NCAA record by scoring a touchdown in 35 consecutive games. Was with the Vikings for the 2019 preseason, running for 137 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries.
LB Edmond Robinson –Seventh-round pick by the Vikings out of D-II Newberry in 2015 who spent almost three full years with the team. Might be the most experienced Viking on this list, having played in 21 regular season games with two starts (both in 2015). Outside of the two starts, he was almost exclusively a special-teams contributor. Robinson even made a tackle in the playoff loss to the Seahawks.
OT Isame Faciane – Former FIU DL was signed by the Vikings as a UDFA in 2014, and made the transition to offensive line. He was with the team until October 2016.
St. Louis BattleHawks
QB Taylor Heinicke – Former Old Dominion QB was with the Vikings from 2015 to 2017 and had some memorable moments in the preseason. Made one start for the Panthers in 2018. He'll back up Jordan Ta'amu with the BattleHawks.
Tampa Bay Vipers
RB Mack Brown – Former Florida running back spent a couple years with the Redskins, and was picked up by the Vikings in October 2017. He appeared in one regular season game, recording one kickoff return, and was released in September 2018.
WR Stacy Coley – Seventh-round pick by the Vikings out of Miami in 2017 after a productive college career. Played 39 offensive snaps and 39 special teams snaps between 2017 and 2018, with one kick return and a drop on his only NFL target. 4.4 speed in the 40.
TE Nick Truesdell –The first tight end taken in the XFL Draft, Truesdell was briefly with the Vikings in 2017 and 2018.
Seattle Dragons
S Jordan Martin – Former Toledo DB was very briefly with the Vikings in 2019.
DT Will Sutton – The 2012 Pac-12 defensive player of the year was a third-round pick by the Bears out of Arizona State in 2014. He spent the 2017 training camp with the Vikings.
Los Angeles Wildcats
S Mar'Sean Diggs – The brother of Stefon and Trevon, Diggs was in training camp with the Vikings in 2019.
S Jack Tocho – A seventh-round pick of the Vikings in 2017, Tocho was with the team until being waived in September 2018.
RB Dujuan Harris – One of the older players in the XFL, Harris has spent time with eight different NFL teams since 2011. He had a cup of tea with the Vikings in 2015. He'll compete for the starting job with the Wildcats.
OT Storm Norton – Besides having a cool name, Norton has a chance to shine in the XFL; he was the first player taken in the offensive line phase of the draft. Norton signed with the Vikings in 2017 and was with the team until August 2019, appearing in one regular season game during that time.
Here's the full XFL TV schedule. Which team will you cheer for?
