Vikings Activate WR Josh Doctson to 53-Man Roster
The Vikings have activated wide receiver Josh Doctson to the 53-man roster, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Doctson was signed by the Vikings back in early September after being waived by the Redskins. Shortly thereafter, he was placed on IR with a hamstring injury. Doctson was designated for return roughly two weeks ago, and resumed practicing with the team.
He will be active for the first time in a Vikings uniform on Sunday against the Broncos at U.S. Bank Stadium.
With Adam Thielen (hamstring) ruled out once again, this move makes sense. The Vikings could use depth at wide receiver behind Stefon Diggs, Bisi Johnson, and Laquon Treadwell.
Undrafted rookie Davion Davis was active as the fourth receiver last week in Dallas, but was waived this week to make room for Doctson. The Vikings were able to bring Davis back on the practice squad, but lost fullback Khari Blasingame, a preseason fan favorite, who was signed to the active roster of the Titans.
Doctson was the 22nd overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Redskins, one slot ahead of the Vikings' selection of Treadwell. The 6'2" receiver from TCU had 81 catches for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns in three seasons.In 2017, he caught 35 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns from current Vikings QB Kirk Cousins.
Cousins had high praise of Doctson last week.
"He's got a great frame," Cousins said. "So that's just a comfort level to throw to when you see a 6-foot-4 guy running down the field, you know you can miss and he'll make you right with his size. Great speed, sometimes you get guys who are a little bigger and they're not going to run by people, but he's showed he can run by people if they're going to press him, and then really good ball skills when the ball is in the air of tracking it, again you don't have to be perfect because he'll adjust."
"He's another guy who, while having started a lot of games, I think there's still a lot of football there that he hasn't tapped into because he's still a pretty young player, when you compare him to how much Diggsy and Adam have played, he's still a pretty young player in this league, so the more we can get him out there and keep him healthy, the more effective he can be."
The Vikings will look to improve to 8-3 against the Broncos at noon central in Minneapolis.
