Vikings Sign Safety Curtis Riley From Cardinals Practice Squad
The Vikings have poached veteran safety Curtis Riley from the Cardinals' practice squad, according to multiple reports on Wednesday. The Vikings needed additional depth at safety with George Iloka out for the season due to a torn ACL.
Riley, 28, is a journeyman veteran who is now on his sixth team in six seasons in the NFL. He went undrafted out of Fresno State in 2015 and spent his first three years with the Titans, appearing in 11 games and recording one interception.
Riley signed with the Giants in 2018 and moved from cornerback to safety, winning a starting job in training camp. He started all 16 games that season and had 75 tackles and four interceptions, including a pick-six. However, Riley's 58.1 PFF grade ranked just 79th out of 93 qualified safeties. Tackling has been an issue for him throughout his career, especially in that 2018 season.
In 2019, Riley signed a one-year deal with the Raiders. He played in all 16 games –primarily on special teams – and made three starts on defense. Riley has bounced around a ton in 2020. He started the year with the Steelers, but was signed off Pittsburgh's practice squad by the Cardinals. He was a full-time player for Arizona back in Week 4, but was reverted back to the practice squad afterwards.
Now, the Vikings have become the second team to poach him off someone else's practice squad because of an injury. With Iloka out for the year, the Vikings needed another backup safety to join rookie Josh Metellus as depth for Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris.
At 6'0", 200 pounds with 4.5 speed, Riley is a solid athlete for the position. He has some ball skills with five career INTs, but has never shown starting-caliber talent, particularly because of his struggles as a tackler.
Regardless, he's an experienced player who gives the Vikings some much-needed depth. If Smith or Harris happen to be traded before the deadline, Riley could end up seeing a major role (although I'd argue those theoretical snaps should go to Metellus so the Vikings could see what they have in him).
The Vikings have not yet made the announcement official, as Riley is going through COVID-19 testing protocols.
Riley will become the sixth player on the Vikings active roster who didn't begin training camp with the team, joining Hardy Nickerson Jr., Ryan Connelly, Todd Davis, Jordan Brailford, and Chris Jones.
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