Vikings Waive Bralon Addison With Armon Watts Returning From COVID-19 List
The Vikings announced Thursday that they activated defensive tackle Armon Watts from the Reserve/COVID-19 list just two days after he was placed there. To make room for his spot on the roster while staying at 80 players, the team waived wide receiver Bralon Addison.
Watts becomes the sixth Viking to be activated off of the newly-created COVID list, which is designated for players who either test positive or have been exposed to someone who tested positive. The Vikings are constantly tracking everyone's potential exposure through contact tracing devices.
Given that Watts spent just two days on the list, it's clear that he was only placed there under an abundance of caution based on potential exposure. Anthony Barr, Blake Brandel, and Ifeadi Odenigbo each spent between four and five days on the list. Justin Jefferson and Brian Cole were on it for eight days. Three players are still on it: Tyler Higby (11 days and counting), Cameron Smith (9 days), and Oli Udoh (9 days).
The long stays for Higby, Smith, and Udoh suggest that they may have tested positive, although we can't be certain.
This is good news for Watts, who only missed a day or two of walkthroughs and strength/conditioning workouts. The second-year defensive tackle is expected to potentially play a major role in 2020.
On the flip side, it's a tough break for Addison, just as it was for Kemon Hall and Davion Davis the other day. The pandemic caused the NFL to announce that training camp rosters would be trimmed to 80, meaning those players – and several more cuts to come – never even got a shot to impress in camp. In a typical year, they at least would've gotten a chance to perform well in practices and preseason games.
Addison was someone I thought had a chance to stick around in Minnesota, potentially as a punt returner. But the Vikings drafting K.J. Osborn in the fifth round for that purpose was bad news for his outlook. Addison had a productive career at Oregon and was a star in the Canadian Football League in 2019.
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