Vikings Add Chase McLaughlin, Albert Huggins to Practice Squad

The Vikings have brought in two more players for their practice squad, including an intriguing defensive tackle from Clemson.

The Vikings announced that 13 players had been signed to their practice squad on Sunday, with all of them being guys who had spent training camp in Minnesota and were cut by the team on Saturday. Another player was added Monday in linebacker Hardy Nickerson Jr., who was waived to make room for Ryan Connelly.

In addition to that group of 14, the team has also brought in two players from outside the organization to round out the practice squad: kicker Chase McLaughlin and defensive tackle Albert Huggins.

McLaughlin joining the Vikings' practice squad was first reported by Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal on Sunday. During three years as the kicker at Illinois, he made 44 of 59 field goals – including 20 of 25 as a senior – and went 79 for 79 on extra points. He made five kicks of 50-plus yards. McLaughlin went undrafted in 2019 and spent time with five different NFL teams during his rookie season.

After going undrafted, McLaughlin was initially signed by the Bills. He was waived during roster cuts and then spent a week or so on the Vikings' practice squad. McLaughlin was an injury replacement for the Chargers, 49ers, and Colts during the season. In total, he went 18 for 23 on field goals (5 for 10 in the 40-49 range but 3 for 3 from 50 yards or more). He didn't miss an extra point.

McLaughlin remained with the Colts in training camp this year, but was waived on Saturday. The Vikings' familiarity with him led them to pick him up as their backup kicker. He'll be on the practice squad and will be ready in case anything happens to Dan Bailey.

The newest addition to the Vikings' practice squad is Huggins, according to KSTP's Darren Wolfson.

The #Vikings are adding former Clemson DT Albert Huggins to the practice squad. No. 67 here. He was in camp with the Texans and Lions, waived by Eagles July 26. pic.twitter.com/GNZYYbH3HS

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 7, 2020

Huggins was a top-100 recruit in the class of 2015 who chose Clemson over Alabama, Georgia, and other powerhouse programs. However, he never became more than a rotational player for the Tigers, backing up Dexter Lawrence at nose tackle for several years. Huggins finished his college career with 69 tackles, 13 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, and an interception.

Like McLaughlin, he has bounced around like crazy since his NFL career began. Huggins was originally a UDFA pickup by the Texans and began the year on their practice squad. Then he was picked up by the Eagles and appeared in four regular season games, playing 44 defensive snaps. Then a stint with the Patriots that last less than a week in December 2019.

Huggins then went back to the Eagles, which is where he began training camp this year. After being waived, he made a second stint with the Texans in camp. Then he was with the Lions for the first week of September. Now he's in Minnesota, which is his seventh different stint with an NFL team in the last 16 months.

The Vikings must be hoping that defensive line coaches Andre Patterson and Imarjaye Albury can get more out of Huggins than any of his past teams did. He clearly has some projectable talent, or else he wouldn't keep getting a new job in the NFL. The 6'3", 305-pounder just has to put it together. He's a very strong guy, having done 35 bench press reps at the 2019 combine, and could be an interesting backup nose tackle in the best-case scenario.

It's notable that the Vikings brought Huggins in for the practice squad instead of keeping UDFA rookie David Moa, who they got a long look at in camp.

All 16 practice squad spots are currently filled.

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