Vikings Territory: Undrafted Vikings Rookie Gets Some National Attention

Press release from Vikings Territory:

July 26, 2021

Dede Westbrook signed with the Minnesota Vikings over the weekend, granting the team its first legitimate WR3 since Jarius Wright departed in the spring of 2018.

Before the transaction, onlookers of the Vikings wondered who could reasonably play WR3 in 2021 as general manager Rick Spielman had yet to sign Westbrook. The usual suspects included Chad Beebe, Bisi Johnson, and rookie Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Those players now have an uphill battle to dethrone Westbrook, but anything can happen as the ex-Jaguar hopes to bounce back from a torn ACL he suffered early in the pandemic season.

While it would be wonderful for Philyor to bust through the Thielen-Jefferson-Westbrook-Beebe-Johnson blockade based on sheer performance, it is unlikely Philyor makes the 53-man roster. He’s more in line with the type of player that works his way up from the practice squad – simply because the Vikings WR spots are spoken for. Stranger things have occurred, but Philyor on the 2021 Vikings is a longshot.

That sounds fun, using a gadget-like player inside new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s offense. The Vikings usually avoid outright trickery, at least under head coach Mike Zimmer. If son Kubiak decided to change the offensive culture, then Philyor may become a useful commodity.

This press release was produced by Vikings Territory. The views expressed here are the author’s own.