The Vikings Are Apparently Looking for a New Receiver (2024)

The Minnesota Vikings had to undergo a lot of roster turnover in the offseason, especially with Pro Bowl talents Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter leaving. Besides the duo, the franchise also said goodbye to linebacker Jordan Hicks, who experienced a wonderful season last year after seemingly slowing down in previous campaigns.

Looks Like the Vikings Are Looking for a New Receiver

Another departed contributor is K.J. Osborn, who is now playing for the New England Patriots. He was the WR3 for three years behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison or Adam Thielen. His consistent production in the range of 500-700 yards per season was something the Vikings had been trying to find for years before his emergence in 2021.

The current favorite for the vacant WR3 gig is Jalen Nailor, whose rise in training camp could remind folks of Osborn’s. Other contestants include veterans Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield, while Trishton Jackson, Lucky Jackson, and some undrafted rookies of the two recent drafts are underdogs.

Although the depth of the group behind the top candidates for the WR3 job is quite decent, the Vikings seem willing to add another receiver to the mix, as they worked out three wideouts on Monday. Aaron Wilson from KPRC2 tweeted: “Vikings worked out Dean Cain, Justin Hall, Dax Milne.”

The trio doesn’t include any familiar names or players with an extensive track record in the NFL, so GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t want to add any top guys who could actually enter a competition for some regular season targets but rather someone who could run some routes in practice and the preseason to take some load off the entrenched players.

Deon Cain will turn 28 later this week. The sixth-round selection from 2018 has been a journeyman in his career. He had stints with the Colts, Steelers, Ravens, and the Eagles twice. Mixed in were two seasons with the Birmingham Stallions.

In 15 career games, Cain caught nine passes for 124 yards. He hasn’t logged any snaps on special teams in his career, so the Vikings surely don’t try to find a new returner or coverage ace. Fascinating is his spring league track record, as he won two championships with the Stallions, first in the USFL in 2023 and then in the UFL in 2024. In 2023, he was awarded the Championship Game MVP trophy for catching three scores in the final game.

Justin Hall, 25, went undrafted in 2022 and spent the first few months after the draft with the Las Vegas Raiders. He was released in August. Just like Cain, Hall played in the inaugural UFL season in 2024, ranking third in the league in receiving yards with 603. His 56 receptions were tied for first in the league. The former Ball State wideout has not appeared in an NFL game.

Dax Milne, the third of the trio, played in 28 games with the Washington Commanders in 2021 and 2022, catching 15 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. He was Washington’s returner in 2022, gaining 311 yards on 40 punt returns and 300 yards on 15 kickoff returns.

In college, Milne played for BYU before he entered the draft in 2021 and headed to Washington as a seventh-rounder. He missed the 2023 season with a groin injury and was released last week.

It would be quite surprising for them to make some noise in the regular season, should they be signed, as all three can be classified as depth players. After releasing Daylen Baldwin and Devron Harper earlier in the year and moving N’Keal Harry to tight end, the Vikings employ 11 receivers.

1. Justin Jefferson
2. Jordan Addison
3. Jalen Nailor
4. Brandon Powell
5. Trent Sherfield
6. Trishton Jackson
7. Lucky Jackson
8. Thayer Thomas
9. Malik Knowles
10. Ty James
11. Jeshaun Jones

The competition for the roster spots five and six, should the Vikings keep this many, is wide open, and even a new arrival has a chance. More likely, however, is that the Vikings want to have depth options in case of an injury or sign someone to catch a couple of passes in daily practice and the preseason.

Editor’s Note: Information fromUFL andPro Football Referencehelped with this article.

Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings:@JanikEckardt