Willie Beavers, Moritz Bohringer headline Vikings practice squad
The Vikings filled out the 10-man practice squad Sunday, including nine returning players who had been waived a day before and went unclaimed on the wire 24 hours later.
Running back Jhurell Pressley, who scored two touchdowns in the preseason finale against the Rams, was claimed off waivers by the Packers.
The lone newcomer, safety Shamiel Gary, was let go by the Miami Dolphins during roster cuts. The Vikings are Gary’s fourth NFL team since he went undrafted in 2014.
Draft choices who were cut Saturday and are now on the practice squad are guard Willie Beavers, a fourth round choice from Western Michigan; German receiver Moritz Bohringer, a sixth round choice who was a YouTube sensation but played little in the preseason; and seventh rounder Stephen Weatherly, a defensive end from Vanderbilt.
Beavers, taken 121st overall, was the highest drafted player in 2016 to not make a 53-man NFL roster.
The other six on the practice squad, all undrafted out of college, are tight end Kyle Carter, guard Isame Faciane, running back C.J. Ham, defensive tackle Toby Johnson, cornerback Tre Roberson and quarterback Joel Stave.
Stave, a free agent signing from Wisconsin, was in the No. 2 quarterback spot before the Vikings traded for Sam Bradford on Saturday.
Ham is a Duluth native who played at Augustana. Faciane, who played defensive tackle at Florida International, was on the practice squad last season.
Johnson is a second-year player from Georgia who has also been on the Titans, Jaguars and Bears practice squads. Roberson is a versatile rookie from Illinois State and Carter is a rookie from Penn State.
Defensive end Zach Moore, a former Concordia-St. Paul player, was waived by the Vikings on Saturday and signed with the Cowboys practice squad Sunday. Offensive lineman Austin Shepherd, let go in the first round of cuts last week, joined the Chargers practice squad.
Former Gophers wideout Isaac Fruechte, who was on the Vikings practice squad last year and was waived by the team Saturday, signed with Detroit’s practice squad. The Lions also signed another Vikings cut, tight end Brian Leonhardt, a Spring Lake Park native who played at Bemidji State.
There is no set salary for practice squad players, but the minimum is $6,900 per week.
The Vikings return to practice on Monday at Winter Park.