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EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings kept much of their preseason depth intact Monday, signing 15 players to their practice squad, including veteran safety Tavierre Thomas and 2026 draft pick Gavin Gerhardt.
Fourteen of the 15 players spent at least part of the preseason with Minnesota. Offensive tackle Jack Nelson, a former Wisconsin standout who played for Atlanta last season, is the only newcomer.
Thomas is the most experienced player in the group. The veteran safety and special teams standout appeared in all 17 games for Minnesota last season and led the Vikings with 19 special teams tackles. Thomas has played in 115 NFL games with 22 starts during a career that has included stops with Cleveland, Houston, Tampa Bay and Minnesota.
Minnesota terminated Thomas' contract Sunday while reducing its roster to the NFL's 53-player limit, but brought him back one day later on the practice squad.
Gerhardt also returns after being waived Sunday. Minnesota selected the former Cincinnati center in the seventh round of the NFL draft with the 235th overall pick. He was the only member of the Vikings' nine-player 2026 draft class who did not make the initial 53-man roster.
Nelson gives the Vikings another developmental option on the offensive line. The 6-foot-7, 314-pound tackle played collegiately at Wisconsin and was selected by Atlanta in the seventh round of the 2025 draft. He appeared in 10 games for the Falcons as a rookie without making a start.
The Vikings also retained tight end Marshall Lang and defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie, two players who joined Minnesota in June. Lang previously spent time on the Seattle and New England practice squads, while Ritzie competed for a reserve role on Minnesota's defensive front during training camp.
The complete practice squad includes cornerbacks Da'Veawn Armstead and Bryce Phillips; receivers Michael Briscoe and Trayvon Rudolph; guards Henry Byrd and Joshua Gray; center Gerhardt; safeties Kahlef Hailassie and Thomas; linebacker Bangally Kamara; tight end Lang; offensive lineman Tristan Leigh; tackle Nelson; defensive lineman Ritzie; and outside linebacker Cam'Ron Stewart.
The moves came one day after Minnesota finalized its initial 53-player roster. The Vikings also continued adjusting that roster Monday by claiming guard Trevor Keegan and center Nick Samac off waivers and releasing quarterback Max Brosmer and receiver Dillon Bell.
Minnesota's practice squad gives the club additional depth during the regular season and provides players who can be elevated to the active roster when injuries or other roster needs arise.
