Abram

Smith

Ta’amu spent a week with the Vikings but is now back looking for work. A legend of the spring football circuits, Ta’amu has struggled to secure a long-term NFL job. He didn’t appear in the Vikings’ final preseason game but could draw the interest of other teams who have followed him in other leagues. In addition to cutting Ta’amu, the Vikings also parted ways with RB Abram Smith, and LB Jake Gervase.

He was joined by (deep breath): Tevin Coleman, Nate McCrary, Abram Smith, La’Mical Perine, Godwin Igwebuike, and Marlon Mack. Sources have told us that LaMichael James was unavailable. The 49ers seem likely to add someone to their backfield mix behind Jeff Wilson while Elijah Mitchell recovers from his injury, and whoever that back is will have some break-in-case-of-emergency fantasy value in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Smith had some early OTA buzz towards making the roster, but played behind Dwayne Washington and was mostly an afterthought in the preseason games. He finished with a 44.8 PFF running grade in 67 2022 preseason snaps. He could be in line for a practice squad date, whether it’s in New Orleans or elsewhere.

Triplett writes that Smith’s special teams skills could be a key factor in the decision, as he was a coverage standout at Baylor. With both Smith and Dwayne Washington on, that would make Tony Jones Jr., who opened last season second on the depth chart, as the odd man out. The Saints backup RB situation especially bears watching for fantasy purposes because of a looming potential suspension for Alvin Kamara.

A linebacker during a large chunk of his time in Waco, Smith (6'/213) exploded onto the scene in 2021 as the backfield mate for Trestan Ebner, putting up a 257-1,601-12 rushing line in his only meaningful playing time at running back during his college career. He ran a respectable 4.54 40 at his Pro Day with a 36-inch vertical and 9-foot-8 broad jump. Smith does not have a lot of wiggle and needs to pull hard on the brakes to make cuts, but he looked comfortable in Baylor’s zone scheme and can finish runs once he gets going downhill. At best, Smith will be parked behind Mark Ingram for his rookie year. However, opportunity could open up sooner rather than later if Ingram’s age starts to show down the stretch.