The Vikings have released veteran running back Myles Gaskin, who they
signed less than two weeks ago.
This leaves Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler as the only running backs on the 53-man roster. Kene Nwangwu is on injured reserve — meaning he will miss a minimum of four games — and rookie DeWayne McBride is on the practice squad.
However, it doesn't sound like Gaskin is going anywhere.
According to ESPN's Kevin Seifert, this is merely a procedural move. Gaskin will revert to the practice squad on Saturday and be elevated to the active gameday roster for Sunday's opener against the Buccaneers.
Why do this? It's presumably for salary cap reasons. As a vested veteran, if Gaskin is on the roster Week 1, his salary becomes guaranteed for the year. By going this route, the Vikings can re-sign Gaskin next week to have a little more cap and roster flexibility moving forward.