NFL Roster Cuts: Minnesota Vikings release Ameer Abdullah

A bit of a surprise at running back

As it stands right now, the Minnesota Vikings have one of the best 1-2 punches in the NFL at running back with Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. Over the past couple of seasons, Ameer Abdullah has carved out a niche for himself as a third-down back and a return specialist, but the team has decided that his services were no longer needed.

On Tuesday, as one of their final cuts, the Vikings released Abdullah. With his years of experience, he will immediately become a free agent and able to sign with any team.

The Vikings claimed Abdullah off of waivers from the Detroit Lions midway through the 2018 season, and he’s been with the team ever since. In that time, he served primarily as the team’s kickoff returner, though he did see some snaps as a third running back as well. With the Vikings drafting Kene Nwangwu and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Abdullah was in danger of losing both of those roles, and that’s exactly what’s happened in today’s cuts.

Here’s hoping that Abdullah lands on his feet somewhere and rounds out a solid NFL career.