The Vikings made another late-August roster shuffle Monday, bringing two familiar faces back into the building.
Minnesota signed defensive lineman Jonathan Harris and tight end Matt Lauter, while waiving third-year defensive lineman Taki Taimani and rookie cornerback Tyreek Chappell with injury designations.
These are not moves that will change Minnesota’s top of the depth chart. But they matter during the final week of preseason, when teams need healthy players for practices and the last exhibition game while also searching for practice-squad candidates and emergency depth.
Harris has been around the organization before. Lauter, meanwhile, gets another chance after making an impression at Vikings rookie minicamp earlier this offseason.
Jonathan Harris returns to a familiar room
Harris originally signed with Minnesota in December 2024 and spent the 2025 season on the Vikings practice squad before he was released in January.
Now, the 30-year-old defensive lineman is back.
The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Harris began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Bears in 2019 after playing at Division II Lindenwood. He soon moved to Denver, where he played 31 games from 2019 through 2023 and developed into a useful rotational defender.
His most productive campaign came in 2023. Harris appeared in all 17 games, made five starts and recorded 43 tackles and a sack for the Broncos. In 40 career games, including nine starts, he has totaled 91 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one sack and seven quarterback hits.
Harris has also had brief stints with Miami and Carolina, appearing in seven games for the Panthers in 2024.
The Vikings know exactly what they are getting: a veteran with real NFL experience who understands the building and has already spent a season in Brian Flores’ defensive system. That familiarity matters more than usual at this point on the calendar.
Minnesota’s defensive line has changed since Harris was last around. The Vikings drafted Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange, added Isaiahh Loudermilk and watched Elijah Williams build momentum during camp and preseason. Harris faces a crowded path to the initial 53-man roster.
But he gives the team another experienced body for the final week and a plausible practice-squad option if the Vikings want veteran insurance along the front.
Matt Lauter gets another opportunity
Lauter is familiar with the Vikings, too.
The Boise State tight end participated in Minnesota’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis in May. He did not immediately sign with the team, but the Vikings clearly remembered him when another tight-end body was needed late in the preseason.
Lauter signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent after the draft and later spent time with the Titans. He now arrives in Minnesota with a limited window to make an impression, but also with an accomplished college résumé.
At Boise State, Lauter finished his career with 1,146 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. His breakout junior season included 47 catches for 619 yards and seven touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Mountain West recognition.
The Vikings are set at the top of the tight-end room with T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Behind them, Gavin Bartholomew and Ben Yurosek have been competing for a potential third spot.
Lauter is unlikely to change that race in a few days. But he offers a receiving background and enough familiarity with the organization to be a useful late addition. At minimum, he gets a chance to put fresh tape together for Minnesota or another team.
Taimani’s opportunity narrows
Taimani’s departure is the more notable move.
He joined the Vikings as an undrafted rookie in 2024 after six college seasons at Washington and Oregon. Taimani made Minnesota’s initial 53-man roster as a rookie and played 70 defensive snaps over the first seven weeks of that season.
An injury sidelined him in his rookie year, and the role never expanded.
He did not make the 53-man roster in 2025 and appeared in only two regular-season games. This preseason, he was competing in a defensive-tackle room that has become younger and more crowded. Banks, Orange, Williams, Loudermilk and Levi Drake Rodriguez have all complicated his path.
Taimani played 13 snaps against Baltimore on Saturday before being waived with an injury designation two days later. The injury adds uncertainty to his short-term future, but the roster math had already become difficult.
Chappell’s path was similarly narrow. The undrafted cornerback played nine snaps in the preseason opener against the Giants and did not appear against Baltimore. Minnesota’s cornerback competition has remained crowded throughout camp, with Charles Demmings, Da’Veawn Armstead, Zemaiah Vaughn, Dwight McGlothern and others all battling for limited depth jobs.
The Vikings are still turning over every available stone before cutdown day. Harris and Lauter are the latest players to receive an opportunity. For both, the next few days will determine whether it becomes anything more.
About The Author
