Vikings Sign OL Matt Nelson

Another minor roster move for the purple

The Minnesota Vikings have made another minor roster move as we make our way through training camp, this one to bolster the depth on the offensive line.

The team has announced that they have signed offensive lineman Matt Nelson. In order to make room for him on the roster, they have waived defensive lineman Alexander Williams.

Nelson played his college football at Iowa, where he went undrafted in 2019. He signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent and spent five years with our division rival. Nelson was a defensive lineman with the Hawkeyes, but the Lions moved him to the offensive side of the ball.

The Lions waived Nelson in 2019, but they signed him to the practice squad and kept him there through the season as he adjusted to his new position. He made the team in 2020, and over the following four seasons appeared in 43 games for the Lions with 14 starts. He missed much of the 2023 season after suffering an ankle injury in late September.

Nelson then signed with the New York Giants, but was part of the team’s final cuts of camp in 2024 and was out of the league last season.

Williams was signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State this offseason. He was waived with an injury designation, meaning that if he makes it through waivers he will revert to the team’s injured reserve list and likely be waived with an injury settlement at some point in the future.