Vikings' wave of Saturday roster moves includes the return of C.J. Ham
The Vikings made a wave of roster moves on Saturday in advance of their Week 5 game against the Browns in London.
Here they are:
- C Ryan Kelly placed on IR
- FB C.J. Ham activated from IR
- QB Desmond Ridder waived
- OL Vershon Lee signed to 53-man roster
- RB Cam Akers elevated from practice squad
- OL Henry Byrd elevated from practice squad
We covered Kelly landing on injured reserve due to his latest concussion in a separate story.
With Michael Jurgens out due to a hamstring injury, Blake Brandel will make his first career appearance at center against Cleveland. His backup will be Lee, an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina who the Vikings signed in June. Lee played center, left guard, and right tackle during his five-year college career.
The return of Ham is significant. The Vikings spent the first four weeks of the season without their fullback and one of their most valuable special teams players due to a knee injury that landed him on IR in late August. Ham, the Vikings' second-longest-tenured player behind Harrison Smith, played 277 offensive snaps and 299 on special teams last season.
Getting Ham back should provide a boost for the Vikings in the running game and on special teams. He typically only plays around 15-20 snaps per game on offense, but he's useful in those snaps as a lead blocker in the run game. Kevin O'Connell also sometimes deploys him on obvious passing downs because of his abilities as a pass protector out of the backfield. The 32-year-old Ham has played in 136 games with the Vikings since the 2017 season and has scored six career touchdowns.
Ridder being waived is notable in that it means the Vikings will only have two quarterbacks available for Sunday's game. With J.J. McCarthy ruled out, it'll be a third consecutive start for Carson Wentz, with rookie Max Brosmer as his backup. It's highly unlikely that both players would become unavailable in the same game, but it would be fascinating to see who the Vikings' emergency quarterback would be in that situation. Hopefully it won't get to that point.
The Vikings signed Ridder in mid-September after McCarthy's injury. The former Falcons third-round pick spent last season with the Raiders. If McCarthy is healthy after the bye week — and that's not exactly a sure thing — the Vikings would be back to a full three-person quarterback room.
Lastly, Byrd and Akers being elevated to the gameday roster gives the Vikings some additional depth. Byrd is presumably the backup to both Joe Huber at left guard and Will Fries at right guard. Akers has now been elevated for three consecutive games, but Zavier Scott has emerged as the Vikings' clear-cut RB2 while Aaron Jones is on IR. Akers did not play an offensive snap last week.
Kansas City Chiefs Linked to Saints WR Chris Olave as Trade Talks Intensify
Heading into Week 4, the Kansas City Chiefs are averaging 24.3 points per game, which is ranked 14th in the league. They’re also netting around 221.8 passing yards per game, which slots them in the top half (12th) among teams.
Patrick Mahomes and company have been solid, but not dominant. Would adding a player with the skill set of, say, Chris Olave to the team’s wide receivers room be the catalyst the offense needs to take things to the next level?
As it turns out, Olave may very well be available soon. The Saints are 0-4 under first-year head coach Kellen Moore, and there’s talk of a fire sale soon.
According to Nick Underhill of New Orleans football.com, “there are teams interested in some of the Saints‘ veteran players and they’ll be watching to see who becomes available in the coming weeks, league sources tell me. There’s a feeling around the league that New Orleans will be open to hearing offers in the coming weeks.”
Kansas City Chiefs Mentioned as Potential Trade Fit for WR Chris Olave
More on What Makes Olave Such an Intriguing Potential Addition
The Saints exercised Olave’s fifth-year option, keeping him under team control through 2026 at an option value of roughly $15.5 million. That’s not bad money for a player of his ilk.
A former No. 11 overall pick, the 6-foot, 187-pound WR had two 1,000-yard seasons over his first two years, and he has a track record of producing even when quarterback play is uneven. He posted 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie (2022) and followed with 87 catches for 1,123 yards and five scores in 2023.
After an injury-shortened 2024 (eight games, 400 yards), he’s opened 2025 with 26 catches for 185 yards and a score through four games. Imagining how he’d flourish in Kansas City with Mahomes should intrigue Chiefs Nation.
Stylistically, he’s a near-perfect fir for Andy Reid’s offense. Olave has legit vertical speed (he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine), and coupled with his comfort working both outside and in the slot, he would fit beautifully in Reid’s three-by-one and four-strong concepts that stress the heck out of opposing safeties.
It’s true Worthy flashed in his Week 4 return after dealing with injury, but adding a true WR1-caliber route runner would give Kansas City the three-level threat it hasn’t consistently had since the Tyreek Hill era. Just check out Olave’s toe-drag swag:
So, what might it cost Kansas City to land him? If New Orleans keeps sliding, the market dynamics (number of suitors, etc.) could well determine whether the Chiefs get seriously involved. It would likely take a first-or second-round pick to acquire Olave, so we’ll see if that’s too much for Brett Veach.
