Vikings: Backup Dugan rewarded with extension

In a matter of weeks, the football fates have taken Jeff Dugan from the fringe of the Vikings roster to a five-year contract extension.

Dugan signed the deal Wednesday, a month after replacing injured fullback Tony Richardson. Inactive for the season's first eight games, Dugan will receive a signing bonus of about $750,000 and a total of about $4.25 million over the life of the contract.

"I had no idea what was going to happen at the end of the season," said Dugan, who would have been a restricted free agent this spring. "But it was nice that it all worked out."

A seventh-round pick in 2004, Dugan has played in only five of the Vikings' past 24 games. But he began practicing with the team's running backs late this summer, providing backup insurance at both fullback and tight end, and he stepped into the starting lineup Nov. 19 at Miami.

Dugan has caught six passes for 34 yards and a touchdown since then, and his blocking has helped the Vikings average 158.8 rushing yards per game during that stretch.

Dugan joins left tackle Bryant McKinnie, quarterback Brooks Bollinger and long-snapper Cullen Loeffler as veterans who have received in-season contract extensions. The Vikings still face a busy offseason of decisions, including the status of three defensive starters who are pending free agents: linebackers Napoleon Harris (unrestricted) and E.J. Henderson (unrestricted) and defensive end Darrion Scott (restricted).

Meanwhile, the Vikings almost certainly will get a head start on negotiations with defensive tackle Kevin Williams, whose play has returned to a Pro Bowl level. Williams' contract will expire after the 2007 season.

Another call to arms?

The Vikings quietly worked out four punters, two placekickers and two long-snappers Wednesday at Winter Park, most notably former Green Bay punter B.J. Sander.

There was no immediate indication Wednesday night that any of the Vikings' specialists -- punter Chris Kluwe, placekicker Ryan Longwell and long-snapper Loeffler -- was in jeopardy of losing his job. It is possible the Vikings are considering a specialist to replace Longwell for kickoffs only, and the Vikings might also be concerned about Kluwe's sore wrist.

Along with Sander, the other punters were Mike Barr (Rutgers), Gabe Lindstrom (Toledo) and Joel Stelly (Louisiana-Monroe). The kickers were Matt Prater (Central Florida) and Tony Yelk (Iowa State). The long-snappers were Adam Johnson (Buffalo) and Lan- don Schrage (Iowa State).

Giving and taking shots

Running back Chester Taylor (ribs) returned to practice Wednesday and said "the plan is to play" Sunday against the New York Jets. Taylor said he planned to wear protection over the affected area during practice so he could learn how to compensate for the additional padding.

"I'm going to work out on it and see how it goes," said Taylor, who is listed as questionable on the injury report. "I'll use every precaution necessary and then just go out and play."

Coach Brad Childress said he would watch Taylor carefully to ensure he is prepared for the rigors of a full game.

"It's not so much the sensitivity," Childress said. "It's all the twisting and fighting for extra yards and that type of thing. We'll just see how comfortable he is as he gets out there. It's one thing to be in shorts. It's another thing to be in pads."

Etc.

• Bollinger, who spent his first three seasons with the Jets, practiced Wednesday and is listed as questionable. Childress said he is comfortable with Bollinger or rookie Tarvaris Jackson as the No. 2 quarterback, but of Bollinger he said, "I just want him to be able to be healthy enough to play in the game."

• The Jets returned 400 tickets, which are available through TicketMaster. Technically, Sunday's game is a sellout and will be televised locally.

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com