Vikings running back Ben Tate arrived to the Twin Cities on Thursday morning after he was claimed off waivers from the Browns.

When asked if he was surprised that the Browns waived him on Tuesday, Tate said, "Yeah. Of course. A little bit." Tate dealt with a 24 hour period of uncertainty on where he'd land before the Vikings won the rights to Tate on Wednesday.

"It was tough," Tate said on the last two days. "After being claimed, I've got a girl and a little boy so it's definitely tough trying to get situated with that. Just traveling, not much sleep and not much eating. I'm starving."

Tate practiced with the team, mixing in every few plays during each period as he gets situated with offensive coordinator Norv Turner's offense. He's never played underneath Turner, nor a system similar to what Turner runs.

He's not sure whether the Vikings will activate him on Sunday, and that likely depends on the status of running backs Matt Asiata (concussion) and Jerick McKinnon (low back).

"I really didn't know what to know what to expect," McKinnon said about Tate's acquisition. "I knew about him. I'm a younger guy, so I watched him in college (Auburn) and a little bit in the pros before I came out. I know he brings a lot to the table. I don't know what the role is going to be for me or any other back or him, but I know he'll bring some good contributions to the team and I'll be excited to see what he does."

Tate said he understands the Vikings current situation at running back, with Adrian Peterson suspended for at least the remainder of this season, but taking over as the lead back this year and possibly into next season isn't what he's worried about at the moment.

"I'm just focused on here and now, trying to learn this playbook, trying to do everything to the best of my ability, 100 percent," Tate said. Trying to fit in, trying to learn the guys and just trying to become a member of this team; that's my only focus right now."