The Vikings have changed the role of assistant coach Chris Ficken, moving him from assistant wide receivers coach to assistant special teams coach. Ficken moves into the role previously occupied by Chris White.
White, who joined the Vikings in 2009, returned to the college ranks last month by accepting a position to coach running backs at the University of Iowa. So now Ficken will slide over to aid special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.
In additional staff news, the Vikings have hired Jeff Howard to be their assistant to the head coach. Howard replaces Cam Turner, who left the Vikings for a position at Florida International University. Howard was previously a graduate assistant at Texas Tech, where he coached safeties and served as recruiting coordinator for the defense.
