The Vikings waived nine players on Tuesday morning, just hours before they'll need to make five more moves.
A 3 p.m. CT deadline forces all NFL teams to trim 90-man offseason rosters down to 75 players. One major move is expected with veteran center John Sullivan, whom the Vikings are seeking a trade partner for with Joe Berger presumably winning the preseason competition. Should an acceptable offer not cross General Manager Rick Spielman's desk, it would not be a surprise to see Sullivan released as his $5.4 million salary is not guaranteed.
Let go before this afternoon's practice were QB Brad Sorensen, TE Brian Leonhardt, OL Austin Shepherd, LB Terrance Plummer, DT Claudell Louis, WR Marken Michel, WR Terrell Sinkfield, OL Sean Hickey and DL Theiren Cockran.
The Vikings roster now stands at 80 players.
The initial group of cuts included one draft pick and three local players, including Leonhardt (Spring Lake Park, Bemidji State), Sinkfield (Hopkins) and Cockran (U of Minn.). The Vikings used a seventh-round pick last year on Shepherd, who suited up for 14 games as a rookie last season.
In other news, tight end MyCole Pruitt is expected to miss two to four weeks after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his knee during Sunday's preseason win against San Diego, a league source told the Star Tribune's Matt Vensel.
