Vikings Go Full Panic-Mode on the Waiver Wire, Sign 35-Year-Old Kyle Van Noy

The Minnesota Vikings just dropped a transaction log that reads like a fantasy football manager panic-clicking the waiver wire at 2 a.m.

According to Adam Schefter, Minnesota signed 35-year-old linebacker Kyle Van Noy and quarterback Max Brosmer to the active roster. To make the math work, they placed tight end Josh Oliver on injured reserve and outright released veteran punter Johnny Hekker. They also cleaned house on the practice squad, dumping Jerome Ford, Jonathan Harris, and Jaret Patterson to bring in linebacker Kenny Dyson.

"Adam Schefter reported the flurry of moves on Twitter."

Releasing your punter while signing a guy who was setting up his 401k when most of the rookie class was in middle school is certainly a choice. Van Noy is 35.5 years old, but he still has some juice left in the tank. He was a menace for the Baltimore Ravens recently, though he has been battling the kind of soft-tissue injuries that come standard when you play professional car crash simulator into your mid-thirties.

The Vikings are coming off a gritty 23-16 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and this flurry of moves screams of a front office trying to patch holes on the fly. Losing Oliver to IR is a brutal blow to their run-blocking schemes. If you are looking at Minnesota team totals or rushing props in the coming weeks, factor in that their offensive line just lost its best auxiliary snowplow.

Brosmer getting the call-up to the active roster is the classic emergency glass-break move. You do not elevate a 25-year-old depth quarterback to the 53-man roster unless someone is hurting or the coaching staff is terrified of their current backup situation.

We will see how quickly Van Noy can get up to speed in the defensive rotation. Minnesota needs him to be a situational pass-rush mercenary, not an every-down anchor. As for Hekker, the veteran punter will probably have a new job by Tuesday, because NFL teams recycle special teamers faster than aluminum cans.