The Vikings are planning to sign former Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, according to a league source. A corresponding move will be needed to free up a roster spot.
Gaskin, 26, was released by Miami on Tuesday after four seasons. He was a seventh-round pick in 2019 when Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was the Dolphins head coach.
He’ll add to a thin Vikings backfield behind starter Alexander Mattison. Second-year running back Ty Chandler seemingly won the backup job by default as Kene Nwangwu missed the preseason with an undisclosed injury, and seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride showed he needed more time to develop. McBride was released Tuesday and is expected to sign with the practice squad Wednesday if he clears waivers.
Gaskin is an experienced receiving back with 101 catches for 701 receiving yards, the bulk of that coming during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He also led Miami in rushing yardage each of those two years.
But Gaskin wasn’t deployed often last year by new head coach Mike McDaniel. He was inactive for 11 games and landed on injured reserve in December, when he was listed with an illness on the team’s injury reports.
Two weeks into training camp, the Vikings hosted free-agent running back Kareem Hunt on a visit. Hunt, who remains a free agent, left without a deal.