Vikings Sign Former Broncos TE Shaun Beyer, Place Two on PUP List

Originally posted on Minnesota Vikings on SI
By Will Ragatz | Last updated 7/25/22

Out goes one Iowa Hawkeye, in comes another.

To fill the open spot on the 90-man roster that was created when quarterback Nate Stanley was waived last week, the Vikings signed tight end Shaun Beyer, Stanley's former college teammate.

They also placed LB Ryan Connelly and WR Blake Proehl on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Both players are coming off of ACL injuries. They can be activated at any time and still count on the 90-man roster.

Beyer went undrafted last year and was picked up by the Broncos. He caught a couple passes in the preseason — including an 11-yard touchdown — but didn't make the 53-man roster, instead spending his rookie season on Denver's practice squad. Beyer was waived by the Broncos in May.

While at Iowa, Beyer spent time in the same tight end room as George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, and Noah Fant. He redshirted in 2016 and played sparingly in 2017 and 2018. Across the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Beyer caught 18 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. He was known more for his blocking but did flash some skills as a receiver at times.

Beyer recorded a solid 7.74 Relative Athletic Score before last year's draft, with strong numbers in the broad jump and the agility drills. He has good size and athleticism at 6'5", 250 pounds with 22 bench press reps and 4.81 speed.

With the Vikings, Beyer joins a tight end room that is very much lacking in proven depth behind Irv Smith Jr. and Johnny Mundt. He'll compete with Ben Ellefson, Zach Davidson, and rookie Nick Muse for a spot on the roster during training camp.

This article first appeared on Minnesota Vikings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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