EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings are working through injuries to long snapper Andrew DePaola and kicker Will Reichard by signing veteran long snapper Jake McQuaide to the practice squad and kicker John Parker Romo to the 53-man roster, the team announced Wednesday.
Additionally, Minnesota signed defensive lineman Jalen Redmond from its practice squad to its 53-man roster and signed defensive lineman Travis Bell to its practice squad. The Vikings also announced rookie outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy is returning to practice.
One veteran to another
McQuaide, who will turn 37 in December, brings 200 games of experience (190 regular season, 10 postseason) to the Vikings. McQuaide's postseason action includes playing 12 snaps for the Rams in Super Bowl LIII and seven for the Lions in last season's NFC Championship Game.
The two-time Pro Bowler (2016 and 2017 seasons) played for the Rams from 2011-20, Cowboys (2021-22) and Lions (2023).
He teamed with Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels with the Rams from 2012-14 and reunited with him while Daniels was the team's assistant special teams coach (2018-19) and again in Dallas (2021), where Daniels held the same role before his hire by Minnesota.
McQuaide has another Vikings tie, having overlapped at Elder High School in Cincinnati with former Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph.
Although Rudolph is two years younger, both players were NFL rookies in 2011th.
McQuaide will replace DePaola, a two-time Pro Bowler, 2022 First-Team All-Pro and season-long captain, who suffered a hand injury in Minnesota's Week 9 win against Indianapolis.
DePaola's injury required surgery, and he will miss at least four games before he is eligible to return from Injured Reserve. The minimum length of time on Injured Reserve will be the same for Reichard, who suffered a quadriceps injury in Minnesota's Week 9 win against Indianapolis.
Familiar face and foot
Reichard began his NFL career by making his first 14 field goals and 20 extra points attempted. He missed from 53 yards and 31 yards in the second quarter but persisted to handle kickoff duties and make all three extra points in the 21-13 win.
Romo is rejoining the Vikings after spending the 2024 offseason with Minnesota.
The 27-year-old signed with the Vikings as a free agent before the Vikings drafted Reichard in the sixth round.
Romo previously spent time with the Saints (2022), Lions (2023) and Bears (2023) but has not appeared in an NFL regular-season game, which should change Sunday when the Vikings (6-2) visit the Jaguars (2-7) in Week 10.
Romo played for the San Antonio Brahmas in the 2023 XFL season.
He led the XFL with 51 points on a 17-of-19 showing (89.5 percent) on field goals (the XFL did not have kickers attempt extra points after touchdowns; instead, teams tried plays similar to a 2-point conversion in the NFL and NCAA with the opportunity to earn 1, 2 or 3 points, depending on the chosen line of scrimmage).
Romo was 6-for-6 from 20-29 yards, 2-for-3 from 30-39, 7-for-7 from 40-49 and 2-for-3 from 50-plus with a long of 57 in the XFL, which merged with the USFL as the UFL for the 2024 season.
View photos of the Vikings 53-man roster as of December 3, 2024.
Additional moves
Redmond has spent time on Minnesota's practice squad and 53-man roster this season. The former Oklahoma Sooner has appeared in five games this season, recording three tackles, two tackles for loss and registered a sack when he made his NFL debut against Houston.
Bell joins the Vikings after spending time this year with the Bengals and Bears. He played in two games for the Falcons in 2023, recording two tackles across 30 defensive snaps. Bell played college football at Kennesaw State and entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick by Chicago in 2023. He just turned 26 last month.
Murphy has progressed from a training camp injury. The undrafted rookie out of UCLA had been making plays in practices and drawing some credit from coaches before he was sidelined. The Vikings will have a 21-day window to evaluate Murphy before needing to make a decision on his status.