Roster move: Vikings sign veteran tight end, release rookie defender

The signing of veteran tight end Giovanni Ricci by the Vikings may influence sports betting fans to consider the team’s overall depth at tight end and special teams. With his experience and potential contributions, particularly on special teams, the Vikings could be a more formidable team in the upcoming season, potentially affecting betting outcomes.

The Vikings have signed veteran tight end Giovanni Ricci and released rookie outside linebacker Matt Harmon, the team announced on Tuesday.

It's a minor 90-man roster move that comes just before the start of this week's three-day mandatory minicamp.

Ricci, 28, signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 after recording a 51-642-8 receiving line in his senior season at Western Michigan. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad, then made the 53-man roster in 2021.

His best season in Carolina came in 2022, when he recorded eight of his nine career regular season receptions, totaling 100 yards that year. Listed at 6'3" and 240 pounds, Ricci played 339 offensive snaps for the Panthers from 2021-23, almost all of them in those first two seasons.

He has also been listed as a fullback at times. Most of his value comes on special teams, where he played 644 snaps over his three seasons in Carolina. He spent last offseason with the Browns and was with the Patriots for a few months this spring.

With the Vikings, Ricci joins a tight end room that features T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, and three rookies: sixth-round pick Gavin Bartholomew and undrafted signings Ben Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit. He'll look to use his special teams experience to stick around on the roster or practice squad.

Harmon is a 25-year-old rookie who the Vikings signed about a month ago after he attended their rookie minicamp as a tryout player. He spent seven seasons at Kent State due to injuries and a COVID year, playing in 49 games. That leaves Morgan State DT Elijah Williams as the only tryout player from that rookie camp still on the 90-man roster.

Vikings minicamp runs from June 10-12.

Si