The Vikings have signed 30-year old cornerback Benny Sapp.  Sapp played in 1 game earlier this year for the Dolphins and he had 5 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 103 games in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has 214 tackles, 6 interceptions, 33 passes defensed, 2.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 8 tackles for a loss.  Sapp will definitely help out the Vikings in the secondary with Antoine Winfield down for the count in 2011.

The Minnesota Vikings have lost starting CB Antoine Winfield for the rest of the season due to a broken clavicle.  Winfield played in 5 games for the Vikings this year and he had 40 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed and 4 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 103 games in his first 8 years with the Vikings and he has 628 tackles, 6 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, 8 fumble recoveries, 18 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 61 passes defensed and 33 tackles for a loss.  This is a huge blow to the Vikings’ D as Winfield is one of the most underrated corners in the NFL.

The Vikings have waived 30-year old WR Bernard Berrian.  Berrian played in 5 games for the Vikings in 2011 and he caught 7 passes for 91 yards (13.0 avg).  He played in 51 games in his four years with the Vikings and he caught 138 passes for 1,925 yards (13.9 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  The Vikings phased out Berrian in the offense this year, so they shouldn’t miss him too much going forward.

The Vikings have lost 31-year old, starting left guard Anthony Herrera for the next two weeks due to a torn PCL in his left knee.  Herrera has played in 7 games (all starts) for the Vikings so far this year.  Rookie Brandon Fusco will likely replace Herrera in the starting lineup.  He has played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Vikings so far this year.  The Vikings hope that Herrera will be ready to return in a couple of weeks, as they are going to suffer a drop in production while he’s out of action.

24-year old cornerback Chris Cook of the Vikings in still in jail after being arrested over the weekend on suspicion of domestic assault.  Cook has played in 6 games for the Vikings so far this year and he has 20 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  He has now played in 12 games in his first two years with the Vikings and he has 41 tackles, 6 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  Cook is not the most dependable guy around due to his health and off the field activities.  He could be wearing out his welcome in Minnesota.

UPDATE:  (10/26/2011) – The Vikings have suspended Chris Cook without pay.

The Vikings could be without 34-year old CB Antoine Winfield this weekend due to a neck problem.  He has played in all 4 games for the Vikings so far this year and he has 35 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  Winfield is the heart and soul of the defense, so they hope he somehow can play and deal with WR Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals this Sunday.  If he can’t go (which is very likely), the Vikings hope that 24-year old Chris Cook will step up.  The 24-year old Cook has played in all 4 games for the Vikings so far this year and he has 13 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 passes defensed.

The Vikings have released 27-year old DE Adrian Awasom.  Awasom played in 1 game for the Vikings this year and he had 3 tackles.  He has now played in 16 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 17 tackles and 1 sack.  The Vikings shouldn’t miss him too much going forward.

The NFL has suspended 31-year old DT Kevin Williams for the first two games of the 2011 season due to him testing positive in the past for banned substances.  He played in 16 games for the Vikings last year and he had 39 tackles, 1 sack, 7 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 10 passes defensed.  Williams has now played in 126 games in his first 8 years in the NFL (all with the Vikings) and he has 366 tackles, 39 tackles for a loss, 49.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, 52 passes defensed and 4 interceptions (2 returned for TDs).  The Vikings are definitely going to miss Williams, as he is a big key to their run defense.

The Vikings have released 28-year old offensive lineman Ryan Cook.  Cook played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Vikings last year.  He played in 70 games (40 starts) in his five years with the Vikings.  The Vikings are going to miss Cook’s versatility on the O-Line as he could play center, guard or tackle.  He was quickly signed by the Miami Dolphins.

The Vikings have claimed 26-year old linebacker Xavier Adibi off waivers from the Texans.  He played in 11 games for the Texans last year and he had 22 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 2 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 34 games in his first 3 years in the NFL and he has 68 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.   A change of scenery might make a big difference for Adibi.