Vikes Make Final Cuts; Sherels Still in Purple

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have cut veteran safeties Chris Crocker and Kurt Coleman and placed Jamarca Sanford on injured reserve, leaving them thin at safety as the season opener approaches.

The Vikings announced their final cuts

Saturday night to get down to the 53-man roster limit. Sanford has spent five seasons with the Vikings and was a starter for the previous three years. But a quadriceps injury two weeks ago landed him on injured reserve.

New coach Mike Zimmer brought in Crocker, who he coached in Atlanta and Cincinnati, and signed Coleman to bring more depth to the strong safety beside Harrison Smith. But neither did enough to stick around for the regular season.

The Vikings also cut veteran defensive tackle Fred Evans, who has played the previous seven years in Minnesota.

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