The Minnesota Vikings made a late-week roster move involving running back DeeJay Dallas and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Green Bay Packers. Both players signed with Minnesota on Sept. 2 and will make their Vikings debuts if they dress; under NFL rules, they can be elevated up to three times this season before needing a full roster spot.
Short-term roster mechanics and what it means
Under NFL rules, Dallas and Van Noy can be elevated from the practice squad up to three times this season before the Vikings must sign either to a standard roster spot. After Sunday’s game, both are expected to revert to the practice squad unless Minnesota opts to add them permanently.
The elevations are clear roster-management moves: Dallas provides an extra body in the backfield while Van Noy adds veteran pass-rush and special-teams experience to the active list. Either or both dressing would give the coaching staff immediate flexibility without displacing longer-term roster construction decisions.
Context for Week 1: matchup dynamics with the Packers
The Vikings host the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, opening NFC North play on Sunday. Veteran safety Harrison Smith is back on the squad, a development that could make life tougher for Green Bay's offense.
Green Bay arrives with question marks up front and through the lineup. The Packers will turn to MarShawn Lloyd as their primary running back for the opener, with Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson also listed among available backfield options, and they have experienced offensive-line limitations in practice this week. Defensively, Micah Parsons is expected to miss at least the first month of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL.
Those circumstances give the Vikings a window to exploit line play and defensive matchups early. An extra practice-squad elevation at running back, like Dallas, helps Minnesota by safeguarding against in-game attrition and creating more schematic options, while Van Noy’s presence can be used situationally in obvious passing downs or on special teams.
The opener also presents a personal subplot: Minnesota’s quarterback and Green Bay’s defensive coordinator spent three years together in Arizona and will face one another in the first regular-season game since leaving the desert, adding familiarity to schematic chess on both sidelines.
CBS Sports projects the Vikings as a favorable matchup in Week 1, offering a 27-20 Vikings pick and citing Green Bay’s injuries and limited depth as reasons. If they dress, Dallas and Van Noy could make their Vikings debuts.
