Trevor RipleySep 24, 2026
Ripley argues the Vikings should elevate Jerome Ford from the practice squad and expects they may see work Sunday, that Kyle Van Noy's final elevation will force a 53-man roster move with cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn (or center Nick Samac) the likely casualty, and that safety Jay Ward could be traded for a late Day 3 pick.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Trevor Ripley said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromFord has been with the team for just over a week, but it's possible he gets some work already on Sunday.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- 3 Potential Roster Moves Vikings Might Be Forced to Make Ahead of Week 3 (Jay Ward Trade in the Cards?)
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidSep 24
- GradedSep 25
- 1Kyle Van Noy to be cut“This Sunday will likely mark Kyle Van Noy's third and final practice squad elevation. League rules allow players three elevations before they need to be officially moved to the 53-man roster, meaning Van Noy will be booting someone off the roster in the coming days.”
- 2Zemaiah Vaughn to make the roster“The most likely candidate to get bumped is cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn ... likely would slide through waivers and make it back to the practice squad”
- 3Jay Ward to move — “may be traded for a late Day 3 pick”“The 26-year-old Ward may be a possible trade candidate if Minnesota can't find a spot for him ... trading Ward for a late Day 3 pick may be more valuable than the couple of special teams reps he's giving the team now.”
- 4Jerome Ford to land on the practice squad“1. Elevate Jerome Ford off the practice squad ... Ford has been with the team for just over a week, but it's possible he gets some work already on Sunday.”
- 5Nick Samac — “another possible option to be removed from the 53-man roster”“Another possible option could be backup center Nick Samac, who has also been inactive for back-to-back weeks”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Van Noy to be cut1 | Roster Spot Calls | — | 0 | 100 | −189 | |
| Zemaiah Vaughn to make the roster2 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Jay Ward to move — “may be traded for a late Day 3 pick”3 | Trade and Signing Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Jerome Ford to land on the practice squad4 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Nick Samac — “another possible option to be removed from the 53-man roster”5 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 1 hit · 1 miss · 3 waiting | 50 | 100 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive5 checkable claims — 4 roster spot calls and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
2 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 50 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
1Roster Spot CallsKyle Van NoyMinnesota Vikings
Kyle Van Noy to be cut
VerdictMiss0Miss · naive 1000this call−100a naive guess=−100worse than naive×1.89difficulty=−189skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- MIN
- skill:
- −189
- player:
- Kyle Van Noy
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he does not make the 53
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- reported:
- made the 53
- settled by:
- a confirmed report from the crawl (reported outcomes)
- difficulty:
- 1.89
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 16
2Roster Spot CallsZemaiah VaughnMinnesota Vikings
Zemaiah Vaughn to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×1.89difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- MIN
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Zemaiah Vaughn
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 1.89
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 16
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
3Trade and Signing CallsJay Ward
Jay Ward to move — “may be traded for a late Day 3 pick”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Roster Spot CallsJerome FordMinnesota Vikings
Jerome Ford to land on the practice squad
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Roster Spot CallsNick SamacMinnesota Vikings
Nick Samac — “another possible option to be removed from the 53-man roster”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 2 settled calls, each counted once
50naive 100
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Logan Lazarczyk · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Ahead of the trade deadline, they float three Raiders moves: shipping Kirk Cousins to Minnesota if the Vikings offer a second-round pick, selling Maxx Crosby to Dallas for a first-rounder plus, and acquiring Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. for a second- or third-round pick.Charean Williams · Roster Spot Calls · Odell Beckham Jr. · Miss 0
Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.Justin Penik · Trade and Signing Calls · Aaron Jones · Hit 100
Pennock predicted Sam Darnold to Pittsburgh, Zach Baun re-signing in Philadelphia, Charvarius Ward and Jamien Sherwood to Washington, Cam Robinson to Chicago as left tackle, Cam Bynum to the Jets, Darius Slayton to the Chargers, Aaron Jones back to Minnesota and Aaron Rodgers to the Giants.Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Sam Darnold · Miss 0
Eisen expects Sam Darnold to remain in Minnesota rather than leave in free agency, and believes the Browns will trade Myles Garrett out of the conference, to an NFC team.
More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role.Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots.Chad Jensen · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Turner · Miss 0
Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot.Christian Booher · Roster Spot Calls · Anthony Lucas · Miss 0
Booher previews the Lions' Week 9 trip to Miami, predicting Derrick Barnes takes over as the green-dot linebacker in Jack Campbell's absence, Juice Scruggs starts at center, and boldly forecasting Detroit's first defensive touchdown of the season on an Aidan Hutchinson strip-sack recovered and returned by Barnes.Randy Gurzi · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Hudson · Miss 0
Gurzi predicts the Cowboys' 17-man practice squad, naming each player they expect Dallas to sign, including a surprise addition of released Giants tackle Evan Neal. They also predict Jaydon Blue will be claimed off waivers by another team and that Sam Williams will land elsewhere.