The Vikings signed a second kicker, providing more depth at a specialized spot during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin and linebacker Hardy Nickerson Jr. re-signed with the Vikings, the team finalized Tuesday, filling out the 16-man practice squad along with defensive tackle Albert Huggins.
McLaughlin, who went undrafted in 2019 out of Illinois, will be an emergency option behind Vikings kicker Dan Bailey. He most recently was let go by the Colts after a competition with rookie Rodrigo Blankenship. McLaughlin spent a week on the Vikings practice squad last year.
Nickerson returns after being let go earlier this week following the addition of ex-Badgers and Eden Prairie linebacker Ryan Connelly. Huggins, undrafted in 2019 out of Clemson, was recently waived by the Lions and joins his fifth NFL team in Minnesota.
Vikings' practice squad
QB Jake Browning
QB Nate Stanley
FB Jake Bargas
WR Alexander Hollins
TE Brandon Dillon
C Brett Jones
G Kyle Hinton
G/T Aviante Collins
OT Blake Brandel
LB Hardy Nickerson Jr.
LB Blake Lynch
DT Albert Huggins
CB Mark Fields II
DB Nate Meadors
S Josh Metellus
K Chase McLaughlin
Practice squad players can be promoted twice for nonconsecutive game days without having to be signed to the active roster. Those players revert to the practice squad after the game without being exposed on waivers.
After 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday of a game week, NFL teams can also designate up to four practice squad players as "protected" from being signed away by another team through that week's game. Those designations can be changed weekly.