Vikings Sign Tight End, Linebacker

The Vikings signed a pair of players Saturday, but neither of them are considered first-tier free agents.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and linebacker Vinny Ciurciu are the newest Vikings.

The Vikings have a new tight end on the roster, albeit it not the big name that they were thought to be pursuing.

Instead of landing New England Patriots unrestricted free-agent tight end Daniel Graham, the Vikings signed Shiancoe Saturday.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder has played all four of his NFL seasons with the New York Giants. During that time, he has 35 receptions for 253 yards and three touchdowns.

In four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Ciurciu, who is mainly a special teams player, has 58 tackles on defense. He played for Vikings special teams coach Paul Ferraro when Ferraro was the assistant special teams coach in Carolina in 2005.

Ciurciu is listed at 6 feet, 235 pounds.