Wade appears to avoid ‘The Turk’

WR Bobby Wade’s roster spot should be safe, but the Vikings still have a lot of trimming to do. What will happen at the quarterback spot?

At the start of training camp, some of the sunburned media types hovered around the practice field asking one another to pick who might be a surprise veteran cut before the start of the regular season. One name that popped up on more than one list was that of wide receiver Bobby Wade. Despite leading the team in receptions each of the last two seasons, Wade was in jeopardy of losing a roster spot to a younger, less expensive wide receiver like Jaymar Johnson or Darius Reynaud.

Perhaps Wade sensed that as well. At one practice, he was running late as the media types were looking out on the practice field and scratching off the numbers of the players on the field. Wade, as he ran past, joking said, “I’m still here. They ain’t got rid of me yet.”

It would seem that Wade will avoid “The Turk” Saturday after reportedly agreeing to a restructured deal. He was scheduled to make $3 million this year, but will likely see that number cut by about 50 percent. By agreeing to the restructuring this close to the final cutdown, it would appear as though his job is safe, if it wasn’t already.

But what about the other players on the bubble? There has been speculation that the Vikings might consider keeping all four quarterbacks, but that is a hard pill to swallow for many, especially in light of Minnesota’s special teams woes last year.

Most (but not all) teams keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster – some keep only two. The reason is simple. The No. 3 quarterback is rarely active. John David Booty was the Vikings No. 3 quarterback last year and was never active for any of the Vikings’ 16 games in 2008. As a result, he is still eligible for the practice squad if things don’t work out for a roster spot and he can clear waivers. While most understand the necessity of having three quarterbacks, the fact of the matter is that, in situations like the Vikings have, the No. 3 quarterback actually gave the team a 52-man roster, since Booty never played.

How can the Vikings keep four quarterbacks? Given that Brett Favre is going to tie Jim Marshall’s iron man record of 270 straight games played in the regular season opener at Cleveland, it seems likely that the No. 2 QB will see extremely limited action, leaving the No. 3 and 4 QBs as essentially dead roster spots. To keep a fourth quarterback, it would have to come at the expense of another position. Do you keep one less wide receiver, offensive lineman, defensive lineman, linebacker or cornerback? Not too likely. More often than not, young players at those positions make the roster because they bring value on special teams. A fourth quarterback offers little in the way of season-long production or value.

Although many roster prognosticators can make a point for keeping four quarterbacks, it doesn’t look to be in the cards when the Vikings make their cuts Saturday. How they will get the list to three (if they do) is unclear. Will it be Booty who gets the pink slip? Will it be Tarvaris Jackson – either traded or released? It won’t take long to find out.

FRIDAY NOTES

Twitter once again has become the media’s best friend. Bryant McKinnie, who wasn’t expected to play tonight anyway, tweeted on his account that he was in the training room trying to “get better” from an undisclosed injury. The Vikings don’t discuss injuries during the preseason primarily because they don’t have to.

Former Viking Koren Robinson has agreed to a contract with the Orlando Tuskers of the fledgling UFL.

There are rumors that the NFL is considering a second game next year in London, thanks to the huge success in ticket sales for the first two games. The Patriots and Buccaneers will play in this year’s game at Wembley Stadium.