Vikings Drop Recent Draft Pick Who Was Shot Four Times

The Minnesota Vikings have signed former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver DeDe Westbrook but had to waive sixth-round pick Jaylen Twyman due to the non-football injury to make room for him.

Twyman was shot several times while visiting a family member in Washington D.C. last month, and OutKick previously reported he was expected to make a full recovery. The rookie defensive tackle had signed a 4-year contract in May.

The Vikings announced that, per NFL procedures, they moved Twyman from the active roster to the reserve/non-football injury list. He was then subject to waivers. Had he cleared the waivers, he would have reverted to the Vikings reserve/NFL list, but the Vikings opted to waive him after all.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport spoke with Twyman's agent Drew Rosenhaus last month, who detailed the extent of the lineman's injuries: "They are all flesh wounds, superficial wounds. I spoke to him, I spoke to his family, they're all at the hospital. He's expected to make a full recovery."

Westbrook — a fourth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2017 — played 40 games for Jacksonville over four seasons, with 31 games in his second and third seasons.

Injuries plagued a majority of his rookie year and 2020 campaign, limiting his ability to make an impact in the league. NFL.com reports that Westbrook will be able to have a chance to get back on track in Minnesota alongside the explosive Justin Jefferson and trusted veteran Adam Thielen.

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