Gritty Vikings Lineman Stolen Away by AFC Team

The Houston Texans boast a fantastic roster, in no small part due to some of the former Vikings players who are putting in work for DeMeco Ryans (an excellent coach). Can a former Vikings lineman help push Houston over the top?

Aaron Wilson does his reporting for KPRC2. The reporter can commonly be found commenting on league-level news but his main focus is as a Houston reporter. Check out the news about what’s taking place in his own backyard: “#Texans signed center Gavin Gerhardt to practice squad in addition to quarterback Mark Gronowski and released Dom Bailey and Ka’ena De Cambra.”

Vikings Lineman Gavin Gerhardt Snagged by Texans

Most expected the Minnesota Vikings to draft a center in the 2026 NFL Draft. What was surprising was that Minnesota waited until the 7th Round to do so.

In that final round, Gavin Gerhardt was the choice. He was the center at Cincinnati, proving to be a strong leader and gritty player even if there were concerns about his upside. All along, the projection appeared to be of a player who would settle in as a depth lineman as a best case.

During the cuts down to 53, the Vikings opted to move on from Gerhardt. Doing so wasn’t a surprise.

Afterwards, the move was made to keep Gerhardt on the practice squad. That call came within the context of learning that Michael Jurgens — a different 7th-Round lineman — got shuffled over to the IR. What was a three-headed monster at center got brought down to Blake Brandel on the active roster alongside Jurgens on the IR and Gerhardt on the practice squad.

Oh, and then Joe Huber proved he could be flexible, moving inward from his natural home at guard to snap the ball. Still, there appeared to be a need for more help at center.

Nolan Teasley’s next step involved reinforcing the in-house talent along the offensive line. Doing so meant welcoming Trevor Keegan (a guard) and Nick Samac (a center) to the roster via waivers. Adding those two to the active roster meant feeling more liberated to fully move on from Gerhardt despite just welcoming him to town in April.

As a Texan, the former Vikings lineman will join forces with some other former Minnesota Vikings players. Most notable is edge rusher Danielle Hunter, who is still underrated. So, too, are guard Ed Ingram and corner Fabian Moreau putting in work for the AFC team with a legit chance at claiming the Super Bowl.

In Minnesota, the bulk of the news has focused on the presence of Kyler Murray at QB1. The former No. 1 selection is getting a chance to reinvigorate what has been a disappointing career. A touch obvious, perhaps, but the point to consider: getting the snap cleanly every single time is the sort of thing that a team only misses when it’s gone.

So, watch for how Brandel and Murray work together in Week 1 and onward from there. In an ironic way, the most encouraging development for the Vikings would involve seeing onlookers forget about the exchange between the C and QB.

The Vikings and Texans aren’t scheduled to play each other in 2026. Due to playing in opposite conferences, Minnesota could take on Houston for the Lombardi Trophy in February 2027.

Gavin Gerhardt is listed at 6’4″ and 310, meaning he boasts a general build that’s similar to Ryan Kelly.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.