Vikings Add Rookie Cornerback Jarod Washington, Waive Running Back Kejon Owens

The Minnesota Vikings made a roster move at the start of training camp, signing rookie cornerback Jarod Washington and waiving rookie running back Kejon Owens. The transactions, announced by the team on Sunday, reflect the constant churn teams manage during the first stretch of practice as coaching staffs sort through early depth-chart evaluations.

Washington’s signing places another young option into the Vikings’ defensive back competition. In training camp terms, a new cornerback addition typically indicates a closer look at coverage depth, special teams value, and whether a rookie can translate offseason work into live reps against the offense. For Minnesota, it is also a way to keep competition active at corner as the team builds toward the regular-season roster set.

Owens’ waiver closes the chapter on his camp opening status. According to the Vikings, Owens began training camp with a non-football illness designation. The non-football illness designation is used when a player is not available for football-related team activities for reasons that are not connected to football operations. The move to waive him means the Vikings have decided to remove him from the active group at this point in camp rather than hold the roster spot longer.

Rookie roster construction is especially fluid in late July and early August. Teams typically make multiple early camp moves because practice reps are limited, and because staff needs to see who can handle the daily workload, assignments, and physical demands. The Vikings’ decision to add a cornerback while waiving a running back suggests a shift in what the coaching staff wanted to prioritize in its available personnel at that moment.

There is an additional roster-management element to this kind of trade-off: each signing and waiver impacts how the Vikings will distribute snaps across position groups, including those used for special teams. A cornerback who can contribute early on coverage and tackling phases can be valuable even before an offense-heavy regular rotation fully establishes itself.

As camp continues, the next practical question will be whether Washington remains in the Vikings’ plans through subsequent roster checkpoints or whether he becomes part of another round of adjustments. For Owens, the focus will be on where he lands after being waived, since the waiver process can open the door for another club to add depth if he is able to return to football activities.