EAGAN, Minn. (WCCO) — It’s only Week 3 and the Minnesota Vikings made three moves to change the roster this week. That’s life in the NFL. One of those new people is actually an old teammate. Another is expected to be the key to the kicking game. WCCO’s Mike Max has more. For Tom Johnson, it’s like coming home. Except it’s a new home, not Eden Prairie. But it is the same coaching staff. “I know all the guys here. This is pretty much where pretty much my career started so I think it’s a good fit and it’s only going to get better,” Johnson said. The more intriguing add is Danny Bailey. Enough success in his past that at least you feel it stabilizes what can be a critical position. “If it was possible I wanted to somewhere that I had an opportunity to win and be a part of an organization that’s right there and right on the brink of having a lot of success,” Bailey said. His performance dropped a bit last season in Dallas, and he did go through an injury, but the new conditions should be ideal. “Can’t complain on eight games a year inside so that was a plus as well. Just the win now mentality, the guys in the locker room have been great. It’s a really great locker room,” Bailey said. All the coach wants is to sleep well at night. “You know he’s been a really good kicker and hopefully he’s really, really good for us,” Mike Zimmer said. Dalvin Cook did not practice on Wednesday, nursing a hamstring injury. The good news is center Pat Elflein was back at full speed and hopeful of starting on Sunday.<doc-sep>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Vikings have signed kicker Dan Bailey, owner of the second-best field goal percentage in NFL history and replacement for rookie Daniel Carlson. Bailey’s deal was done on Tuesday, after the Vikings waived Carlson fresh from his 0-for-3 game at Green Bay. The fifth-round draft pick from Auburn missed field goals of 48, 49 and 35 yards, with the last two failed tries coming in overtime and forcing the Vikings to settle for a 29-29 tie with the rival Packers. “It’s hard to figure out. You think you’ve got a guy for a while, and then he goes out and misses three in a big game,” coach Mike Zimmer said on Monday in discussing what he said was an “easy” decision to cut Carlson. “But things happen, I guess.” The Vikings drafted Blair Walsh in the sixth round in 2012 and watched him become an All-Pro as a rookie, so general manager Rick Spielman sent two sixth-round picks to the New York Jets just to move up in the fifth round for Carlson in search of similar returns. Four days after Carlson was formally awarded the job upon the release of incumbent and seventh-year veteran Kai Forbath, he missed two 42-yard field-goal tries in a preseason game. Zimmer was peeved enough that night to order a 2-point conversion try after a touchdown to send a message to Carlson about his lack of room for error on a team with sights set on the Super Bowl. Carlson made a 48-yard attempt plus three extra points in the opener on Sept. 9 against San Francisco and he sent nine of 10 kickoffs over two games into the end zone for touchbacks, but leg strength can’t cover up inconsistency from shorter distances. Carlson acknowledged afterward a decreased self-confidence when he lined up for the 35-yarder on the last play of the game, a red flag for his ability to smooth out a rough start. Bailey has made 186 of 211 field-goal attempts, an accuracy greater than 88 percent that trails only Baltimore’s Justin Tucker. The 30-year-old Bailey slumped last season after a groin injury that kept him out for four games, missing five of 13 field goals upon his return and producing the first two failed extra points of his NFL career to foreshadow his release by Dallas on Sept. 1. He has the track record, though, to give the Vikings faith they’ll get three points when they drive close enough to earn it. To make room for Bailey, the Vikings waived second-year wide receiver Stacy Coley. He became expendable when wide receiver Aldrick Robinson was signed on Monday. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen have formed one of the league’s most potent wide receiver duos, but they could use more depth behind them. (© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)<doc-sep>Defensive tackle Tom Johnson is back with the Vikings. A source said Tuesday that Johnson, released by Seattle last week, will sign a one-year deal with Minnesota worth $1 million plus possible incentives worth another $500,000. Johnson played with the Vikings from 2014-17. The Vikings also made official the signing of kicker Dan Bailey to replace Daniel Carlson, who was waived Monday. NFL Media reported that Bailey got a one-year, $2 million deal. To make room on the roster, the Vikings waived wide receiver Stacy Coley. A source said Minnesota wants to sign Coley to the practice squad if he clears waivers. On Monday, a source said that Bailey would replace Carlson, who was let go after missing three field goals in Sunday’s 29-29 tie at Green Bay. Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that Bailey would come in for a physical. The Vikings will need to make another roster move by Wednesday to make room for Johnson. After leaving the Vikings, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Seahawks last March. He was released after one game because Seattle needed a roster spot. They had hoped to re-sign Johnson for the veteran minimum of $915,000 but the Vikings outbid them. Johnson’s deal with Seattle had a base salary of $950,000 with a signing bonus of $900,000 and workout bonus of $15,625. He will get all $1.865 million of that because he was on Seattle’s roster after Week 1. With both contracts, Johnson could earn more than $3 million this season. Johnson arrived Tuesday night in the Twin Cities and will practice Wednesday. A source said the Vikings are looking at him as their third defensive tackle in a rotation that also includes starters Linval Joseph and Sheldon Richardson. The source said defensive line coach Andre Patterson pushed hard to bring back Johnson, and talked to him on the phone to convince him to return. Bailey kicked for Dallas from 2011-17 before being released in a surprise move on Sept. 1. Bailey, who made the Pro Bowl in 2015, has made 88.2 percent of his field-goal attempts, making him the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history. Only Jason Tucker (90.3) has been better. Bailey, though, had his worst NFL season in 2017, making 15 of 20 field-goal attempts and 26 of 28 extra-point attempts. He had not missed an extra point in his first six seasons. The Cowboys brought in Brett Maher this year to compete for the job, and he beat out Bailey. Coley, who was in his second season with the Vikings, played in six games and didn’t have any catches. He was targeted once at Green Bay.<doc-sep>MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — New Minnesota Vikings kicker Dan Bailey is settling in nicely with the team after a whirlwind start to the week. The Vikings quickly waived kicker Daniel Carlson after his 0-for-3 game at Green Bay Packers, and soon after, Bailey was signed. Related: Vikings Sign K Dan Bailey, Waive Stacy Coley On Wednesday, Bailey, 30, addressed the media. Bailey says he feels bad for Carlson, but coming to the Vikings was the best opportunity for him. “I wanted to go somewhere that had an opportunity to win and be a part of an organization that’s right there, right on the brink of having a lot of success,” Bailey said. “It fit the bill perfectly.” Related: Watch The Press Conference Bailey, who was cut by the Dallas Cowboys after 7 years, said last year’s season was a tough year for him after suffering a groin injury. “Ended up missing four games and came back and didn’t finish the year as I wanted to,” he said. “I hadn’t had any injuries throughout my career, so it was my first time dealing with that.” Now, Bailey says he’s ready and healthy. “I thought I had a really good offseason, good camp, so I’m excited to move forward,” Bailey said. The Vikings are hoping they can get consistency at the kicker position with Bailey, who has made 186 of 211 field-goal attempts, and is the league’s 2nd most accurate kicker in NFL history.<doc-sep>
Life in the NFL can be brutal for a kicker, which is something that Vikings rookie Daniel Carlson found out the hard way this week. The team announced on Monday that they've decided to cut ties with Carlson in a move that comes less than 24 hours after the kicker's disastrous 0-for-3 performance in Green Bay on Sunday. During the 29-29 tie, Carlson missed two kicks in overtime, including a 35-yard attempt as time expired that would have given the Vikings the win at Lambeau Field. Carlson also missed a field goal in the first half from 48 yards away. Following the tie, it became pretty clear that Minnesota probably wasn't going to keep Carlson. During his postgame press conference, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer didn't exactly give Carlson a vote of confidence when asked if the rookie would stay on as kicker. "I don't know. It's too early. [General manager Rick Spielman] and I have barely talked yet. Rick and I will sit down and we'll talk about it," Zimmer said, via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The rookie, who beat out Kai Forbath for the kicking job during training camp after being selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, is now headed for the NFL unemployment line after just two career games. Zimmer was asked on Monday to explain why the Vikings decided to cut Carlson, and let's just say, he got kind of blunt with his answer. To replace Carlson, the Vikings are planning to add one of the best kickers in NFL history. According to NFL.com, Minnesota is expected to add former Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey. Bailey is on the free agent market because the Cowboys surprisingly decided to release him back on Sept. 1 and keep journeyman kicker Brett Maher. The reason it was a surprising move is because Bailey has been one of the best kickers in the NFL over the past few years. Since his rookie season in 2011, Bailey has hit 88.15 percent of his field goals, which makes him the second most accurate kicker in NFL history, behind only Justin Tucker (90.31 percent). Bailey had offers from multiple teams over the weekend, including the Browns, but likely decided on the Vikings because they're a contender and they play indoors, which is a huge advantage for a kicker. The one tiny red flag with Bailey is his injury history. During his time in Dallas last season, Bailey missed four games after suffering a groin injury in Week 7 and never really seemed to recover from it. All five of Bailey's misses last season came after he returned from the injury. The kicker went 7 of 7 before the injury, but just 8 of 13 after it.