Vikings elevate Kyle Hinton, T.J. Smith from practice squad for game at Green Bay

Chris Tomasson, Pioneer Press
·1 min read
Vikings elevate Kyle Hinton, T.J. Smith from practice squad for game at Green Bay

Vikings guard Kyle Hinton finally could make his NFL regular-season debut.

Minnesota on Saturday elevated Hinton and defensive lineman T.J. Smith from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game at Green Bay. It was the second straight week Hinton had been elevated and the first one this season for Smith.

However, Hinton was inactive on Dec. 24 against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium after being elevated the day before. The three-year veteran had told the Pioneer Press that after being elevated, he called his father, Curt Hinton, and he flew in for the game from Phoenix in hopes of seeing his son make his regular-season debut.

“He was (disappointed), as any dad would be,” Hinton said. “But he knows the business.”

It was the second time that Hinton, a seventh-round pick by Minnesota in 2020, had been hopeful of making his regular-season debut before being inactive. He was signed off the practice squad to the active roster the day before the 2020 finale at Detroit before being a healthy scratch.

Hinton had said he was working with the field-goal team in practice before the game against the Giants. So he could have that role against the Packers.

Smith was elevated to provide depth on the defensive line with James Lynch out due to a shoulder injury. Smith, a three-year veteran, is in line to play in his second regular-season game, having been elevated from the practice squad for a Nov. 28, 2021 game at San Francisco and getting in for 20 defensive snaps.

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