Vikings Sign 4-Time Pro Bowler to Active Roster as Injuries Pile Up

The Minnesota Vikings have had to adjust to injuries for most of the season, and their experience in Week 17 will be no different.

Faced with an injury report that is 12-deep with players working through issues, the Vikings brought back a familiar face for their Week 17 showdown against the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers.

“The #Vikings have signed Anthony Barr from the practice squad to the active roster,” read the official announcement from the team’s handle on X, formerly Twitter, on December 29.

He spent nine seasons with the team before moving on to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency in 2022. Barr recorded 58 combined tackles, two fumble recoveries, and one sack in his lone season in Dallas. He also started 10 of his 14 games.

The 6-foot-5, versatile linebacker returned to the Vikings in November, joining the practice squad.

This will be his third game back with the big club. He has logged 26 total snaps in his previous two outings. He has just one tackle, though he did recover a fumble by Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields in Week 12.

The Vikings only had one more call-up to use on Barr.

Practice squad players can be elevated a maximum of three times before they have to be signed to the active roster, per Draft Kings. A fourth elevation would have meant a contract on the active roster for Barr anyway. The Vikings just skipped a step.

They had open roster spots after placing T.J. Hockenson and DJ Wonnum on injured reserve. Barr’s addition comes with linebacker Troy Dye (questionable, wrist) one of the 12 players listed on the Vikings’ injury report.

Barr returned to Minnesota on a one-year, $1.2 million contract. But at his peak, which included four trips to the Pro Bowl, Barr inked a four-year, $67 million contract. Injuries played a role in his decline and eventual departure from Minnesota.

But he can still contribute, and the Vikings need all the help they can get in trying to make the playoffs.