Vikings Sign Former First Round Pick Jimmy Kennedy to Fill in for Williamses

The Minnesota Vikings would love to get news at some point this week that defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams have successfully won an injunction. It would keep the two eligible to play through the Vikings' run at an NFC North title.

However, they can't afford to wait around and assume that such an injunction will be granted. They're moving on to bigger and probably not better things.

Wednesday, the Vikings inked Jimmy Kennedy to a contract. The 2003 first-round bust pick was most recently with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he picked up six tackles and a sack in four games before being cut November 24.

It's hard to imagine the Vikings finding a gold mine with Kennedy, who played last season in Chicago after the Rams gave up on him. He spent four seasons in St. Louis and never really justified his high draft status out of Penn State.

Of course, the Vikings aren't asking for much. They have talented defensive ends in Jared Allen and Ray Edwards, and they only need their tackles to take up space and blockers in order to make the ends effective.

At this point, Kennedy is likely to see significant playing time in the middle, where he will work with Fred Evans and Ellis Wyms. None of the three are likely to remind Vikings fans of the Williamses, but at least there are some experienced players who can go into the lineup.