Vikings Rookie LB Elevated from Practice Squad for Week 13

Just one week ago, Minnesota Vikings linebacker William Kwenkeu made his NFL debut on Thanksgiving Night against the New England Patriots. Kwenkeu played 16 snaps with the special teams, but he did not have any statistics to show for it.

It turns out Kwenkeu won’t have to wait long to make his second NFL appearance because the Vikings rookie LB has been elevated from the practice squad yet again for Minnesota. Their Week 13 game comes against another AFC East opponent, the New York Jets.

The 25-year-old Kwenkeu was born in Cameroon where he grew up before moving to the U.S. in 2012 for high school. After his high school years, he attended Temple where he played college football.

Over the course of six years at Temple, Kwenkeu played 47 games for the Owls. In those 47 games, he recorded 183 tackles, 21 TFLs, 7.0 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. During his final season of 2021, he played in 11 games with 51 tackles, 11 TFLs, three sacks, and forced a fumble.

Following that season, Kwenkeu declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, but he went undrafted that April. The Vikings brought him on for training camp, and during the preseason, he appeared in all three games and recorded 15 tackles. The Vikings cut him as part of their moves to get down to 53 players, but they later signed him back onto the practice squad.

This Sunday, Kwenkeu appears destined for a solely special teams role for the Minnesota Vikings, barring any horrendous injury luck. Perhaps this week could see the rookie linebacker’s first career tackle, though, as part of the coverage teams.

Kickoff between the Jets and Vikings is scheduled for Sunday at 12 PM CST.

Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.