On Sunday Dillon Bell found out that he made the Minnesota Vikings' final 53-man roster. This came after Bell went undrafted at the 2026 NFL Draft, so making the Vikings' final roster was a significant accomplishment.
That accomplishment was short lived though because less than 24 hours later the Vikings already decided to release Bell.
Source: The #Vikings are releasing rookie WR Dillon Bell.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 31, 2026
The undrafted free agent out of Georgia had originally made the 53-man after a stellar camp, but numbers were very tight and he will now go on waivers. pic.twitter.com/MNAHqJ8xMw
Dillon Bell released by the Vikings one day after making final roster
This is a head-scratching decision from the Vikings. It's hard to find a plausible explanation for why they released Bell just one day after naming him to their final roster, but by the sounds of it this wasn't originally planned.
During Kirby Smart's press conference on Monday morning he shared that Bell called him and other members of the coaching staff this weekend after he made the Vikings' roster. Smart said that Bell wanted to thank him and the other coaches for pushing him so hard during his career at Georgia because he felt that is what led him to making the Vikings' final roster.
Bell likely wouldn't have made these calls if he knew the Vikings were planning on releasing him one day later, but that is unfortuantely what they decided to do.
The Vikings made another interesting decision to add four quarterbacks to their final 53-man roster. Most NFL teams don't even add three quarterbacks to their active roster, but for some reason the Vikings want four QBs. One of those spots could've gone to Bell, but instead they are wasting a spot on a fourth string quarterback who is essentially guaranteed to never see the field.
Dillon Bell's NFL dreams aren't over yet
Bell’s NFL dreams are far from over. If the Vikings were willing to initially name him to their final roster then there’s a chance another team will as well.
During the preseason Bell snagged seven receptions for 59 yards. His seven receptions were tied for the eleventh-most in the NFL during the preseason, so his production was clearly good enough to stand out.
Seven receptions may not seem like a lot, but that’s because teams rotate in so many different players in their preseason games. Bell had less opportunities compared to what he’d get in a normal game, so his stats could go up from there if he made a final roster.
Only time will tell if Bell gets picked up by another team or not. At the very least he should make an NFL practice squad this season, but he originally was good enough to make an active roster so that is hopefully where he’ll end up soon on a different team.
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