Vikings' Gavin Bartholomew: Trending towards activation
Rotowire
Bartholomew (back) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Bartholomew has yet to make his NFL debut. The sixth-round pick out of Pittsburgh has remained on the PUP list all year due to a back injury he suffered in late August. With a limited practice Wednesday that upgraded to a full session Thursday, it seems the rookie tight end could be a depth addition to the Vikings' offense as early as Sunday's game against the Giants.
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Vikings' Gavin Bartholomew: Practice window opens
Rotowire
Bartholomew (back) was designated to return from the reserve/PUP list Wednesday.
The rookie tight end from Pittsburgh was placed on the PUP list in late August due to a back issue, but it now appears he's nearing a return. Bartholomew has yet to make his NFL debut after posting 322 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 38 receptions during his final collegiate season. Once fully healthy, he'll likely play a depth role in the Vikings' tight-end corps.
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Vikings' Gavin Bartholomew: Dealing with back injury
Rotowire
Coach Kevin O'Connell said Tuesday that Bartholomew is dealing with a lower back injury, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Bartholomew was placed on the active/PUP list Monday. The sixth-round rookie also missed a decent chunk of the offseason program rehabbing an injury.
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Vikings' Gavin Bartholomew: Moves to active/PUP list
Rotowire
Bartholomew (undisclosed) was placed on the active/PUP list by the Vikings on Monday.
Once the tight end is able to resume practicing, he can return at any point during training camp and the preseason. Bartholomew was rehabbing an undisclosed injury during the Vikings' offseason program in June. Minnesota selected the Pittsburgh product in the sixth round of April's draft, though he's clearly behind T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver on the depth chart.
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Vikings' Gavin Bartholomew: Vikings add experienced tight end
Rotowire
The Vikings selected Bartholomew in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 202nd overall.
Bartholomew (6-foot-5, 246 pounds) likely won't prove to be any more than a backup in the NFL, but he had a respectable collegiate career at Pittsburgh, where he was a four-year starter. The problem is that Bartholomew just doesn't stand out in any way -- his production from his true freshman season (28 receptions for 326 yards and four touchdowns) was arguably a career year, and it's not usually a great sign if a player's best season is their true freshman one. With that said, Bartholomew's 4.7-second 40-yard dash is completely respectable and there's no obvious reason why he can't stick around the NFL for a while, even if he never tops a depth chart.
