The Minnesota Vikings have elevated undrafted rookie wide receiver Dillon Bell from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s Week 2 game at the Chicago Bears, the team announced.
The Vikings also called up veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, a repeat elevation after he played 25 defensive snaps in the season opener.
Bell’s promotion is tied to depth at receiver. Veteran Jauan Jennings is not traveling to Soldier Field because of a family matter, leaving Minnesota thinner behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
In Week 1 against Green Bay, Tai Felton and Myles Price each played only three snaps at wide receiver. Bell gives the staff another body who can play outside or in the slot and contribute on special teams.
The 22-year-old from Houston signed with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent after four seasons at Georgia. He made the initial 53-man roster, then was waived on Aug. 31 so the Vikings could claim two offensive linemen.
He cleared waivers and returned to the practice squad on Sept. 2. Players can be elevated from the practice squad three times in a season; this is Bell’s first regular-season call-up.
At Georgia, Bell was a versatile piece on a national championship roster (2022). Over 55 games he caught 119 passes for about 1,270 yards and 11 touchdowns and added 51 rushes for 373 yards and five scores.
He also threw a touchdown pass. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds, he has a running back’s build and a receiver’s speed, which is why Georgia used him in multiple roles and why the Vikings liked his special-teams profile.
In the 2026 preseason, he had seven catches for 59 yards.
He is not expected to replace Jennings as a featured option. Kevin O’Connell’s offense still runs through Jefferson and Addison. Bell’s job Sunday is to be available if Minnesota needs extra snaps, a jet-sweep look, or help covering kicks.
That matches how he was used in college: physical, willing blocker, and useful with the ball in his hands rather than a pure vertical threat.
Van Noy’s elevation is more predictable. The 35-year-old has history with defensive coordinator Brian Flores from New England and is still settling into Minnesota’s scheme after joining the practice squad in early September.
For Bell, the move is a first NFL regular-season opportunity after a choppy path from draft weekend to the 53 to the practice squad and back.
One game will not define him, but it puts him in uniform at Soldier Field and keeps him in the conversation if Minnesota’s receiver room stays short-handed.
