EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Vikings added height and depth to their defensive line on Thursday when they announced the signing of 6-foot-7, 267-pound Caesar Rayford.
Rayford was among the more than 100 participants at the first ever NFL Veteran Combine last month in Arizona.
The 29-year-old played tight end for two seasons before switching to defense at the University of Washington.
Rayford has spent part of his career in the NFL, CFL and AFL. He began his pro career as an undrafted free agent with the BC Lions in 2008 and remained with the CFL club until the end of the 2009 training camp. Rayford then joined the Spokane Shock of the af2.
Rayford joined the AFL's Utah Blaze in 2010 and helped the team set a league record with 11 sacks in one game (Rayford accounted for 3.5) in 2012.
The following year, Rayford made the jump to the NFL by signing with Indianapolis in May 2013. He was traded to Dallas that September and spent part of that season on the active roster and part on the Cowboys practice squad. He was released by Dallas at the end of the 2014 camp.
Rayford spent time with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Alouettes and the AFL's Jacksonville Sharks.
The Vikings had success in signing defensive line **journeyman** Tom Johnson last year. Johnson set a career high in sacks with 6.5 and was **re-signed** to a multi-year deal last month.
