Vikings claim TE Bostick off waivers

Brandon Bostick won't have far to travel to get a second chance in the NFL.

The former Green Bay Packers tight end was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday.

The Vikings have four tight ends under contract for next season, including veterans Kyle Rudolph, Rhett Ellison and Chase Ford. Minnesota struck gold last year with another former Packers prospect in receiver Charles Johnson, who had 31 catches for 475 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.

They'll look to do the same with Bostick, whose time in Green Bay will be remembered most for his muffed onside kick late in the Packers' 28-22 overtime loss to Seattle in the NFC title game.

Bostick, 25, joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent on May 30, 2012, out of Newberry (S.C.) College. Green Bay invested three seasons into converting Bostick from a small-school receiver to tight end.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end showed promise and was expected to compete for a significant role, but struggled to keep pace in the Packers' no-huddle offense. He played only 34 offensive snaps despite appearing in 13 regular-season games. He missed three because leg and hip injuries.

Bostick spent the 2012 season on the team's practice squad before appearing in 24 games the past two seasons. He totaled nine catches for 123 yards (13.7 avg.) and two touchdowns. By claiming Bostick, the Vikings absorb the final year of the three-year deal Bostick signed with the Packers in 2012. He'll make $585,000 next season if he makes Minnesota's 53-man roster.

While Bostick was claimed by the Vikings, former Packers receiver Kevin Dorsey cleared waivers on Wednesday. The second-year receiver was one of the team's three seventh-round picks in the 2013 draft.

A handful of former Packers teammates and his agent, Blake Baratz, offered their congratulations for Bostick on social media: