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On Monday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings announced that they had signed defensive back Corey Gatewood to fill the vacant roster spot left by Asher Allen's surprising retirement. Allen, a 24-year old who had started in 21 games since being drafted by the Vikings in the third round of the 2009 draft, did not supply much explanation as to why he decided to call it quits on May 30. Some have speculated that health concerns could have played a factor.
Regardless of the reasoning, his absence has now opened a spot for another player to step in and earn a role on this year's team, most notably, Gatewood. A 23-year old undrafted defensive back out of Stanford, Gatewood started in six games at cornerback as a sophomore, prior to being moved to wide receiver. He stands at five-foot-eleven, 188 pounds and ran a 4.44, 40-yard dash at Stanford's pro day on March 17.
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