Pinkston cut

The Vikings released veteran receiver Todd Pinkston Saturday and plucked receiver Maurice Mann from the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad.
The Vikings didn't cite a reason for releasing Pinkston. But it appears they're doing what they did last year at this time: protecting themselves from having to pay a vested veteran for the entire season. Koren Robinson was cut and then re-signed quickly, so his salary was not fully guaranteed for the entire season.
Coming off a torn Achilles, Pinkston, who acknowledged to me the other day that he wasn't 100 percent, would not be a good player to lock into having to pay $585,000. As a vested veteran, he would be guaranteed that entire salary, even if he only played one game. The only saving grace is that he agreed to a split contract, which means the Vikings would have saved some money if he ended up on the IR.
Then again, the Vikings could have just taken an extended look at Pinkston, to gauge how healthy he was. Perhaps, they weren't thrilled with what they saw and want to give him some more time to get healthy.
Additionally, Mann doesn't look like a roster filler. He's got 4.37 speed in the 40-yard dash, which is above average, and he did a solid job of handling kickoffs in college. Mann also is 6 foot 1 and noted for his quickness.