National Football League

Vikings sign CB Benny Sapp

Published Nov. 17, 2011 12:10 a.m. ET

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Benny Sapp was sitting at home in Florida, waiting for the phone to ring for 10 weeks after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.

The veteran cornerback was starting to wonder if he was ever going to play again, until the Minnesota Vikings finally called this week. Perhaps as desperate for a defensive back as Sapp was for work, the Vikings signed him to a one-year deal on Wednesday to try to help plug the holes in a depleted secondary.

''There was a point in time I thought I wasn't going to play football again,'' Sapp said. ''That was probably the lowest of my career.''

Now he finds himself back in Minnesota, surrounded by familiar faces and eager to get back in the middle of the action.

The eighth-year pro played for the Vikings in 2008 and 2009 and became a popular player in the locker room for his chatty and good-natured disposition. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins, who cut him after the loss to the Patriots this season.

''I gave him a big hug when he got here this morning,'' linebacker Erin Henderson said. ''We've been lobbying for him for a while now.''

The Vikings just need bodies in the secondary right now and chose Sapp because of his familiarity with their system. Antoine Winfield was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday with a broken clavicle and Chris Cook is not with the team while he deals with domestic battery charges.

''We still have confidence in the guys that are there, but we're definitely thinner than we'd like to be,'' coach Leslie Frazier said.

Sapp intercepted two passes and had eight passes defensed in his two seasons with the Vikings and said he's ready to step into whatever role the coaches want him to fill.

''Now in my career, I think I'm capable of playing anywhere they need me to play,'' Sapp said. ''I just hope I can bring that hard work and effort.''

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Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski.

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