Rookie C.J. Ham trying to be latest Minnesota talent to stick with Vikings

Four days after his NFL (preseason) debut, C.J. Ham still hasn’t been able to sort through all the cell phone messages of support sent by friends and family.

Some  bypassed the phone to  rally around  Ham, who estimated 15 to 20 members of his family made the 12-hour trek from Minnesota to Cincinnati for Friday night’s preseason opener.

That’s where Ham, a graduate of Denfeld High School in Duluth, scored the Vikings’ first rushing touchdown of the exhibition schedule  on a shifty 10-yard scamper. An early taste of success can serve as a springboard for someone like Ham, who played college football at Division II’s Augustana University in South Dakota.

“For these young guys that come in, especially the undrafted guys, they say, ‘Wow, I can play in this league,’” coach Mike Zimmer said. “It gives them a lot of confidence…I think the confidence factor is the biggest thing.”

Ham, 23, already had to prove himself just to make the 90-man offseason roster. He earned a spot after a tryout during the Vikings rookie minicamp, joining a week later than their initial crop of 10 undrafted free agents.

Now he’s trying to be the latest Minnesota-grown talent to go from undrafted free agent to Vikings mainstay, following in the footsteps of receiver Adam Thielen and cornerback Marcus Sherels.

Thielen and Sherels made the 53-man roster by being standouts on special teams, and that’s where Ham says he also sees opportunity behind an established pecking order of Adrian Peterson, Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata at running back.

“It’s not just at the running back position,” Ham said. “But if I do the right things on special teams, I feel that will give me a shot as well.”

Ham, who had 12 carries for 35 yards against the Bengals, was not on the coverage team when five Vikings missed the tackle on Alex Erickson’s 80-yard punt return for a touchdown.  Should he get that opportunity, it’d be a rare one he can’t afford to miss.

“I had one tackle my college career,” Ham said. “It’s been a while.”

Either way, what Ham does moving forward will be watched closely by  the personnel department inside Winter Park and potentially 31 others.