Adrian Peterson has been replaced. That sounds a lot harsher than what the reality is, but at least for the remainder of the 2014 NFL season, it’s the truth. With the Minnesota Vikings’ star running bac on the shelf for the rest of the year after the league handed down a suspension that will end his season, the team turned to the open market and brought on veteran running back Ben Tate to help out the running game.

Tate was recently released by the Cleveland Browns after both struggling with effectiveness and also displaying a poor attitude about his shrinking role within the offense. Despite his personal struggles and negative outlook, Tate remains a quality talent and is a solid addition to a Minnesota rushing attack that really struggled with consistency ever since Peterson was placed on the league’s exempt list for child abuse chargers back in week two.

Since then, Matt Asiata has exploded for two big touchdown games and rookie Jerick McKinnon has flashed big play ability. Neither have morphed into an every down player like Peterson was, however. And quite frankly, the two together haven’t even pieced together a reliable unit.

That’s where Tate comes in. While Tate visibly struggled in Cleveland after Pro Bowl center Alex Mack went down with an injury, he was quite productive in several outings earlier in the year. Whether or not he can get back to being that guy is open for debate, as is the likelihood of him picking up a new offense in a short period of time, while also staying healthy.

Tate was a hot commodity after being cut, as the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals were both said to be very interested in picking him up. Minnesota was ahead of both teams in the waiver wire process, however, and ultimately held the right to bring Tate on board. Whether not it will work out and be worth the risk remains to be seen, but at the worst it symbolizes the team is officially moving on from Adrian Peterson – at least for 2014.