Vikings Pass Rusher Heads to Raiders
Free agency hits the one-month mark, and an ex-Minnesota Vikings defender is heading to the Las Vegas Raiders.
That’s Tashawn Bower, who played 11 games for the Vikings in four seasons.
Bower was an undrafted free agent signed by the Vikings on May 1, 2017, spending 2017, 2018, 2019, and some of the 2021 season in Minnesota. A product of LSU, Bower never really caught on inside the Vikings mainstream defense.
He did start a few games in New England during 2020 and 2021, though, with then-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels “in the building” for the Patriots. Now, Bower will reunite with him in Las Vegas as McDaniels was hired as the Raiders new head coach amid this offseason’s HC carousel.
Vikings Pro Bowl EDGE rusher Danielle Hunter was lost for the season on Halloween night in 2021 to a torn pectoral muscle. Soon after, Bower signed in Minnesota, finishing the season with Mike Zimmer and friends. All together, Bower played 34 defensive snaps in 2021.
His career to date has been topsy-turvy, evidenced by this graphic from Stathead:
Bower, 27, was a key contributor on the 2016 LSU team that won the Citrus Bowl, alongside other future NFLers Jamal Adams, D.J. Chark, Leonard Fournette, Kristian Fulton, Russell Gage, Derrius Guice, and Tre’Davious White.
He’ll compete for a roster spot with the Raiders this summer against men like Maxx Crosby, Clelin Ferrell, and Chandler Jones.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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