Buccaneers Audition Former Vikings Defender
Dustin Baker
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers toppled the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, much to the purple team’s chagrin, but have encountered a 3-5 record since.
For now, at 4-5, Tampa Bay lives behind — you guessed it — the Vikings in the NFC’s No. 8 playoff seed.
Buccaneers Audition Former Vikings Defender
And before too long, the Buccaneers could add a former Vikings defender to the depth chart or practice squad, a man named Myles Dorn.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted on the X app Tuesday, “Buccaneers worked out Myles Dorn, Jaquan Johnson (signed), A.J. Thomas.”
The safety was last a part of the Miami Dolphins roster for three weeks in August before his release on the NFL’s roster trimdown day. Dorn has remained on the free-agent wire since and could join the Buccaneers if he plays his cards right.
The young defender was also a member of the Carolina Panthers this offseason, signed by general manager Scott Fitterer in January, but was released in June. He signed with the aforementioned Dolphins in August and had hoped to land a 53-man roster spot in Miami, probably on special teams, but an injury dampened the plan.
The son of retired NFL cornerback Torin Dorn, the defender joined the Vikings via undrafted free agency in 2020 and stayed linked to the organization for three seasons. In 2022, Dorn lived on the practice squad for most of the year. The North Carolinian played 14 total games in Minnesota, tallying 208 special teams snaps but no defensive appearances.
Dorn would’ve played for the Vikings in 2022 if injuries arose to Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Josh Metellus, or Theo Jackson. But aside from Lewis Cine’s broken leg in London, Minnesota’s safeties remained upright, for the most part.
The North Carolina alumnus stood out as a positive for the Vikings throughout preseason in 2022. He appeared in all three games and started one of them. Dorn recorded 13 tackles during the appearances and had a pair of passes defended.
These are the Buccaneers current safeties:
- Antoine Winfield
- Ryan Neal
- Dee Delaney
- Kaevon Merriweather
- Jaquan Johnson (PS)
- Richard LeCounte III (PS)
Through 10 weeks of 2023, Tampa Bay’s defense ranks 11th per defensive DVOA. The Vikings rank eighth via the same metric.
The Buccaneers also employ former Vikings kicker Chase McLaughlin.
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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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