Former Vikings Defender Continues His Windy NFL Path
Ex-Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook stole all New York sports headlines Monday — rightfully so — signing a one-year deal with the Jets worth up to $8.6 million.
But in a quieter transaction, defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes also joined the Jets after former Viking Ifeadi Odenigbo hit injured reserve.
Former Vikings Defender Continues His Windy NFL Path
It’s a former Vikings party in East Rutherford, including Cook, Odenigbo, Ty Conklin, Chazz Surratt, Nick Vigil — and now Holmes.
Holmes was released by the Chicago Bears last Friday, leaving the defender unemployed for a whole weekend. Now, he’ll run with Aaron Rodgers in New York as the Jets hope to cap a storybook offseason with a Super Bowl push in the fall and winter.
A component of the Vikings defense from 2018 to 2020, Holmes has experienced a stormy ride after leaving Minnesota. In some capacity, he’s been added to the rosters of the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Bears, and Jets since the start of 2021. During the 2021 season in New Orleans, Holmes played eight games, started one, and participated in 35% of all defensive snaps.
Here’s his full resume to date:
- Minnesota Vikings (2018–2020)
- New Orleans Saints (2021)
- New York Giants (2022)
- Chicago Bears (2022)
- New York Jets (2023)
Holmes enters an EDGE room for the Jets plentiful with names as roster cuts are two weeks away:
- Carl Lawson
- John Franklin-Myers
- Jermaine Johnson
- Micheal Clemons
- Will McDonald IV
- Bryce Huff
- Deslin Alexandre
- Jalyn Holmes
- Pita Taumoepenu
New York will likely keep five or six pass-rushers for the active roster in 2023, so Holmes must stand out in the preseason’s final two games to secure a spot. New York’s defense ranked fifth leaguewide in 2022 per DVOA.
With the Vikings, Holmes played in 25 games (nine as a starter), gathering 43 combined tackles, five quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, and a sack. His playing time in Minnesota heightened during the 2020 season when Danielle Hunter missed the whole year, and Everson Griffen departed for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. Holmes was on the field for two-thirds of Vikings defensive snaps that year.
But in 2021, Minnesota welcomed back the aforementioned Griffen, signed Stephen Weatherly for a few games, drafted Patrick Jones II and Janarius Robinson, and opted to showcase D.J. Wonnum more in his sophomore campaign. Holmes, along with Ifeadi Odenigbo and Jordan Brailford, was the odd man out.
In terms of hopping around the NFL from team to team, Holmes has fired up a similar resume to former Vikings teammate Jaleel Johnson, a defensive tackle, who’s played for five teams in the last seven seasons. Johnson currently plays for the Tennessee Titans.
Holmes was a 4th-Round draft pick back in 2018 by former Vikings GM Rick Spielman.
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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