Aug 21, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Myles Dorn (46) and defensive back Kris Boyd (29) talk before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
Early July is a quiet phase in the NFL circle, probably the calmest of the year. Players are away from the team for the last time before training camp and the six-month grind begins. The rookies of the Minnesota Vikings will arrive at TCO Performance Center on Sunday, July 23rd; the other guys join two days later on Tuesday, the 25th. It wasn’t a quiet week for one ex-Viking.
The Carolina Panthers announced the signing of defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth and made room for that move by waiving safety Myles Dorn who spent three seasons with the Vikings: “To make room for Stallworth on the active roster, they waived safety, Myles Dorn. The former UNC standout had signed in January after spending parts of the previous three years with the Vikings.”
Dorn was born and raised in North Carolina and went to college at UNC, so the Panthers are his home team. However, the NFL is a business and doesn’t care too much about feel-good stories. Teams have the obligation to bring in the players who they feel can help them win the most and the Panthers decided to move on from him.
Former GM Rick Spielman signed Dorn in 2020 as an undrafted rookie. In the third preseason game, Dorn fractured his toe and he was subsequently placed on injured reserve. One year later, Dorn missed the final 53-man roster but made the practice squad and was elevated to the active roster a few times. Oddly, the same thing happened in 2022.
In his three seasons with the organization, Dorn appeared in 14 games – all in 2021 and 2022 – playing primarily on special teams. He was on the field for exactly 208 snaps and recorded 5 tackles.
The safety signed a futures contract with the Carolina Panthers in January. Since nobody claimed him, Dorn is currently an unrestricted free agent and must hope for an invite to training camp. A help for him will be the solid performances in last year’s preseason where he was one of the team’s bright spots. A team that values special teams players and has a safety opening would be the natural fit.
Relationships are everything in the NFL and the Vikings could be interested in a reunion. They currently have the two starters from last season Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum, 2022 first-rounder Lewis Cine, versatile offseason star Josh Metellus, rookie Jay Ward, and Theo Jackson, so it will be tough to crack the roster.
However, while Ward is listed as a safety, he could be a candidate for snaps as a nickel cornerback. Adding another safety, at least for training camp and preseason purposes, shouldn’t be ruled out.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt