Former Viking Quietly Joined the Commanders Last Week
The Minnesota Vikings and 31 other NFL teams trimmed their rosters by 40% last week, preparing for the regular season, which begins on Thursday, September 5th.
Former Viking Quietly Joined the Commanders Last Week
Along the way, one former Vikings defensive tackle joined the Washington Commanders — Sheldon Day.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted last Thursday, “Commanders sign Sheldon Day to practice squad.”
Day joins this group of defensive tackles in Washington:
- Daron Payne
- Jonathan Allen
- Jer’Zhan Newton
- Phidarian Mathis
- Carlos Watkins (Practice Squad)
- Haggai Ndubuisi (Practice Squad)
- Sheldon Day (Practice Squad)
The Vikings added Day to the roster in December 2022 and re-signed the veteran defender to a futures contract in January 2023. He was released a few times in 2023 but was added back to the practice squad soon after, a popular Vikings tactic for roster maintenance.
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Day in the 4th Round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he’s played for the 49ers, Colts, Browns, and Vikings since. In fact, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah worked in the 49ers’ and Browns’ front office during Day’s employment in San Francisco and Cleveland. There was an apparent connection between Adofo-Mensah and Day forged at former workplaces.
The 30-year-old has ample experience, playing 73 games in eight seasons, starting 4 of those contests while racking up 84 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 11 QB hits, and 7 sacks. And per Pro Football Focus, Day usually resides in the high-50s and low-60s range for performance.
During the 2021 season in Cleveland, Day played 46% of all defensive snaps, a career-high for the Notre Dame alumnus. He also played on the 49ers team that reached the Super Bowl in 2019 before losing to Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs.
Day was actually on the San Francisco team that defeated the Vikings in the 2019 postseason. The Vikings upset the New Orleans Saints in the Wildcard Round, traveled to California for a Divisional Round date, and were dismissed by San Francisco, 27-10. Day logged two tackles and a tackle for loss in that contest.
Here’s his full PFF resume:
- 2016 = 59.7
- 2017 = 69.3
- 2018 = 59.1
- 2019 = 60.7
- 2020 = 56.8
- 2021 = 64.7
- 2022 = DNP
- 2023 = 61.4
Washington’s defense ranked 31st last year per DVOA but will feature a new everything this season. Dan Quinn took over at head coach for Ron Rivera, while the franchise splurged for quarterback Jayden Daniels of LSU in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Commanders are expected to win six or seven games this year — the same oddsmakers’ forecast attached to the Vikings.
Day turned 30 in July.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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