Vikings Add New Defensive Player
The Minnesota Vikings will clean house via roster movement in 12 days, narrowing the depth chart from 91 players to 53.
Vikings Add New Defensive Player
But before that, the club added inside linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk on Tuesday.
The Vikings’ primary social media account tweeted, “The Vikings have signed LB Jordan Kunaszyk and waived/injured LB Jabril Cox.”
Cox only lasted in Minnesota for a few weeks thanks to an injury, and Kunaszyk is evidently on deck to fill his role. The journeyman linebacker will now vie for a 53-man roster spot or, more realistically, a practice squad assignment in 2024.
Here’s Kunaszyk’s NFL resume to date:
- Carolina Panthers (2019-2020)
- Washington Commanders (2020–2021)
- Cleveland Browns (2022–2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024–present)
The Panthers unearthed Kunaszyk from the University of California-Berkeley via undrafted free agency five years ago, and he only recently began experiencing semi-steady defensive snaps. In the last two seasons, 2022 and 2023, he’s seen action on 157 defensive players, otherwise used as a special teamer at previous stops in Carolina and Washington.
This is Kunaszyk’s Pro Football Focus resume from the last two seasons:
- 2022 = 52.4
- 2023 = 61.0
And to make the active roster in September, he’ll have to find a spot amid these men on the LB depth chart:
- Ivan Pace Jr.
- Blake Cashman
- Kamu Grugier-Hill
- Brian Asamoah
- Dallas Gant
- Jordan Kunaszyk
The Vikings will likely keep four off-ball linebackers in 2024, meaning Kunaszyk would have to score the upset over Asamoah.
The Vikings’ defense ranked 11th per DVOA in 2023, a 13-spot improvement from 2022 when the group checked in at No. 24 per the same metric. In the last five months, in addition to retaining the uber-aggressive Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, Minnesota added new defensive personnel: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Jerry Tillery, Shaquill Griffin, and 1st-Round rookie Dallas Turner. There’s a decent chance that the Vikings will morph into a defense-first enterprise, especially with current quarterback uncertainty.
Vikings.com outlined some Kunaszyk stats after the signing: “He saw action in 17 matchups in two seasons with Washington and played in 20 contests, including two starts, during the past two seasons in Cleveland. In his career, Kunaszyk has played in 46 games (two starts) and recorded 45 total tackles, including two for loss, one pass defensed and one forced fumble.”
Kunaszyk was also a 1st-Team All-Pac-12 recipient in college six years ago. His last name is pronounced kuh-NAW-shick.
He crossed paths with Vikings linebackers coach Mike Siravo with the Panthers early in the 2020 season, the apparent connection between the signing.
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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