Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Teair Tart (93) signs autographs before their game against the Indianapolis Colts before their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. © Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK.
The Minnesota Vikings arguably have two roster weaknesses with the regular season 26 days away — cornerback because of tragedy and injury + defensive tackle (for no good reason).
The club worked out five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore on Monday, now featuring a waiting game on whether he’ll sign in Minnesota. Meanwhile, another fascinating free agent became available on Tuesday at defensive tackle — Teair Tart.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “Dolphins are releasing veteran defensive tackle Teair Tart.”
The Dolphins added Tart via free agency this offseason, so the relationship was short-lived. Here’s the NFL resume to date for Tart, an undrafted defender back in 2020:
Tart is now free to sign anywhere in the NFL.
Here’s his Pro Football Focus track record through four seasons:
Tart is a better pass rusher than run defender, which just so happens to be what the Vikings have lacked at defensive tackle in recent years. If Minnesota had interest in the veteran defender — it’s all theoretical as of now — it would hope for the 2022 version of Tart, a productive campaign for the 27-year-old.
It’s worth noting that Tart would be rather inexpensive, too, after the unceremonious end to his Dolphins career, and the Vikings own about $19 million in cap space to spend on free agents or roll over to 2025.
These are the Vikings’ defensive tackles at Tair’s spot on the current roster:
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.
If general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah makes no more moves at DT — the free-agent wire is slim pickings after Tart — Tillery will likely get the nod for starter’s snaps, next to Harrison Phillips, of course, with a player like Bullard, Williams, or Drake Rodriguez intermixing for relief.
Minnesota kicks off the regular season on September 8th at the New York Giants and is a one-point underdog out of the gate.
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.