Former Viking Signs with Seahawks
NFL teams have until August 27th to trim rosters from 90 players to 53, and the Seattle Seahawks added a familiar name to the mix on Monday.
Former Viking Signs with Seahawks
Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Lynch will try Seattle on for size, at least for a few weeks, hoping to earn a spot on the active roster for September.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Monday, “Seahawks sign linebacker Blake Lynch agent [according to] Elite Loyalty Sports.”
Lynch last played for the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s his career resume to date:
- Minnesota Vikings (2020–2021)
- Arizona Cardinals (2022–2023)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2023)
- Seattle Seahawks (2024)
The Vikings found Lynch as an undrafted free agent before the pandemic season in 2020, and he stayed on the roster for a smidgen over two seasons (if one counts the 2022 preseason). In total, Lynch played 20 games for the Vikings while starting seven. He’s notched 47 total tackles, three passes defended, two sacks, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit during his two-year career.
The Baylor alumnus was on the Vikings’ roster bubble in 2022 but fell short to rookie Brian Asamoah and veteran Troy Dye. Lynch could’ve joined Minnesota’s 2022 practice squad, in theory, but the Vikings chose rookie linebacker William Kwenkeu instead.
Lynch did not play in any regular season games in 2022 but found action on 131 special teams snaps for the 2023 Chargers. In fact, the man hasn’t played a defensive snap since 2021 — Mike Zimmer’s swan-song season in Minnesota.
He recorded a 64.6 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2021, though, and a 34.1 as a rookie in 2020 (the two seasons he actually played defense). He was a mainstay of the Vikings special teams unit in 2021, playing 342 snaps with that group. Perhaps special teams will eventually become his assignment with the Seahawks.
He’ll battle these Seahawks linebacker for a roster spot this month:
- Jerome Baker
- Tyrel Dodson
- Tyrice Knight
- Jon Rhattigan
- Patrick O’Connell
- Devin Richardson
In June, Pro Football Focus ranked Seattle’s linebackers as the NFL’s 16th-best group heading into 2024. “New head coach Mike Macdonald has rebuilt Seattle’s linebacker room with two free-agent signings in Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness explained. “Baker is coming off the best season of his career in coverage, earning a 74.4 PFF grade, while Dodson is one of the most intriguing signings of the offseason. The 2019 undrafted free agent earned a 90.2 PFF grade to lead all linebackers in 2023, but he did so on just 589 snaps as the replacement for the injured Matt Milano in Buffalo. If he can replicate that form over a full season, the Seahawks could have a special pairing.”
Generally speaking, Lynch faces an uphill battle to crack the 53-man roster. Stay tuned.
He turned 27 in February.
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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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