Former Viking Signs with the Champs
He hasn’t wholly worked out with the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, or Las Vegas Raiders, at least not yet, since leaving the Minnesota Vikings after the 2021 season, but linebacker Blake Lynch will try on the Kansas City Chiefs for size.
Former Viking Signs with the Champs
Lynch signed with the Chiefs practice squad on Monday and will be one call-up away from the active roster. Kansas City has clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and is eyeing a third consecutive Super Bowl title.
The Chiefs main social media team tweeted, “We have signed LB Blake Lynch to the Practice Squad. We have terminated the Practice Squad contract of WR Montrell Washington.”
With the move, these are the Chiefs current off-ball linebackers:
- Nick Bolton
- Drue Tranquill
- Leo Chenal
- Cam Jones
- Swayze Bozeman (Practice Squad)
- Cole Christiansen (Practice Squad)
- Blake Lynch (Practice Squad)
- Jack Cochrane (IR)
And here’s Lynch’s NFL resume to date:
- Minnesota Vikings (2020–2021)
- Arizona Cardinals (2022–2023)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2023)
- Seattle Seahawks (2024)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2024)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2024)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2024)–present)
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 51 total tackles, three passes defended, two sacks, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit since 2020.
The Baylor alumnus was on the Vikings’ roster bubble in 2022 but fell short to rookie Brian Asamoah and 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 somewhere for the long haul.
Lynch has played 20 special teams snaps this season, his only action to date in 2024.
The Chiefs also signed former Vikings tight end Robert Tonyan last week.
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 MIN 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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