Jan 7, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; A view of Dallas Cowboys players' helmets on the bench against the Washington Commanders during the first quarter at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports.
The Dallas Cowboys are a haven for former Minnesota Vikings players this season.
Andrew Booth (CB), Dalvin Cook (RB), Linval Joseph (DT), Eric Kendricks (LB), Nick Vigil (LB), and Mike Zimmer (DC) can attest.
And on Wednesday, the Cowboys did it again, adding pass rusher Luiji Vilian, who originally joined the NFL as a Viking 2.5 years ago.
Cowboys insider Clarence Hill Jr. tweeted Wednesday, “The Cowboys are signing WR Seth Williams and DE Luiji Vilain to practice squad and DE Carl Lawson to the active roster, sources confirmed. Denzel Mims was the big name in the workout but he didn’t get signed.”
That makes it four teams in three seasons for Vilain, now just one promotion away from the Cowboys’ gameday roster, with a defense led by the aforementioned Zimmer. Here’s Vilain’s resume to date:
Vilain joins this group of available defensive ends in Dallas:
Dallas has an injury epidemic at pass rusher right now, minus the services of Micah Parsons, Demarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland, and Sam Williams. In that vein, Vilain could actually experience playing time inside Zimmer’s defense.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah found Vilain via undrafted free agency in 2022, the keynote UDFA addition of the cycle. The young defender even made the 2022 53-man roster, a surprising development as many had him pegged for the practice squad that season. Last summer, however, Vilain did not make the active roster, instead plopped on the practice squad.
Then, in October 2023, the Carolina Panthers swiped Vilain from the Vikings’ practice squad, and he remained attached to Carolina until roster trimdowns six weeks ago. He was on the outside looking in and did not receive a practice squad invitation. He then signed with the Browns and lasted for two weeks before his release.
To date, Vilain has logged 34 career defensive snaps with the Vikings and Panthers, banking 4 tackles along the way. Vilain was marvelous at Wake Forest in 2021, tallying 8 sacks and 9 tackles for loss in 12 games. Before that, he was recruited by and played at Michigan.
When Vilain joined the NFL in 2022, some scouts were ultra-high on his upside. Consultant Nate O’Neal was particularly high on Vilain. He said 2.5 years ago: “His potential is out of this world. He definitely has a crazy high ceiling. … The Vikings got a good one … He’s going to play for a long time in the NFL, and he’s going to do that at a high level.”
The Cowboys’ defense ranks 24th per EPA/Play entering Week 6.
Vilain turned 26 in March.
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.