Vikings Cut Player Loose from Roster
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk hasn’t seen a regular season field in 2024 with the purple team, and now he’ll hope to latch on elsewhere.
Vikings Cut Player Loose from Roster
The Vikings dropped the veteran linebacker on Wednesday, released from injured reserve, presumably with an injury settlement.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted, “The Vikings waived Jordan Kunaszyk from IR.”
Without Kunaszyck in the roster orbit, these are Minnesota’s off-ball linebackers entering Week 16:
- Ivan Pace Jr. (IR)
- Blake Cashman
- Kamu Grugier-Hill
- Jamin Davis
- Brian Asamoah
- Max Tooley (Practice Squad)
- Calvin Munson (Practice Squad)
Kunaszyk will be free to sign anywhere in the league, and if so, he’ll likely end up on another team’s practice squad.
Minnesota originally signed Kunaszyk in August after cutting linebacker Jabril Cox. Here’s his NFL resume to date:
- Carolina Panthers (2019-2020)
- Washington Commanders (2020–2021)
- Cleveland Browns (2022–2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024)
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 before 2024, he’s seen action on 157 defensive plays, 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
Vikings.com outlined some Kunaszyk stats after the August 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.
The Vikings’ defense ranks second leaguewide per DVOA and EPA/Play through 15 weeks and third in points allowed.
Minnesota travels to Seattle for a date with the Seahawks this Sunday and is expected to prevail by three points. It can secure homefield advantage throughout the postseason if it wins the next three games: at Seattle Seahawks, vs. Green Bay Packers, and at Detroit Lions. For context, the Vikings haven’t hosted an NFC Championship Game since 1998.
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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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