Sep 29, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t play a game in Week 6, enjoying a bye week while all its NFC North competitors won their matchups rather handily.
And winding down the bye, the Vikings quietly waived a man who surprisingly made the active roster at the end of August — defensive tackle Jalen Redmond.
The team’s main social media account straightforwardly tweeted Friday, “The Vikings have waived DL Jalen Redmond.”
Often, when a team waives a player like Redmond, it will re-add the man to the practice squad a day later, but through Sunday, October 13th, Redmond remains a free agent, not added back as of yet. He’s free to sign anywhere in the NFL and should get another audition before too long, at least on a practice squad somewhere.
These are the Vikings’ defensive tackles (sometimes defensive tackle and defensive end terminology are interchangeable in Brian Flores’ defense):
Redmond played in two games for Minnesota this season, logging 23 defensive snaps, or 16%. He banked a tackle, sack, and tackle for loss in limited action. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed Redmond in June, an intriguing transaction because the defender thrived in the UFL. He played 4 games in 2024 with the UFL’s Arlington Renegades, tabulating 4.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and 18 total tackles. That statline was evidently enough to turn heads in the Vikings’ front office, and Redmond parlayed the trial into a temporary roster spot.
The ex-Renegade joined the Carolina Panthers’ roster as an undrafted free agent 18 months ago — right around the time Ivan Pace Jr. signed with the Vikings — where he stayed for four months. Carolina said goodbye in August 2023, and Redmond eventually tried the UFL on for size. The experiment worked well enough to earn Redmond a roster spot with the Vikings for five regular season games.
Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline scouted Redmond during the lead-up to the 2023 NFL Draft: “Athletic defensive tackle who goes very hard. Explosive, fires off the snap with a terrific first step, and possesses a closing burst of speed. Attracts a lot of attention in the middle of the line, effectively bends his knees, and works his hands throughout the action. Keeps his feet moving, holds his ground against double-team blocks, and plays through the whistle. Strong for his size.”
Without Redmond, Minnesota will presumably lean into the DL youth movement, including snaps for Drake Rodriguez and Taimani. The Vikings have no players at Redmond’s position on the practice squad.
Minnesota next hosts the hot Detroit Lions in six days at U.S. Bank, a squad that has beaten it thrice consecutively. The Vikings’ defense ranks first in the NFL per DVOA and EPA/Play at the moment.
Redmond’s exit cleared a roster spot for returning tight end T.J. Hockenson.
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.