Vikings Made Another Roster Cut
Minnesota Vikings roster movement is rough and tumble during free agency week, showing no signs of slowing down on Tuesday.
Vikings Roster: Another One Bites the Dust
After onboarding six new players in less than 24 hours, the club reportedly cut ties with 2023 free-agent signee Dean Lowry.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis tweeted on Tuesday, the second day of the NFL’s free agency period, “The Vikings are releasing DL Dean Lowry, a source says. Move saves about $2 million for Minnesota this season. Still see IDL & CB as potential spots for addition here for Vikings”
Lowry lasted nine games in Minnesota and will now presumably hit the open market. The 29-year-old should have a modest market and will perhaps latch on as a depth defensive tackle elsewhere.
The move will save the Vikings about $4 million if flagged with a post-June 1st designation and possibly clear cap space and a roster spot for a new defensive tackle next to Harrison Phillips on the Vikings’ 2024 defensive line. Men like Arik Armstead have been whispered in the Vikings’ rumor mill as potential replacements. We shall see.
Lowry started four games for the 2023 Vikings, appearing in the aforementioned nine games altogether. He logged 14 tackles and an underwhelming 47.7 Pro Football Focus grade. Jonathan Bullard ended up grabbing the lion’s share of snaps at Lowry’s spot after he succumbed to injury, signaling the end to Lowry’s brief stint in purple.
Another former Green Bay Packer, Aaron Jones, joined the Vikings on Tuesday morning. Before that in 2022, Za’Darius Smith crossed state lines to become a Viking. Lowry was the 2023 installment, and Jones is this year’s. There’s always at least one.
Minnesota’s interior pass rush struggled tremendously in 2023, tabulating some of the lowest quarterback pressure production in the NFL. In that vein, it’s no surprise that Lowry was axed during this offseason, as the Vikings will likely explore an alternative like Armstead or Stewart or use a high-round draft pick on a defensive tackle. For years, the Vikings have skimped at the defensive tackle position, usually signing a player like Shamar Stephen, Armon Watts, or Bullard and calling it good.
This season could, alas, be different. Stay tuned.
Minnesota’s defense ranked 24th per DVOA in 2022 under Ed Donatell and improved mightily in 2023 under Brian Flores — to the tune of 11th-best in the NFL. With Jonathan Greenard, Andre Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, and a new defensive tackle to be named later on the depth chart and with more help on the way, Flores could nudge the Vikings’ defense into the Top 10. That’s the working theory, anyway.
The Vikings also released linebacker William Kwenkeu on Tuesday, a lesser-known depth defender.
The Vikings Made 4 Splashes on Monday
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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