Trouble Brewing for Vikings Defender at Camp
If you are a Brian Asamoah fan or truther, it’s time to fasten your seatbelt for a bumpy ride.
Vikings LB Brian Asamoah could be nearing the end of the road. With roster spots limited and competition heating up at camp, the defender may be running out of chances.
The third-year Minnesota Vikings linebacker is not trending in the right direction at training camp, apparently surpassed by starters and rookies.
Asamoah could be a roster cut casualty in four weeks.
Vikings LB Seemingly Buried in Brian Flores’ Defense
There are still preseason games afoot, but Brian Asamoah isn’t trending in the right direction.
Brian Asamoah Already Lost in the Shuffle at Training Camp
Training camp is off and running for Minnesota, and the preseason is just 11 days away.
Alec Lewis of The Athletic wrote about Minnesota’s linebackers this week: “Rookie linebacker Kobe King has taken snaps alongside Eric Wilson with the No. 2 defense. Where that leaves Brian Asamoah II, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, is a fair question.”
Because it’s a contract year for Asamoah, if there were ever a time to bust out and earn a second-string off-ball linebaker job, that would be now. Yet, through a week of training camp, that just isn’t happening.
A Brief Rookie Breakout, and Then That Was It
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted Asamoah from Round 3 in 2022, and like nearly every rookie, the team and its fans had lofty plans for the Oklahoma alumnus.
In fact, Asamoah looked great, at times, during his rookie season, especially in a regular season game against the New York Giants, when the defender caused a fumble and recovered it. Thereafter, folks banged the drum for his 2023 upside, but Minnesota seems to go out of its way not to play Asamoah on defense.
He’s a “special teams guy,” which is a disappointing label for a 3rd-Round linebacker.
Might Need an Upset to Make the Active Roster
With Ivan Pace Jr., Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and rookie Kobe King making their case for inside linebacking jobs, there’s no room for Asamoah, at least not on defense.
He will have to hope that the preseason games utterly turn the tide, and even then, Minnesota wouldn’t cut King, the rookie, or offload Wilson, an experienced veteran who’s flat-out better at football than Asamoah.
Asamoah needs the almighty August upset to remain attached to Minnesota’s active roster.
The Infamous 2022 Vikings Draft Class
During Adofo-Mensah’s first draft three years ago, he pulled these men from the first three rounds:
- Lewis Cine (safety)
- Andrew Booth (cornerback)
- Ed Ingram (guard)
- Brian Asamoah (linebacker)
If Asamoah gets cuts in four weeks, he’ll seal the deal on a dreadful draft class — aside from wide receiver Jalen Nailor, a 6th-Rounder who’s played decently in purple and gold.
An Outsider’s Context on Asamoah
Fansided‘s Cody Williams dove into Asamoah’s summer fate earlier this month.
He wrote, “What makes the plight of the fourth-year linebacker even more difficult, though, is that the Vikings also made two additions at the position this offseason. First, they signed veteran Eric Wilson to a free agent contract that will bring him back to Minnesota, where he began his career before stops with Houston, Philadelphia and Green Bay.”
“The team also selected former Penn State linebacker Kobe King in the sixth round of this year’s draft, and he’s impressed thus far in rookie minicamp. Given that we’re talking only about inside linebackers, it’s likely that the Vikings keep a maximum of four players at the position on the final 53-man roster.”
That’s from a national lens. Even folks not connected to the day-to-day operations of the Vikings realize that Asamoah could be on the way out.
Williams added, “That ostensibly means that Asamoah will be battling with Wilson and King for one of those spots. But, just thinking logically, would the Vikings rather have an oft-injured player in the final year of his contract or either a veteran with plenty of plus experience and a late-round rookie who has upside and is ultimately cheaper? The choice seems obvious. Given his physical traits, Asamoah’s NFL career is far from over.”
“Another team will give him a chance, even if that’s only on a practice squad to begin. However, the writing is definitely on the wall that his time with the Vikings has already come to a close, even if that might not be made official until after training camp when final cuts are made.”
Thankfully for Asamoah’s sake, if he is dropped amid roster cutdowns in four weeks, another team will scoop him for an audition. He turned 25 this offseason.
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