A New Face Quietly Joined the Vikings Defense
The Minnesota Vikings finalized their 53-man roster last Tuesday and are already making a few modifications to the practice squad.
The Vikings added a new player to their defense, making a quiet move that has fans talking. Find out who joined the roster and why it matters for 2025.
The PS group contains 16 players, and on Thursday, Minnesota added veteran safety K’Von Wallace.
Wallace will now be one call-up away from the regular season roster.
Minnesota Adds a Depth Safety to PS
Wallace is well-traveled and will try on the Vikings for size.
Vikings Sign Safety K’Von Wallace
Minnesota’s social media team tweeted last week, “The Vikings have signed S K’Von Wallace to the practice squad.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had posted the day before: “Veteran safety K’Von Wallace is working out for the Vikings on Thursday, per source. Wallace, who has 168 tackles over five NFL seasons, was last with the Giants.”
Wallace is mostly known for his mid-round draft stock back in 2020.
Who’s Wallace?
Wallace is 5’11,” 205 pounds, and from Virginia. He’s appeared in 71 career NFL games in the last five seasons, starting 19.
Here’s his NFL resume to date:
- Philadelphia Eagles (2020–2022)
- Arizona Cardinals (2023)
- Tennessee Titans (2023)
- Seattle Seahawks (2024)
- New York Giants (2025)
- Minnesota Vikings (2025)
Wallace also plays special teams, which could be his eventual role in purple if called up to the active roster. In a normal season, Wallace usually plays about 20% of defensive snaps for a given team. A depth safety in case of emergency.
The Vikings’ Safeties
So, what about Minnesota’s safeties, with the regular season just a few days away?
- Harrison Smith
- Josh Metellus
- Theo Jackson
- Jay Ward
- Tavierre Thomas
- Kahlef Hailassie
- K’Von Wallace
It’s a new-look group after Camryn Bynum signed with the Indianapolis Colts via free agency in March. Theo Jackson will presumably take over Bynum’s workload.
2025 Outlook for Wallace
Wallace is unlikely to factor into Minnesota’s 2025 plans unless injuries affect Smith, Metellus, or Jackson. Even then, the Vikings could promote Hailassie before Wallace, as Hailassie flashed in the preseason.
His best-case scenario is a call-up in the event of injury, where defensive coordinator Brian Flores decided his experience, which is more ample than Hailassie’s, would be more valuable.
On the whole, Wallace is merely defensive secondary insurance.
More on Wallace
Our own Janik Eckardt wrote about Wallace: “With the Eagles, he suited up 45 times in the regular season and mostly played a minor role on defense while competing on special teams. That’s pretty much what Joshua Metellus’ and Theo Jackson’s early careers looked like.”
“The two Vikings managed to stick around and grab a bigger role, while Wallace was let go by the Eagles ahead of season four. Since then, he has been trying to find his footing, having stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks, and, recently, five weeks with the New York Giants.”
Wallace was a teammate of Trevor Lawrence at Clemson.
Eckardt continued, “Last season’s tenure with the Seahawks was cut short due to an injury that cost him the second half of the campaign. Over his NFL career, Wallace has played in 71 games with 19 starts, logging one interception and 168 tackles in over 2,400 total snaps (966 on special teams). Practice squad players can always be called up for games, and if Smith isn’t back by Week 1, the Vikings might need Wallace as a depth player.”
“Besides Smith, Metellus, and Jackson, the club employs safeties Jay Ward and Tavierre Thomas on the 53-man roster and now Wallace and Kahlef Hailassie on the practice squad.”
Wallace turned 28 in July.
You must be logged in to post a comment.