Tag: Brian Asamoah II

Vikings linebacker was mentioned in trade talks before deadline

The Vikings were speaking with teams to move the former second-round pick.

After Brian Flores took over as the Minnesota defensive coordinator, former second-round pick Brian Asamoah II was expected to make a major impact for the Vikings. But after signing Ivan Pace Jr. as an undrafted free agent, he took over as the starter next to Jordan Hicks and Asamoah II struggled to get onto the field.

Some rumors circulated that Minnesota could consider trading him at the deadline to gain some compensation, but no deals were made. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the Vikings did have conversations with teams, but no moves were made.

“A few former Day 2 picks from the 2022 draft class who were on my radar but didn’t get traded were Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich and Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II. Both teams had trade discussions on the players, who are not in the mix for playing time. And there was interest, which deepened the intrigue on deadline day. But both teams decided to stand pat.”

If nothing else, Asamoah II will remain a depth piece for the Vikings.

Jeremy Fowler names a young Vikings’ LB as a trade candidate

Could the Vikings move on from their young linebacker?

The Vikings already made two trades before the trade deadline. Minnesota brought back running back Cam Akers, who has yet to make an impact, and the Vikings made a splash by landing left tackle Cam Robinson, who will fill in for Christian Darrisaw.

But it’s likely the Vikings aren’t done either bringing in talent or sending some guys out for draft picks. And that’s exactly what ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler sees happening.

Fowler views Minnesota linebacker Brian Asamoah II as a perfect trade candidate for a team. The former third-round draft pick has yet to make an impact under Brian Flores.

“Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II, a former third-rounder who hasn’t made an impact in Brian Flores’ defense, is a trade candidate, too.”

He was expected to start last season alongside Jordan Hicks, but instead, Ivan Pace Jr. made his way into the starting lineup, and Asamoah II has been an afterthought in the new Vikings’ defense.

Vikings missed golden opportunity in draft-day trade that landed Lewis Cine

The Minnesota Vikings traded back in the 2022 NFL Draft for Lewis Cine. Had they stayed, the could have had one of the league’s top safeties

A lot has been made this off-season about Minnesota Vikings safety Lewis Cine. Cine has been a popular candidate to be a roster cut-down day casualty. Even on this outlet, we’ve talked a bit about Cine and the possibility of him being a trade candidate for a team looking to take a flier on a former first-rounder.

What hasn’t been talked about much, however, is the opportunity for the Vikings to wound up squandering by making the draft-day trade with the Lions, which ended up with the Vikings taking Cine. Had they stayed where they were — originally the 12th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — they could have had one of the best safeties in the league, Kyle Hamilton.

Recently, ESPN polled several NFL executives, coaches, and scouts to get their thoughts on the top players in the league at each position. Regarding the safety position, they had Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield, Jr., son of former Viking Antoine Winfield, Sr., at the top spot and Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton right behind him at two.

Had the Vikings opted to stay where they were, they could have taken Hamilton with the 12th pick and solidified their safety spot. They were on the market for a safety either way, and Hamilton has quickly become a force to be reckoned with at the position.

Additionally, by not trading with the Lions, they would have potentially prevented their division rivals from being able to add to their wide receiver corps with Jameson Williams. Granted, Williams has not been great for the Lions yet, but the potential is still there with him.

Not making the trade would also (likely) mean that Minnesota never gets the draft capital that eventually lands them Andrew Booth, Jr., Ed Ingram, and Brian Asamoah II.

Booth was seen as somewhat of a steal at the time, but has yet to really deliver on that potential. Ingram has served as a starting offensive guard for the Vikings, but his play has left a lot to be desired, and Asamoah has been a role player in his time with the team.

Have those players made important contributions to the team? Yes. But would the Vikings have ultimately been better off by staying put and drafting Hamilton two spots before he eventually went? You can make a strong case that they would be.

ILB Brian Asamoah II announces he has successful surgery

Minnesota Vikings ILB Brian Asamoah II announces on Twitter that he had successful surgery.

After an injury-plagued season, Minnesota Vikings inside linebacker Brian Asamoah II announced on Twitter that he had successful surgery. Asamoah didn’t announce what he had surgery on and when it occurred but the fact that it was successful is important.

Asamoah did miss significant time during the season with an ankle injury so it’s likely that it was the same injury. Even though it’s likely, it’s not something we can confirm 100% at this time.

It wasn’t a great year for Asamoah. He only saw the field on defense in six games with a paltry 36 snaps accrued. It was a far cry from the 121 snaps he saw in 2022, with the majority of them coming in the final four games.

In 2023, Asamoah only had three tackles but he did get one pressure on just three pass rush reps. Hopefully, it will be a better year in 2024 for Asamoah, as they will need him to step up with the linebacker room clearing out.

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Vikings vs. Lions: 4 storylines to watch in Week 18

Our staff at Vikings Wire look at 4 storylines to watch on Sunday against the Lions

The end of the 2023 NFL season is upon us and Sunday afternoon could spell the end of the Minnesota Vikings season. They only have a 3% chance to make the playoffs after losing their last three games and six of their last seven.

The Vikings had a chance to control their own destiny on multiple occasions but couldn’t make it happen for a myriad of reasons. With the final game coming against a Detroit Lions team that is still raging after feeling screwed against the Dallas Cowboys, their road to the playoffs has become that much more difficult.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, our staff identified four storylines to watch against the Lions.

Vikings injury report sees no changes Friday

The Minnesota Vikings injury report sees no changes on Friday

The injury report for the Minnesota Vikings in week 12 against the Chicago Bears didn’t see any changes on Friday afternoon.

  • CB Akayleb Evans (calf): Limited
  • TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs): Limited
  • WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring): Limited
  • ILB Brian Asamoah II (ankle): Full
  • QB Jaren Hall (concussion): Full
  • QB Nick Mullens (back): Full

The biggest question mark for the Vikings is Jefferson. The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported on Thanksgiving Day that Jefferson wasn’t likely to play Monday night against the Bears. On Friday, Jefferson spoke to the media and seemingly expressed some optimism.

“We’ll see,” Jefferson said. “We still have more days to practice and really evaluate everything. We’re going to weigh the options correctly, making sure that I’m feeling well and prepared to play a game, and if I’m feeling good, I will play.”

Seeing players like Evans and Hall keep the status quo with hopes that they return on Monday night. Asamoah is a wild card, as he practiced in full last week but didn’t play against the Denver Broncos.

The Bears injury report sees some minor changes.

  • OL Larry Borom (illness): Did not practice
  • RB D’onta Foreman (ankle/shin): Did not practice
  • TE Marcedes Lewis (Not injury related-rest)-Did not practice
  • LB Noah Sewell (knee): Did not practice
  • FB Khari Blasingame (shoulder): Full
  • OL Lucas Patrick (back): Full

The final injury report will come out on Saturday afternoon with the game being on Monday.

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Vikings initial injury report has six big names

The first injury report has some big names on it

The Minnesota Vikings released their initial injury report for Monday night’s games against the Chicago Bears and it has some big names on it.

  • CB Akayleb Evans (calf): Limited
  • TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs): Limited
  • WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring): Limited
  • ILB Brian Asamoah II (ankle): Full
  • QB Jaren Hall (concussion): Full
  • QB Nick Mullens (back): Full

Evans practicing at all is a good sign for the Vikings. He didn’t practice at all last week and missed the game against the Denver Broncos.

Hockenson and Mullens both suited up against the Broncos but aren’t fully healed from their injuries. Asamoah also isn’t 100% with his ankle injury but he missed his fourth-straight game with that ankle injury.

Hal being a full participant after missing the last two weeks with a concussion is a good development.

Jefferson being limited is par for the course for the Vikings. It came out Thanksgiving morning that he was unlikely to play on Monday night with the bye week set to follow.

The Bears also had five players on their injury report with four of them not practicing.

  • OL Larry Borom (illness): Did not practice
  • RB D’onta Foreman (ankle/shin): Did not practice
  • OL Lucas Patrick (back): Did not practice
  • LB Noah Sewell (knee): Did not practice
  • FB Khari Blasingame (shoulder): Full

The injury report the next two days will clear up a lot of how the injuries will impact the game on Monday.

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Vikings injury report: Mattison improves, Dobbs remains

Thursday’s injury report showed improvement

The Minnesota Vikings released their injury report for Thursday and it showed a little bit of improvement.

  • CB Akayleb Evans (calf): Did not practice
  • RB Alexander Mattison: (concussion): Limited
  • ILB Brian Asamoah (ankle): Limited
  • TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs): Limited
  • QB Nick Mullens (back): Limited
  • QB Josh Dobbs (ankle): Full
  • QB Jaren Hall (concussion): Full
  • DE Dean Lowry (groin): Full
  • WR K.J. Osborn (concussion): Full
  • G Chris Reed (foot): Full

There were three changes from yesterday’s report. Greg Joseph was removed after missing practice on Wednesday due to a personal matter. Hall improved to a full participant and Mattison improved to a limited participant. Both players are hoping to be removed from concussion protocol before Sunday’s game.

The biggest concern is Evans still not practicing with his calf injury. If he is unable to go, we would be seeing a substantial amount of both Andrew Booth Jr. and Mekhi Blackmon. We also would likely see Joejuan Williams get elevated from the practice squad.

Friday’s injury report will hopefully have more clarity and less names.

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Vikings initial Week 11 injury report includes Josh Dobbs

The initial injury report includes quarterback Josh Dobbs

The Minnesota Vikings have released their initial injury report for Sunday night’s game against the Denver Broncos and it’s relatively deep. The Vikings did not practice on Wednesday but held a walkthrough.

  • CB Akayleb Evans (calf): Did not practice
  • K Greg Joseph (not injury related-personal matter): Did not practice
  • RB Alexander Mattison: (concussion): Did not practice
  • ILB Brian Asamoah (ankle): Limited
  • QB Jaren Hall (concussion): Limited
  • TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs): Limited
  • QB Nick Mullens (back): Limited
  • QB Josh Dobbs (ankle): Full
  • DE Dean Lowry (groin): Full
  • WR K.J. Osborn (concussion): Full
  • G Chris Reed (foot): Full

The biggest additions to the list are Evans, Mattison and Dobbs. Evans suffered his injury on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. The team has some hope that Mattison will play on Sunday despite not participating in the walkthrough. Dobbs’ ankle is a new injury that wasn’t reported before.

Lowry did see improvement from last week being listed as a full participant. He looks to be on track to play against the Broncos. Asamoah still hasn’t improved from last week. His injury paired with Hicks being hurt explains the Anthony Barr signing.

Thursday’s injury report will tell us more about who will play on Sunday.

Vikings release Week 10 inactives, Jalen Nailor makes season debut

Jalen Nailor is set to make his 2023 season debut against the Saints

The Minnesota Vikings released their inactives for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

  • S Lewis Cine
  • QB Jaren Hall
  • WR K.J. Osborn
  • ILB Brian Asamoah II
  • TE Nick Muse
  • OL Hakeem Adeniji
  • DE Dean Lowry

No major surprises on the inactive list. Hall was already ruled out and Lowry was doubtful. Osborn was ruled out earlier Sunday morning and won’t attend the game either. The Vikings are playing it smart with Osborn.

Asamoah was questionable but was likely to be out once the Vikings added Nick Vigil to the active roster on Saturday morning.

The big one here is Cine, who is inactive for the sixth time this season. Two of those games were due to the hamstring injury he suffered and he has yet to play a single defensive snap this season. Why is he not playing even special teams? Well, it’s likely that Jay Ward is just better at special teams.

The good part about the inactive list is that Jalen Nailor isn’t included. He will make his season debut after sitting out for the better part of four months with a hamstring injury.

The game kicks off at noon central.

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