Tag: Gabriel Murphy

Vikings receive great news on final injury report before Week 11

On Friday, ahead of Week 11, the Vikings received their healthiest injury report of the season. 

The Minnesota Vikings have been battling injuries every week of the season on both sides of the ball. The team has gained back some players and then lost some other key ones as a form of trade on injury reports.

On Friday, ahead of Week 11, the Vikings received their healthiest injury report of the season.

The Vikings have just one player on the injury report: rookie edge rusher Gabriel Murphy, who is recovering from a knee injury this past offseason. He is still within his 21-day open practice window, so he wasn’t expected to be cleared this quickly.

The best part of the injury report was the removal of Sam Darnold (shoulder), Andrew Van Ginkel (hip), Blake Cashman (elbow), and  Aaron Jones (Ribs). All those key starters had lingering injuries, and their removal in the final report is a major win before Week 11 against the Titans.

They now will have a roster that is 7-2 and at full strength against a Titans roster that is 2-7.

Ex-UCLA LB Gabriel Murphy designated to return from IR for Vikings

Gabriel Murphy getting closer.

Former UCLA Bruin linebacker Gabriel Murphy was designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday for the Minnesota Vikings. Murphy spent the first nine weeks of the season on injured reserve according to Athlon Sports’ Josh Skluzacek but has returned to practice this week.

“​​The team has officially designated rookie edge rusher Gabriel Murphy to return to practice. He’s been on injured reserve all season but flashed at times this summer.” Skluzacek said of the former Bruin.

Murphy went undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft before signing with the Vikings in April. CBS Sports ranked Murphy as the No.1 undrafted free agent back in April, drawing comparisons to another undrafted Viking, Ivan Pace Jr.

Pace Jr. was undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft before landing with Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota where he made an immediate impact, making 102 tackles and collecting 2.5 sacks while playing in 16 games, including 11 starts in his rookie season. Pace Jr. has continued the success into his second season, starting in all six of the games he’s appeared this season and returning a fumble for a touchdown against the Lions last month.

After three seasons with the University of North Texas, Murphy transferred to the Bruins ahead of the 2022 season where he made 38 tackles and got 1.5 sacks. Murphy had a big 2023 season where he made another 38 tackles but had 16 tackles for losses and eight sacks before heading to the NFL.

Even after returning to practice, Murphy is still listed as questionable for the Vikings’ game Sunday on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Vikings have 21 days to have Murphy practice with the team before having to add the rookie linebacker to their active roster.

Vikings placing star UDFA Gabriel Murphy on short-term IR

On Tuesday, the Vikings showed everyone what they think of Gabriel Murphy when they placed him on short-term injured reserve. 

It’s not often that we see an NFL team go out of their way to keep an undrafted free agent on the roster after they haven’t practiced most of the Summer. On Tuesday, the Vikings showed everyone what they think of Gabriel Murphy by placing him on short-term injured reserve.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported the move on Tuesday.

Gabriel Murphy was most often seen in NFL Draft media as one of the underrated edge rushers in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Despite that, he went undrafted and became a hot target for every team as they built up their UDFA classes. The Vikings ultimately signed him and showed they were invested with a large contract offer.

The short-term injured reserve placement frees up his roster spot which allows the team to keep someone else who may have been on the roster bubble. The Vikings have plenty of rough decisions ahead on Tuesday and Vikings Wire will be tracking each one of them.

Highly touted UDFA may find himself on the Vikings roster bubble

With some injury issues, the prized UDFA may see himself on the roster bubble heading into the season.

Injuries are part of the game- the Vikings might know better than anyone right now- but things become more complicated when you’re a UDFA. UCLA standout and undrafted rookie Gabriel Murphy was on a tear early on in training camp and in the preseason. But after suffering an undisclosed injury, Murphy hasn’t been seen for a little while.

Murphy appeared to be a lock to make the 53-man roster — en route to what Ivan Pace Jr. accomplished last season. However, the UCLA product is starting to look a little shaky. Alec Lewis with The Athletic thinks Minnesota could opt to place Murphy on the IR, which wouldn’t count against its roster limit.

Given Murphy’s potential, the Vikings probably won’t want to cut him and give him to another team. Plenty of outlets were clamoring that Minnesota got the steal of the free agent pool when it signed Murphy.

Even with signing two veteran Edge rushers and drafting Dallas Turner, depth is always a key to a position of need. Murphy has a chance to stick around Minnesota for some time if he can get healthy and play well.

Gabriel Murphy looking to shine with Vikings

Can Gabriel Murphy make the roster?

Former UCLA Bruins star Gabriel Murphy is looking to make the team with the Minnesota Vikings this summer. Earlier this spring, it was discussed that Murphy was impressive during the rookie mini-camp. Now, as the teams start to prepare to begin their training camps, Murphy will battle to make the 53-man roster.

The 23-year-old played his high school football at Bishop Lynch in Dallas. After playing 24 games at North Texas, he was able to play and start in all 26 games with the Bruins. He recorded 76 tackles and 9.5 sacks with the Bruins.

Justin Melo of the Draft Network had this to say about Murphy in one of his recent articles:

Murphy received an invite to the NFL Combine, where he displayed terrific athleticism. The Bruins standout ran a 4.68 40 with an excellent 1.59 19-yard split. Murphy also had a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-3 broad jump. It’s tough to make sense of how an uber-athletic pass rusher who had 8.0 sacks and 165 pressures last season went undrafted.

The Minnesota Vikings, who are projected to finish last in the NFC North will start their training camp on Saturday, July 27th in Minneapolis. The first preseason game for Minnesota is slated for Saturday, August 10th against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings start the 2024 regular season on the road at the New York Giants on Sunday, September 8th.

UDFA Gabriel Murphy expected to impress during Vikings’ training camp

The Athletic has its eyes on one particular Vikings’ UDFA player when training camp opens.

The Vikings had the steal of the after-draft last year when they signed Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. to a UDFA contract. Pace went on to start for the Minnesota defense and was impressed. Pace Jr. was a tackling machine and is viewed as someone who could help lead the Minnesota defense for years.

Surely Minnesota couldn’t get another Pace Jr., could it? It sounds possible. The Vikings signed UCLA Edge rusher Gabriel Murphy to an UDFA contract as soon as the 2024 NFL Draft concluded. Murphy was projected as a mid-to-late pick, but due to being just a touch undersized, Murphy fell out of the draft.

Per The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, he expects Murhpy to really impress during training camp.

“The safe bet is UCLA edge rusher Gabriel Murphy. The lack of full-speed, 11-on-11 work this spring kept him from making a major impact. The picture might change when he puts on the pads, similar to Ivan Pace Jr. last year. The other two players I’ll be watching closely are cornerback Dwight McGlothern Jr., who played for defensive backs coach Daronte Jones at LSU, and Marshall edge rusher Owen Porter, who could vie for a special teams role.

Murphy had a career-high eight sacks last year on the UCLA defense. If he gets his chance, his skill set should really shine in a Brian Flores-led defensive scheme.

Gabriel Murphy listed among top undrafted players

Gabriel Murphy hype continues!

The buzz around the National Football League is with the schedule release coming out. But, as that comes and goes, experts and even fans around the country are looking at rosters and sizing up the potential of all 32 teams. Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus wrote about the undrafted players that have joined an NFL roster. He wrote one player from each team, and UCLA’s Gabriel Murphy made the list.

Valentine had this to say about Murphy.

The Vikings have invested heavily in the edge rusher spot this offseason, signing Andrew Van Ginkel, and Jonathan Greenard in addition to drafting Dallas Turner in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. They’re set with their plan, but undrafted free agent Gabriel Murphy could make a dent as an impact rusher. He earned 55 pressures and an 85.0 grade in 2023, as well as an 86.0 pass-rushing grade.

The 23-year-old Murphy spent two seasons with the Bruins following his 24 games at North Texas. He started in all 26 games with UCLA and earned honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors. He was also part of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in the Spring of 2023.

Vikings give massive guaranteed money to UDFA Gabriel Murphy

Once the 2024 NFL Draft ends, the free agency frenzy for the players undrafted starts. The Vikings made sure not to lose out on Murphy.

Once the 2024 NFL Draft ends, the free agency frenzy for the players undrafted starts. They each get a standard three-year contract worth roughly $2.8 million, but the guarantees make the difference.

For Gabriel Murphy, he received a significantly larger number than most.

The Vikings gave the former UCLA Bruin $245,000 in contract guarantees. This amount of money gives a good indication that Murphy should be expected to make the 53-man roster when camp concludes. In comparison, last year, both Ivan Pace Jr. ($236,000) and Andre Carter ($340,000) made the roster after large guarantees.

The team has made it a point to make sure that pass rush and the edges are defended well in the second-year of Brian Flores’ defense. The team lost Danielle Hunter but replaced him with Jonathan Greenard in free agency and then Dallas Turner through the draft.

Adding Murphy to that group of new faces gives the Vikings depth at a valuable position and allows them to create constant pressure with the rotation they have now built.

 

The Vikings biggest sleeper pick after the 2024 NFL Draft

This is a great sleeper pick for Minnesota.

TouchdownWire came out with every NFL team’s biggest sleeper pick after the 2024 NFL Draft. While the Vikings had some late-round picks that might be able to make an instant impact during their rookie season — most notably Kyhree Jackson from Oregon — Doug Farrar believes Minnesota’s sleeper pick wasn’t an actual pick. That’s because the Vikings’ biggest sleeper might be undrafted free agent Gabriel Murphy out of UCLA.

Murphy is the lone undrafted player on our list, and while the Vikings had some good picks in the third day (most notably Oregon cornerback Khyree Jackson in the fourth round), it’ll be tough for any of those guys to present equivalent value to what UCLA edge-rusher Gabriel Murphy can bring. At 6′ 2⅜” and 247 pounds, Murphy may be a bit undersized for some teams, but he put up eight sacks and 61 total pressures last season, and he absolutely has NFL-ready tape.

Perhaps some evaluators thought that he benefited too much from being Laiatu Latu’s bookend, but when you watch the tape, there are enough examples of Murphy winning against more than one blocker in his way. He’ll make Brian Flores’ blitz packages that much more interesting and effective.

Murphy was widely expected to be drafted during Day 3 of the NFL Draft, but as Farrar mentioned, perhaps his size deterred NFL teams from selecting the Edge rusher. There is no doubt that his college production made Murphy a great late-round candidate because his production shows he is NFL-ready.

Murphy played two seasons with UCLA. He transferred to the Bruins after spending three seasons with North Texas. During his two-year career with UCLA, Murphy had 76 tackles, 20 TFLs, and 9.5 sacks in 26 games. Murphy had a terrific combine and ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash.

The UDFA will need to show out during training camp in order to carve out a role in the Brian Flores-led defense in 2024.

Gabriel Murphy could make immediate impact for Vikings

Gabriel Murphy to Minnesota seems like an ideal landing spot.

The UCLA Bruins saw just two players selected during the 2024 NFL Draft. However, a series of players inked UDFA deals. The Murphy twins both were signed, which is no surprise.

Gabriel Murphy signed with the Minnesota Vikings and Grayson Murphy signed with the Miami Dolphins.

And, Jarrett Bailey of Touchdown Wire pegged Gabriel Murphy as one of five UDFAs who could make an immediate impact. Here’s what he wrote:

Anytime you heard “UCLA defender” this draft cycle, it was in reference to Laiatu Latu. However, Murphy had a terrific 2023 season in his own right. He finished the season with eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss. In a Brian Flores defense that lost Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum, Marcus Davenport, and Dean Lowry in free agency, Murphy has a golden opportunity to earn a roster spot on a now-thin Vikings’ defensive line.

Murphy might have landed in an ideal situation with a solid chance to crack the 53-man roster. If so, that could end up being an absolute steal for Minnesota.