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The New York Giants trimmed their roster to 53 men on Tuesday and these were the six most surprising cuts.
The New York Giants trimmed their roster from 80 men to 53 men on Tuesday in accordance with the NFL’s deadline.
It’s always a tough day across the league, but that’s the nature of business at the NFL level. Still, it’s somber and not something coaches or players enjoy.
The day also comes with more than a handful of surprises. So let’s take a look at six from East Rutherford.
The Minnesota Vikings have found plenty of value in the seventh round of the NFL draft.
Former Minnesota Vikings DE Ifeadi Odenigbo is reportedly signing with the Giants on one-year deal: 2021 NFL free agency.
On Twitter this week, Vikings DE Ifeadi Odenigbo said he forgot his sword at U.S. Bank.
“Well Danielle (Hunter), DJ (Wonnum,) you guys can have it thank you Minnesota!” Odenigbo tweeted on Tuesday.
That was how Odenigbo said goodbye to his former team this week and it didn’t take long before news came out that he agreed to a deal elsewhere.
Odenigbo, a starter on the Minnesota defensive line in 2020, has agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Giants, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Odenigbo’s 2020 did not go as well as some hoped. He had just 3.5 sacks in 15 starts and earned a PFF overall grade of 60.7. It should be pointed out that Odenigbo was double-teamed quite often last season, which is a testament to how inconsistent the other defensive linemen were around him this season.
In 2019, Odenigbo was a very useful reserve for the Vikings. He had seven sacks and 13 QB hits in 368 snaps. If New York can put Odenigbo in a role where he’s not the focal point of the defensive line, I think he could go back to that production level.
The Minnesota Vikings will not be tendering their three restricted free agents amid a cash-strapped 2021 offseason.
The Vikings have an interesting class of restricted free agents this offseason. DE Ifeadi Odenigbo was a a stellar reserve in 2019, but he struggled as a full-time starter in 2020. WR Chad Beebe had his moments in 2020, but also had his share of mishaps. RB Mike Boone was good, but he was in a very limited role on offense.
A compelling case can be made that all three should try to be retained this offseason. But tendering one of those three is a tall order for the Vikings, a team that’s strapped for cash and likely doesn’t want to shell out that kind of money to role players.
According to multiple reports, Minnesota doesn’t appear to be tendering Odenigbo, Beebe or Boone this offseason. Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported that Minnesota will not tender Boone.
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reported earlier in the offseason that the team wants Beebe back, but likely won’t be tendering him. Also according to Goessling, Odenigbo won’t be tendered, either.
It should be pointed out that these three could also return to Minnesota. Although, it seems likely that the Vikings would be paying them less than the low tender of $2.1 million.
The Minnesota Vikings have some options when it comes to the team’s three restricted free agents: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, WR Chad Beebe and RB Mike Boone.
Minnesota has 15 players who are set to be free agents this year. Safety Anthony Harris is the big-ticket unrestricted free agent. Linebacker Eric Wilson, another unrestricted free agent, could also command a high price in free agency.
Due to the restrictions the Vikings probably have to deal with on 2021’s salary cap, the team isn’t in a great place to re-sign either Harris or Wilson. However, Minnesota can still look at ways of retaining other players who are set to be free agents.
This list takes a look at the restricted free agents for the Vikings this offseason. Just a note: DB Chris Jones is technically an exclusive rights free agent, so he is not included on this list.
Here is a look at each of the restricted free agents and how Minnesota can approach each one going forward:
The Detroit Lions (5-10) Week 17 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings (6-9), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game.
The Detroit Lions (5-10) Week 17 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings (6-9), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game and they will be without several starters.
Here’s a look at the Vikings’ full injury designations list.
| Player | Position | Injury | Designation |
| Dalvin Cook | RB (starter) | Not-injury related | OUT |
| Alexander Mattison | RB | Concussion | Cleared to play |
| C.J. Ham | FB | Quad | Cleared to play |
| Riley Reiff | LT (starter) | COVID-19 | Reserve/COVID-19 |
| Ifeadi Odenigbo | DE (starter) | Chest | OUT |
| Jalyn Holmes | DE (starter) | Groin | OUT |
| Armon Watts | DT | Ankle | Cleared to play |
| Eric Kendricks | LB (starter) | Calf | OUT |
| Troy Dye | LB | Concussion/Hamstring | Cleared to play |
| Todd Davis | LB | Ribs | Cleared to play |
| Cameron Dantzler | CB (starter) | Hamstring | OUT |
| Chris Jones | CB | Groin | OUT |
| Dan Bailey | K (starter) | Back | Questionable |
Cook’s father passed away on Tuesday and he has returned home to be with his family. He will not play in this weekend’s game. Cook’s absence means Mattison — who was just cleared from the league’s concussion protocol — will get the start at running back.
Rieff was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, but the timeline for when he was identified is unclear. If he is not able to clear league protocols, the Vikings will turn to Rashod Hill at left tackle.
Odenigbo and Holmes were not the Vikings EDGE starters at the beginning of the year, but after Danielle Hunter went on I.R. and Yannick Ngakoue was traded, they were elevated into starting roles. With both ruled out, the Vikings will be on their third set of EDGE rushers for this matchup.
Kendricks is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and his absence will leave another massive hole in the Vikings front-7.
Last week, the Vikings starting three cornerbacks were: rookies Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler, along with Chris Jones — yes, former Lion Chris Jones. With Dantzler and Jones ruled out, the Vikings will start Gladney and likely Harrison Hand — yet another rookie corner.
The Minnesota Vikings do not have a high-stakes game against the New Orleans Saints. But that does’t mean it’s completely unimportant.
For the Vikings, this is not gearing up to be a very positive season.
As it stands, Minnesota has just a 2% of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. Basically, it’s a long shot for Minnesota to get a top draft pick or a postseason berth, on account of its 6-8 record.
But that doesn’t mean the game against the Saints is meaningless. Minnesota should still look at this game and assess what talent it has for the future.
Defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo has a chance to make final impressions on the coaching staff. He hasn’t been stellar as a starter this year, but he does have the opportunity to change the narrative if he goes on a tear these last two games.
Jalyn Holmes probably won’t start next season, due to Danielle Hunter returning, but he still has a chance to be a useful reserve. He could even switch back to defensive tackle next season if he starts to provide a lot of pressure for the rest of 2020.
The young corners have a chance to take more strides against a good Saints offense. Justin Jefferson can add to his rookie resume. And isn’t it fun for Vikings fans to see their team beat the Saints?
So it’s not the high-stakes game that some expected at this time of the year for the Vikings. But there are still some opportunities. It’s a long shot to think that this Minnesota team will make a postseason run in 2020. That doesn’t mean the team can’t develop for the long term, against a good team in New Orleans.
Vikings DE Ifeadi Odenigbo talked about recent happenings at the defensive end position.
Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo was thought to be a starter for the Vikings this year — until the team traded for Yannick Ngakoue.
Ngakoue is one of the better young edge rushers in the NFL, so it seemed likely that he would start opposite Danielle Hunter. But then that changed when Hunter was placed on IR, giving Odenigbo a chance at a starting role, at least until Hunter comes back, after all.
Odenigbo recently spoke with reporters about the Ngakoue acquisition.
“Obviously them trading for Yannick is good for the team. It’s not a me sport, it’s a team sport. Seeing what Yannick’s been doing out here, he can help the team out,” Odenigbo told reporters, via the Vikings Twitter page.
Odenigbo also told reporters that he has been taking most of his reps at right defensive end during practice. If that’s any indication of what will happen during the Packers game Sunday, that would put Ngakoue in Hunter’s spot on the defensive line.
“I’m running faster. I figure I’m moving a lot quicker,” Odenigbo told the Star Tribune and other outlets.
Now that Everson Griffen is gone, the Vikings will have to move on without one their veteran starters from previous teams.
Danielle Hunter is a starting defensive end, barring anything unexpected. Opposite to Hunter is an open spot, which has some probable candidates who can fill the void.
The first one that comes to mind is Ifeadi Odenigbo. He had seven sacks in limited reps last season. General wisdom would say that giving Odenigbo the reps of a starter would lead to more production.
“I’m running faster. I figure I’m moving a lot quicker,” Odenigbo told the Star Tribune and other outlets. “I’m a starter now, more is expected from me. So, I owe to the team and to everybody to make sure I’m playing at a high level.”
And that could still be true, but there is the problem of Odenigbo being mostly a pass rusher in the past. It still remains to be seen whether he can stop the run with a lot of playing time.
There’s a strategy the Vikings could deploy in order to have a dual-threat defensive end, and that’s giving two players a lot of reps at the open defensive end spot. Jalyn Holmes, who dropped weight this offseason to move back to defensive end, could split reps with Odenigbo.
Odenigbo has clearly prepared to be the starter, and he can probably play a majority of the time. However, Holmes would likely be more of a force in the run game. Offensive linemen would have a harder time moving him off the line and out of holes in run situations.
I think if Minnesota wants to be balanced, they should give a lot of reps to both Odenigbo and Holmes. Indeed, Minnesota still needs Odenigbo to step up and produce. But Holmes would provide an interesting complement and add another dimension to the Vikings defensive end position.
Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo seems like a probable starter. If that’s the case, he becomes a very important part of the Minnesota defense.
The Vikings will have to move on without one of the staples on their past defenses. Defensive end Everson Griffen, who played with Minnesota for 10 seasons, reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Cowboys.
Griffen was a free agent after voiding his contract with the Vikings this offseason. Now that he is officially elsewhere, the Vikings’ need for Ifeadi Odenigbo
to step up is ever more apparent.
Odenigbo had seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 13 QB hits in 16 games and zero starts last year. Griffen had eight sacks, seven tackles for loss and 24 QB hits in 15 starts and 15 games played.
Odenigbo played 368 snaps in 2019 and put up somewhat comparable numbers to Griffen who played 848 snaps.
Stats don’t tell the whole story, but if Odenigbo takes on a bigger role and produces at a similar rate, he could be a big success as a starter.
The Vikings were reportedly pushing to bring Griffen back in recent days, with Mike Zimmer even getting involved. That should tell you that the team still valued Griffen a lot, despite having an ostensibly good player in the waiting.
That doesn’t change that Odenigbo is the probable starter now that Griffen has signed with Dallas. He’ll have to compete for the position, sure, but he seems the most likely based on his performance in 2019.
That defensive end position opposite Danielle Hunter is an important one. If that player isn’t able to perform, teams could theoretically hone in on Hunter and focus on blocking him more. Odenigbo will need to produce to take the pressure off Hunter.
If Minnesota wants to avoid regression, the defensive line will have to have players step into bigger roles and thrive. One of those players needs to be at defensive end. Odenigbo showed he was capable last season. Let’s see if he proves it.
