Tag: Khyiris Tonga

2024 Cardinals roster preview: DL Khyiris Tonga

We will preview every player on the Cardinals’ roster heading into training camp. This is about defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga.

The Arizona Cardinals will open training camp July 23 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team.

Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2023, questions they face and their roster outlook.

Next up is defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga.

Background

After playing four seasons at Brigham Young, Tonga was selected by the Bears in the seventh round (250 overall) of the 2021 draft. He played 15 games with two starts for Chicago, but was waived in the cutdown to 53 players om Aug. 31, 2022. He was on the Falcons practice squad until being signed by the Vikings on Oct. 5 and played 25 games with four starts in two seasons in Minnesota. After not being tendered as a restricted free agent this past March, he signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals on March 15. In his three pro seasons, Tonga played 40 games with six starts and totaled 67 tackles (31 solo) with three for loss, 0.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and four passes defensed.

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95 days till the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills

The most recent reasonably impactful No. 95 for the Cardinals was defensive lineman Leki Fotu

We continue the long countdown to the start of the NFL regular season. On this Wednesday, the Arizona Cardinals are 95 days from their Week 1 season-opening road matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

No. 95 on the Cardinals is currently defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga, who has yet to play a down for the team.

We don’t have to go far back to find the last reasonably impactful player to wear No. 95. The last two have been that.

Most recently, it was defensive lineman Leki Fotu, now a member of the New York Jets. He played four seasons for the Cardinals, drafted in the fourth round in 2020. He had 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season.

Before him was Rodney Gunter, who was also a fourth-round pick (in 2015) and played five seasons for the Cardinals. He had 11 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, 29 quarterback hits and 126 total tackles in his five NFL seasons.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Vikings give DL Jonah Williams a modest contract

The contract details for Minnesota Vikings DL Jonah Williams reveal a modest contract value.

Though the fanfare of the NFL’s free agency period has come and gone, there are still plenty of moves to be made and players to be signed. The Minnesota Vikings continue to make moves to fill out their roster, signing defensive lineman Jonah Williams last week to a one-year deal.

The specifics of that contract have now emerged, giving us a better idea of just how much the Vikings committed to their new signing. Williams signed a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. Included in that is a $1.1 million base salary with $250K guaranteed at signing. The deal also includes a $100K signing bonus and up to $275K in per-game bonuses and a $25K workout bonus.

Williams, originally an undrafted free agent out of Weber State, spent his first three seasons in Los Angeles with the Rams, where he worked his way into the starting lineup last season. Williams turned that starting opportunity into 49 tackles, two sacks, and four TFLs.

Williams now joins a Vikings defense that was one of the league’s best in 2023, but saw a lot of upheaval in free agency. Gone from the defense is Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, Jordan Hicks, D.J. Wonnum, and Khyiris Tonga, among others. Williams is a small part in replacing those losses, but there’s more work to be done to fill out the roster.

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Contract details, salary cap breakdown for DL Khyiris Tonga, whom Monti Ossenfort called “a thick dude”

Tonga’s one-year deal is worth $1.75 million.

The one-year, $1.75 million contract signed by new Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga pales in comparison to the two others added to the unit since the beginning of the league year.

However, that doesn’t mean his addition should be considered an afterthought.

Asked what impressed him about the 6-foot-4, 338-pound mountain of a man, general manager Monti Ossenfort said Wednesday, “He’s big, that’s the first thing. The first time I met him, man, he’s a thick dude. He’s played quite a bit of ball here the last couple years. Really finished the season strong last year for Minnesota.

“So, I don’t think whether it’s the offensive line or the defensive line; I don’t think you can ever have enough depth or competition up there on each side of those lines. So another guy to come in here and compete and see if he can carve out a role on the team.”

Tonga entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick by the Bears (250th overall) in 2021 and played 15 games, starting two that season. However, he was waived in the cutdown to 53 players the following summer and was signed to the Falcons’ practice squad on Sept. 5.

A month later, the Vikings signed him and in two seasons, he played 25 games with four starts. In 2023, he played 14 and started the final two games of the season. He was on the field for 66 of his season-total 188 defensive snaps in those games against the Packers and Lions with 41 percent in Week 17 and 63 percent in Week 18. Of the 15 tackles (nine unassisted) he had all season, eight solos were in those two games.

While defensive linemen Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols each signed three-year contracts worth a combined $52.165 million with $$41.64 million of guarantees ($36.75 million fully guaranteed at signing), Tonga’s is a larger contract than the one signed by defensive end L.J. Collier (one year, $1,292,500), who was re-signed after suffering a torn biceps in the 2023 season opener.

Khyiris Tonga contract, salary cap details

The $1.75 million for Tonga includes a base salary of $1.055 million with $150,000 of it guaranteed along with a $250,000 signing bonus for a total of $400,000 guaranteed. He will also receive a $100,000 offseason workout bonus and there are $20,000 per-game roster bonuses for a possible total of $340,000.

His salary-cap charge is $1.75 million.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Cardinals sign DL Khyiris Tonga to 1-year deal

The Cardinals add D-line depth with the addition of former Vikings and Bears DL Khyiris Tonga.

The Arizona Cardinals continue to make moves in free agency to bolster what was an awful defense from last season. Already having re-signed defensive lineman L.J. Collier and added Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, the team announced Friday that former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga signed a one-year contract.

He was scheduled to be a restricted free agent but the Vikings opted against offering him a qualifying RFA tender.

Tonga entered the league in 2021, drafted by the Chicago Bears out of BYU. He spent his rookie season there and then played two years for the Minnesota Vikings.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 338 pounds, Tonga will be 28 years old before the start of the season.

Last season, he played in 14 games, starting two. He had 15 total tackles, a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits in 188 defensive snaps.

He has appeared in 40 games in his three NFL seasons, starting three. He has 67 total career tackles, half a sack, a fumble recovery and four tipped passes.

He projects as a rotational player and, depending on how his contract is structured, might have to battle to make the roster.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Arizona Cardinals sign DT Khyiris Tonga to one-year deal

The Vikings lose another defensive player to free agency

Defensive line is a priority for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason and they let one go in free agency. The Arizona Cardinals announced that they have signed defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga to a one-year contract.

The move is an interesting one for many reasons from a Vikings perspective. He shined toward the end of the 2022 season and looked to potentially be a building block for Brian Flores on the interior. Unfortunately, that never came to fruition as he was often deactivated and didn’t play often when he was active.

The Cardinals are trying to rebuild their defense in a similar manner to the Vikings and Tonga could end up seeing some real playing time. They lost Leki Fotu to free agency and needed a nose tackle for Jonathan Gannon’s scheme.

So far, the Vikings have lost Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, D.J. Wonnum, Khyiris Tonga, Jordan Hicks and Troy Dye in free agency.

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Vikings don’t tender Cam Akers and Khyiris Tonga

The Vikings declined to extend RFA offers to Khyiris Tonga and Cam Akers, allowing both to hit free agency as the new league year begins.

The new league year has begun, and with it comes a flurry of free agency deals becoming official. It also means that new players are hitting free agency, as is the case with a couple of now former Minnesota Vikings players.

Minnesota opted to not offer Restricted Free Agent tenders to running back Cam Akers, defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and others according ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.

There are four tender options with the RFA tag that organizations have that they can place on players: First-round, second-round, original round, and right of first refusal. Each tag comes with descending price tags and less compensation for the club should they decide not to match any offer sheets.

The decision to not tender Akers makes sense for the Vikings, as Akers isn’t likely to have received an offer and Minnesota now has a solid backfield with last year’s emergency of Ty Chandler and the recent acquisition of former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones.

The decision on Khyiris Tonga is a little more interesting. Tonga played well for the Vikings in a reserve defensive tackle role. With the departure of Marcus Davenport and Danielle Hunter in free agency, Minnesota is getting thin along the front seven.

A ‘right of first refusal’ tag would have been a significant increase for Tonga, as that tag comes with a price tag of nearly $3 million versus the $940K Tonga made last season.

Both players are now available on the open market and free to sign deals with any team in the league.

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Vikings initial injury report includes Justin Jefferson

The initial injury report for the Minnesota Vikings game against the Las Vegas Raiders includes Justin Jefferson.

The Minnesota Vikings listed six players on their initial injury report for week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

  • S Theo Jackson (illness): Did not practice
  • RB Kene Nwangwu (concussion): Limited
  • CB NaJee Thompson (knee): Limited
  • NT Khyiris Tonga (knee): Full
  • CB Akayleb Evans (calf): Full
  • WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring): Full

The good news here is both Jefferson and Evans are not just practicing in full after the bye week, but they are also on track to return against the Raiders.

On the same accord, Tonga is still practicing in full with his knee injury. He hasn’t missed any time, but it’s noteworthy.

Both Thompson and Nwangwu’s injuries are new and noteworthy. We will learn more throughout the rest of the week. If they don’t play, it would be a massive blow to special teams.

Jackson out with an illness could be a myriad of things. It’s not a good thing to be out with an illness. Considering Lewis Cine is now off the injury report, it could be a sign that Cine will get some playing time on defense.

T.J. Hockenson is off the injury report as well, meaning he is all better from his rib injury.

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Vikings release inactives for Sunday’s Week 6 game vs Bears

The Minnesota Vikings released the inactives list for Sunday’s week six game against the Chicago Bears

The Minnesota Vikings have released their inactives for Sunday’s week six matchup with the Chicago Bears.

  • S Lewis Cine
  • OLB Andre Carter II
  • TE Nick Muse
  • OT Hakeem Adeniji
  • DL Jaquelin Roy

This is Cine’s third game inactive after suffering a hamstring injury against the Los Angeles Chargers in week three. Considering he was removed from the injury report, this would be a healthy scratch.

Carter has played in one game thus far and got three pressures in 13 pass rush reps against the Carolina Panthers.

Muse has yet to be active this season after making the roster this year.

Adeniji was signed to the active roster last week but was signed for depth purposes. Not a surprise to see him inactive.

Roy being inactive is a slight surprise. In his place is Khyiris Tonga who has for some reason been inactive for the last five games.

The Vikings and Bears kick off at noon central time.

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Vikings vs. Seahawks: 4 storylines to watch Thursday night

Going into Thursday’s preseason opener against the Seahawks, our staff identified four storylines you need to keep an eye on.

On Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks will kick off on Thursday night at 9 pm central and the 2023 season will officially kick off. Going into the game, there are a few storylines worth watching, including the development of the cornerback position.

The first depth chart of the year was released on Monday and it showed us a few things. As we look forward to Thursday night’s game, our staff identified one player to keep your eye on earlier on Wednesday.

In this piece, our staff identified a storyline to watch during