Tag: Stephen Weatherly

91 days until Vikings season opener: Every player to wear No. 91

With 91 days remaining until the season opener, we take a look at the best to wear the number for the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s the final countdown…

Well, sort of.

The Minnesota Vikings will kick off their 2023 regular season in 91 days at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 10.

From now until then, we will take a trip down memory lane and count each day by revisiting the players that have worn that specific jersey number.

Edge rusher Patrick Jones II currently wears the number after changing from No. 93 last season. The number has switched hands over the years, but it will most likely be remembered for Ray Edwards, who wore it for five seasons.

With 91 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to wear No. 91 with the Vikings (via Pro Football Reference):

10 Browns free agents remain unsigned heading into OTAs

10 members of the 2022 Browns have yet to find a new home in free agency.

The Cleveland Browns dramatically overhauled their defense this offseason. From the hiring of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to the signing of defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to the trade for Za’Darius Smith, the Browns addressed a bleeding issue from a year ago. This means, however, that means players from the 2022 roster have parted ways as well, including the likes of running back Jadeveon Clowney and running back Kareem Hunt.

With OTAs underway as well, both Hunt and Clowney have yet to find a new home in free agency. They are not the only two, however, as there are a total of 10 players from Cleveland’s 2022 roster that remain unsigned as the offseason progresses.

 

Browns make another flurry of moves Saturday

Three receivers return to practice, one receiver down for “awhile”, one defensive end to IR, another officially signed and a few other moves confirmed in a busy Saturday for the Browns:

The Cleveland Browns head into the week ramping up to their first preseason game with a few question marks. Outside of QB Deshaun Watson’s discipline process, the Browns injury concerns seem to be piling up, especially at the wide receiver position.

Thankfully, they also seem to be getting a few players healthy as well.

Injuries are a part of a game that is full contact and, often, a full collision sport. While focusing on one team often leads fans to think their team is more injury prone than the next, they often even out during training camp.

It is the injuries that cost key players their whole season or that hit during important stretches that really cause problems.

Saturday, Cleveland made another flurry of moves to update their roster:

What the Browns are getting in Stephen Weatherly

Our @joshkeatley16 takes a look at what the Browns are getting in Stephen Weatherly #Browns

The Cleveland Browns are continuing to make moves in free agency and have decided to add depth to the defensive line. It is no secret that the status of Jadeveon Clowney is up in the air and whether he decides to come back to Cleveland or not, the Browns need to add more depth to the defensive line.

In an effort to add more veteran bodies to the line, Cleveland signed Stephen Weatherly, who was a seventh-round selection by the Minnesota Vikings in 2016 out of Vanderbilt. Weatherly spent the end of last season with the Denver Broncos, but the majority of his NFL career was spent with Minnesota from 2016 to 2019 and again for the first portion of the 2021 season, but that’s enough of his past, let’s take a dive into what he can bring to the Browns.

Browns sign DE Stephen Weatherly, bring back DT Sheldon Day and 2 others

Weatherly spent most of his first 6 NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings

On a day where the Denzel Ward contract extension grabbed the Cleveland headlines, the Browns quietly restocked the roster with one new free agent signing and bringing back three others from the 2021 squad.

The newcomer is defensive end Stephen Weatherly, who finished the 2021 campaign with the Denver Broncos. Weatherly, 28, has spent most of his six-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings. He played for the Vikings when Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was running the Minnesota offense. The 6-5, 262-pound Weatherly also played one year (2020) with the Carolina Panthers.

The most prominent re-signing player is defensive tackle Sheldon Day. He’s joined by WR Ja’Marcus Bradley and OL Michael Dunn, who were exclusive rights free agents (ERFA) who signed their contract tender offers on Monday.

Day played in seven games, starting one, in his first season in Cleveland. He didn’t initially make the Browns despite a strong preseason and training camp, but the 28-year-old Day joined Cleveland in November and played well enough down the stretch to return. He was an unrestricted free agent.

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Three decisions the Vikings probably regret now

Here are three decisions the Vikings probably want back:

The Vikings had an eventful offseason where the team had to decide whether to overhaul the roster or continue to build for the short term.

For the most part, Minnesota built for the short term, signing free agents to one-year deals in hopes of competing for the postseason in 2021.

What does the team have to show for it? So far, a 5-7 record. The Vikings have made some regrettable decisions. Here are three that come to mind:

Vikings news and notes from Week 9 so far

Miss anything? Catch up with Week 9 news and notes.

The Vikings lost to the Cowboys to drop to 3-4. Now, the team has to try and pick up the pieces of a broken season.

Minnesota will attempt to bounce back against Baltimore on Sunday in Week 9. Here are some noteworthy news items that have already occurred leading up to the game:

Grading the Vikings trade of DE Stephen Weatherly to the Broncos

Stephen Weatherly’s reunion in Minnesota did not work out.

The Vikings had to be smart this offseason when it came to signing depth talent.

Ultimately, Minnesota opted to let DE Ifeadi Odenigbo walk. Instead of Odenigbo, the Vikings decided to bring DE Stephen Weatherly back to fill out an edge rusher role.

Just like Odenigbo last season, Weatherly did not pan out in with the Vikings. Weatherly tallied zero sacks and zero QB hits before Minnesota traded him and a 2023 seventh-round pick to Denver for a 2022 seventh-round pick.

In my mind, this move is somewhat of a concession on the Vikings’ part. The team thought Weatherly could perform better than he did. He was not able to fill out a starting defensive end role this year. He wasn’t even the most enticing edge rusher among the reserves. D.J. Wonnum currently has that claim.

As reported by the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, Weatherly had been looking for a fresh start after watching his reps go down in Minnesota. In that regard, the Vikings dealing him before the deadline makes sense.

Based on the draft capital it gave up, Minnesota did not get much in return for Weatherly. No matter which way you look at it, the Vikings making this trade was a loss for the team.

Grade: D

Vikings trade DE Stephen Weatherly to the Broncos

In case you missed it: the Vikings made a MOVE.

The Vikings have a tendency to be quiet when the trade deadline comes around. However, they have traded a defensive end for the second consecutive season.

Confirmed by multiple sources, the Vikings traded DE Stephen Weatherly and a 2023 seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos for a 2022 seventh-round pick.

According to the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, Weatherly had been looking for a fresh start after seeing his playing time dwindle over the last few weeks. The emergence of Everson Griffen — along with Weatherly’s lack of effectiveness — both contributed to his playing time shrinking.

Per Pro Football Focus, Weatherly has logged a total of 15 snaps over the last two weeks with zero pressures. He only has five pressures on the season, with all of them coming against the Arizona Cardinals in week two.

Heading to Denver, Weatherly looks to get immediate playing time and add some much-needed depth with Von Miller having sprained his ankle on Thursday night against the Browns.

In this deal, the Vikings save just under $1 million against the salary cap of his 1.5 million dollar salary.

Report: Vikings’ D.J. Wonnum gets the first-team reps at right defensive end in practice

How would you feel if D.J. Wonnum ended up being a starter for the Vikings in 2021?

The Vikings signed Everson Griffen this week, but Griffen will be used more as a situational player, according to Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer.

So that leaves an opening on the defensive line opposite Danielle Hunter. Right now, D.J. Wonnum seems to be winning that spot.

Per multiple reports, Wonnum took first-team reps in the team’s scrimmage Tuesday, so signs point to him winning the right defensive end spot. Wonnum is mostly competing with Stephen Weatherly for the position at this point.

Weatherly is coming off a season with the Panthers where he tallied zero sacks in nine games. He admitted he got complacent in Carolina. He still has a chance to win the starting spot, but he doesn’t appear to be the front runner as of now.

Wonnum had three sacks in two starts and 14 games in 2020. Starting either Wonnum or Weatherly will be concerning for the Vikings, because the team will be hoping for big improvement from one of them. However, the rest of Minnesota’s defensive line is stellar, which should lead to some favorable matchups for the starter at right defensive end.