Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
With the addition of 21 rookies to the 90-man roster, there are some veterans who could be on the chopping block.
After the Minnesota Vikings selected six players in the 2023 NFL draft and signed 15 undrafted free agents, things become a little harder for some veterans on the roster.
Every year, there is usually a surprise cut or two from each team each year due to the talent acquired in the offseason.
Who could be on the chopping block? Here are five veterans the Vikings could cut before week one with contract numbers from Over the Cap.
While speaking about the defense, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah intentionally left out key veterans
The NFL Scouting Combine is officially underway, which means that for the first time since the Minnesota Vikings season ended, we get to hear from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah about the roster.
Typically, NFL combine pressers are just a bunch of surface-level information, as teams don’t want to reveal too much about their plans for the upcoming offseason. On Tuesday, Adofo-Mensah may have unintentionally revealed one part of his plan.
On Tuesday, Adofo-Mensah was asked linebacker group at the NFL combine, and whether it was intentional or not, he left out Kendricks and Hicks in his response.
“It’s a position, just like every position we look at. We have a lot of confidence in Brian Asamoah, who is also in that room. Troy Dye is a very good player. William Kwenkeu has shown some really good things on special teams. We’re going to take a look, just like we do at every position. But we have decisions to make, just like every other team.”
The statement from Adofo-Mensah is nothing that fans don’t already know, but leaving out Kendricks and Hicks when talking about the linebacker group is noteworthy.
It’s no secret that the Vikings are in dire need of cap space. With many aging veterans taking large cap hits, there are bound to be restructures or cap casualties. A couple of those players could include linebackers Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks.
According to Over The Cap, Kendricks is due $11.4 million this season and can be cut for $9.5 million in cap savings with only $1.93 million in dead cap. Meanwhile, Hicks is due $6.5 million, and cutting him would result in $5 million in cap savings with only $1.5 million in dead cap.
We know that the Vikings are going to need to make some of these tough decisions sooner rather than later. With Adofo-Mensah’s comments, or lack thereof. It seems as if the writing is on the wall for Kendricks and Hicks and that the Vikings might be moving in a different direction.
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Former Tennessee safety Theo Jackson lost a bet with former UGA football standout and Minnesota Vikings teammate Lewis Cine
Former Tennessee Volunteers safety Theo Jackson made a bet with Minnesota Vikings teammate Lewis Cine for the Georgia-Tennessee game. Both Jackson and Cine are a part of Minnesota’s defensive back room.
Cine, who played college football at Georgia, was a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Jackson is also a rookie. The Vikings selected Theo Jackson with a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Jackson recorded 190 tackles and three interceptions during his college career with Tennessee.
Unfortunately for Jackson, he bet that his Tennessee Volunteers would beat the Georgia Bulldogs. However, Georgia won 27-13 over Tennessee.
Tennessee’s defeat meant that Theo Jackson lost the bet and had to wear Georgia Bulldogs gear. It is good to see Lewis Cine in good spirits after suffering a season-ending leg injury a few months ago.
Another one bites the Dust 😂🐶 pic.twitter.com/tlT2y6bnT0
— ⱠɆ₩ł₴ ₵ł₦Ɇ (@LewisCine) November 10, 2022
Theo Jackson joins fellow Vikings teammate Troy Dye, a former Oregon Duck, as another victim of one of Lewis Cine’s bets.
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We continue our 2022 season previews with the inside linebackers
In a similar vein to how fans felt when Mike Zimmer took over for Leslie Frazier, the excitement is palpable for the beginning of the Kevin O’Connell era.
While the team prepares for the season, we are doing the same at the Vikings Wire. We will be producing previews breaking down both each position and the team as a whole.
Today, we continue with our preview series by talking about the defensive line.
Quarterback Preview
Running Back Preview
Wide Receiver preview
Tight End Preview
Offensive Tackle Preview
Defensive Line Preview
Outside Linebacker/Edge Preview
WATCH: Oregon legend Troy Dye has to wear Georgia gear after losing bet with Vikings teammate
If you’re going to lose a bet, which would you rather have at stake — pride or money?
For a lot of sports fans, holding onto their money sounds like a great outcome, but when you put pride at stake, the end result can end up being pretty brutal.
That’s what happened for pro Duck Troy Dye this weekend. The Minnesota Vikings’ linebacker made a bet with one of his teammates, Lewis Cine, who went to Georgia. The loser had to wear the other team’s colors after the Oregon game on Saturday.
#Duckhunt 🦆 It’s #GoDawgs On this Side 🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/o7vbW9SLxp
— ⱠɆ₩ł₴ ₵ł₦Ɇ (@LewisCine) August 29, 2022
You can guess how that went for Dye …
😂😂 UGA’s Finest pic.twitter.com/b289Xw5Fmd
— ⱠɆ₩ł₴ ₵ł₦Ɇ (@LewisCine) September 5, 2022
At least Oregon fans can be proud they have a former player who pays up when he’s on the wrong end of a bet. If nothing else, there’s one positive to take away from this weekend.
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Former Oregon Ducks linebacker Troy Dye lost a bet with former UGA football standout and Minnesota Vikings teammate Lewis Cine
Former Oregon Ducks linebacker Troy Dye made a bet with Minnesota Vikings teammate Lewis Cine for the Georgia-Oregon game. Cine, who played college football at Georgia, was a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Dye racked up 391 total tackles during his career (2016-2019) with the Oregon Ducks. He’s trying to earn a bigger role with the Vikings ahead of his third NFL season.
Unfortunately for Dye, he bet his Oregon Ducks would beat the Georgia Bulldogs to open the college football season. Kirby Smart and Georgia dismantled Oregon in a 49-3 win over Oregon.
Oregon’s defeat meant Dye lost the bet and had to wear Georgia Bulldogs gear:
😂😂 UGA’s Finest pic.twitter.com/b289Xw5Fmd
— ⱠɆ₩ł₴ ₵ł₦Ɇ (@LewisCine) September 5, 2022
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Tough news for the Vikings in their final preseason game
Injuries have hit the Vikings hard in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos.
First, linebacker Brian Asamoah limped off the field on his own power on a screen pass. He did return to the game on the next possession.
Shortly thereafter, two Minnesota Vikings were ruled out with injuries. T.Y. McGill (ankle) and Troy Dye (foot) both will not return.
On the second drive, safety Josh Metellus also went down with an injury. The Vikings only suited up 52 players, meaning their options at each position are limited just like a regular game.
Not what you want to see for the Vikings.
Justin Flowe’s 14 tackles turned heads in the Pac-12 offices as the conference named him the freshman of the week.
Fourteen tackles in your season and career debut is going to open up some eyes.
That’s exactly what happened when Oregon Ducks linebacker Justin Flowe was named the Pac-12 freshman of the week on Tuesday for his standout performance in Oregon’s 31-24 season-opening win over Fresno State.
Flowe was all over the place as he led the Ducks’ defense with those 14 tackles in his first career start, including five solo takedowns. The Chino, Calif., native also had a tackle for loss and forced a crucial fumble that set up a game-tying field goal for Oregon in the fourth quarter.
The first Pac-12 freshman of the week for the 2021 season, Flowe’s 14 tackles are the most by an Oregon freshman since Troy Dye had 14 on Sept. 21, 2016. Flowe is also the first Oregon player since 2007 and just the fourth since 2000 to record at least 14 tackles and force a fumble in the same game, and he is the eighth player in program history to have at least 14 tackles in a season opener.
After just one game in the books, Flowe naturally leads the Pac-12 in tackles and was one of four Ducks to force a fumble on Saturday. Flowe and the Ducks will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 3 Ohio State this Saturday at 9 a.m. PT on FOX.
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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.
Here is the Minnesota Vikings’ inactive list for the Week 16 game against the New Orleans.
The Vikings defense has regressed from last season and the linebacker position has been a big reason why.
Linebacker Anthony Barr went down with a season-ending injury. Minnesota has missed his blitzing presence for most of the season.
The latest hit to the Minnesota linebacker unit? Eric Kendricks missing four consecutive games, counting the one against the Saints, in which Kendricks has been ruled out.
In fact, the only linebackers available for the Week 16 game are Eric Wilson, Hardy Nickerson Jr., Blake Lynch and Ryan Connolly. That doesn’t bode well for the linebacker position as a whole.
Here is the inactives list:
