The Vikings Cut a Preseason Star
Josh Frey
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With the cutdown date for NFL roster coming on Tuesday afternoon, teams have begun trimming their rosters down from 80 players all the way to 53. Some of these cuts can be seen coming, but others will be surprising. On Monday, Minnesota made a move that will come as a surprise to many folks. Per Ian Rapoport, a Vikings preseason star has been released: DT T.Y. McGill.
McGill has been an NFL journeyman, playing on six teams through the first seven years of his career. He landed on the Vikings in 2021 and made appearances in the final two games of the regular season. He then got an invite to training camp this summer, and throughout the preseason, he has been one of the shining stars.
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In the first two preseason games, McGill recorded 3.5 sacks and provided constant pressure on opposing QBs. Throughout the preseason, I have projected him to make the Vikings final 53-man roster when Tuesday’s deadline gets here.
That said, McGill was one of the plethora of players who left the Vikings final preseason game against the Denver Broncos with an injury. His injury was diagnosed as an ankle sprain; one that would have kept him sidelined for 1-2 weeks of the regular season.
With this in mind, I would venture a guess that McGill’s story with the Vikings is not quite over if he is not picked up off waivers. The Vikings may not have wanted to spend one of their precious 53 roster spots on a player that won’t be able to suit up for the Green Bay Packers game. However, if McGill’s ankle does heal in a timely manner, the Vikings may look to bring him back relatively quickly.
The releasing of McGill as well as Bisi Johnson going down with an ACL tear puts the Vikings at 78 players heading into the noon hour on Monday. That means they have about 27 hours to cut an additional 25 players.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh can often be found training for a marathon, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of Josh’s takes, NFL and otherwise, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken