Yet Another Former Vikings Lineman Gets a Shot at the Playoffs
Yesterday, we relayed the news that some former Vikings linemen – DE Ifeadi Odenigbo and iOL Danny Isidora – got a shot to help push their new teams toward the playoffs. The former is playing alongside Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and the latter will be helping out Mike Vrabel’s team in Tennessee. The latest news suggests that there is another former Vikings lineman with a shot at making a push toward the playoffs.
Wyatt Davis, who was a third-round selection in the 2021 Draft, is now with the New York Giants. Take a look at the word from Field Yates:
As Josh Frey wrote, the Cardinals decided to move on from Davis earlier, making him available yet again. Josh offers a succinct recap of some of what has gone on in Davis’ still-young career:
Following being cut by the Vikings, Davis found his way to the New York Giants prior to Week 1 of the regular season with their practice squad. He did not appear in any games, and he was released for the second time on September 8th.
Davis was signed by the New Orleans Saints a day later. Believe it or not, he actually found a few snaps worth of playing time. During Week 5 against the Seahawks, the Saints ran him out there for a pair of offensive snaps. However, they too ran out of use for the former Viking and waived him in November.
That’s how Davis landed with the Arizona Cardinals, who promptly claimed him off waivers. He found more playing time with them in Week 10, playing a snap on offense in their victory over the Rams. That’s all the action he’d see though, and now he’s on the search for another team this year.
The search didn’t take too long.
As the above quotation indicates, Davis is entering his second chance with the Giants. Hopefully, the young offensive guard will have the opportunity to stick around for a little while and get onto the field for some significant snaps.
Coming out of the draft, I was among those who were really enthused about Rick Spielman’s decision to draft him. I had heard the positive reports and the rumors that, for a time, he could have gone quite a bit higher than where he was chosen (86th overall).
At 6’4″, 315 pounds, Davis certainly has the size one looks for in an NFL offensive lineman. Moreover, the former Vikings lineman put up 25 reps on the bench press, a respectable number that suggests he possesses some NFL strength.
Of course, being strong on the football field goes beyond merely being able to toss up the bar with a couple plates on each side. Having tremendous balance and hand placement can be vitally important for a lineman. Indeed, succeeding in the trenches has a ton to do with having great feet and hands (alongside a variety of other factors).
Last week, the Vikings took down the Giants, the team that is bringing Wyatt Davis aboard for round 2. At 8-6-1, New York sits in the #6 spot in the NFC playoff race. Unless something unusual happens, they’ll be able to hold onto that slot, meaning they’ll head on the road in the opening round of the playoffs to face either the Vikings or 49ers.
Therein lies a lot of the intrigue: quite often, the former Vikings we discuss go to places where they won’t have too much of a chance of playing against Minnesota. In this instance, Wyatt Davis may get a shot against the team that drafted him. Even more significant is that this potential matchup would occur in the playoffs.
Best of luck to Davis. Hopefully, the 23-year-old offensive lineman can settle into New York and start building his NFL career as a Giant.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
