Vikings Sign LB and Special Teams Ace Tanner Vallejo, Waive LB William Kwenkeu
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have now made a couple different moves at the LB position over the course of the past 24 hours.
Early on Sunday morning, a report surfaced that the team would be working out LB Clarence Hicks. Later in the afternoon, another report surfaced that the Vikings have signed LB and special teams ace Tanner Vallejo.
The signing was initially reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He tweeted, “The #Vikings are signing veteran LB Tanner Vallejo, per source. An elite special teamer.”
Vallejo, a Boise State product, is entering his seventh NFL season after being selected in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Over the course of his four seasons at BSU, he racked up 275 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and 1 interception that he returned for a 63-yard touchdown.
Since entering the NFL, Vallejo has spent time with the Bills, Browns, Commanders, and Cardinals. In all, he has appeared in 82 games, including 8 starts. He has recorded 114 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 passes defended.
During the 2022 season, he made five starts on defense for the Cardinals and recorded 37 tackles, includings 2 tackles for loss.
With this signing, the Vikings had to free up space on their roster. As a result, they released LB William Kwenkeu, who exited Minnesota’s first preseason game with an injury. The team announced the decision by tweeting, “The #Vikings have signed LB Tanner Vallejo and waived (injured) LB William Kwenkeu.”
Kwenkeu, a 2022 undrafted free agent, spent his rookie season in Minnesota. He appeared in six games last season for the Vikings and recorded 2 tackles, including a tackle for loss.
The now-former Vikings linebacker spent his collegiate years at Temple, spending a total of six seasons with the Owls from 2016-2021. He recorded 183 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks over those six years.
Now, with the Vikings LB room being shaken up a bit, the group holds Jordan Hicks, Brian Asamoah, Ivan Pace, Troy Reeder, Troy Dye, Wilson Huber, and Abraham Beauplan.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.