Vikings Work Out LB Clarence Hicks After 1st Preseason Game
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings played their first preseason game this week, falling to the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 24-13.
In the aftermath of that game, the Vikings have been hard at work finding ways to add more competition to the roster. On Friday, Minnesota visited with free agent RB Kareem Hunt, and now, news came out on Sunday that the Vikings will work out LB Clarence Hicks.
The news was initially reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Wilson tweeted on Sunday, “Vikings working out linebacker Clarence Hicks today per a league source @KPRC2.”
Hicks, a 2022 undrafted free agent, spent his collegiate years playing for UTSA. He got his first playing time in the program during 2019, appearing in nine games and recording 25 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble.
Over the course of his collegiate career, Hicks grew into a very fearsome pass rusher in Conference USA. During his final season of 2021, the linebacker recorded 37 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, a forced fumble, 2 passes defended, and an interception.
That spring, Hicks went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he caught on with the Cincinnati Bengals for training camp. He appeared in all three preseason games for Cincinnati, recording 43 snaps on defense. In all, he had 3 tackles,including a sack in his first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Ultimately, Hicks was cut by Cincinnati prior to the 2022 season, and he never played a snap for an NFL team during his rookie year.
Since then, Hicks spent the 2023 XFL season with the Seattle Sea Dragons. He played in 10 games for Seattle, including two starts. The linebacker recorded 21 tackles and two sacks over the course of the season, helping the Sea Dragons to a 7-3 record. However, they lost in the North Division Championship to the DC Defenders.
Most recently, Hicks has had a workout with the Cleveland Browns, Hunt’s former team. However, he was not signed to a contract following that workout given the depth at outside linebacker in Cleveland. The Browns acquired former Vikings pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith back in May after a request to leave Minnesota.
Now, Hicks gets a chance to work out for the Vikings, hoping to earn a chance to contribute to the team throughout the rest of training camp and preseason. Currently, the Vikings roster holds Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, Patrick Jones, Luiji Vilain, Andre Carter, D.J. Wonnum, Curtis Weaver, and Benton Whitley at the outside linebacker spot.
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.