Vikings Continue Retaining Depth in the Trenches with Re-Signing of Khyiris Tonga
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings have continued their quest to retain their depth pieces on the roster on Friday afternoon. After bringing back offensive tackle Blake Brandel, Minnesota has now opted to bring back defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga.
Tonga joined the Vikings in 2022 after being cut by the Chicago Bears prior to the start of the regular season and then leaving the Atlanta Falcons following Week 4 after being inactive in each of the first four games.
The massive defensive lineman was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 Draft by Chicago and played 15 games there during that season, including a pair of starts. In all he recorded 24 tackles for the Bears during 2021, including a tackle for loss as well as a fumble recovery.
With the Vikings bringing in players like Jonathan Bullard and Harrison Phillips during free agency last offseason, Tonga didn’t get much action when he first joined on in Minnesota. He was listed as inactive during each of his first two weeks with the team.
However, when Dalvin Tomlinson and Jonathan Bullard both went down with injuries midseason, Tonga was one of the players that stepped up in a huge way down the stretch of the regular season.
The second-year player appeared in at least 20% of the defensive snaps in 10 of the Vikings final 11 games during the regular season, and he started each of the final two games when James Lynch suffered a shoulder injury, forcing him out of the lineup.
In all, Tonga played 11 games for the Vikings in 2022 with his 2 starts, and he recorded a grand total of 28 tackles, a tackle for loss, half a sack, and he had 4 passes defensed as well by batting balls down at the line of scrimmage. He also played 24 defensive snaps in the Wild Card round against the Giants, recording an additional tackle.
Tonga’s new contract, according to Chris Tomasson, is the same value as Brandel’s deal: $940,000. Given the role that both players were thrust into during the 2022 season, and how well they stood up to that challenge, this is a steal for the Vikings as they get ready for free agency.
There is some speculation that Tonga could even become a full-time starter in 2023 with the Vikings so retaining him on the roster is one step closer for the seventh-rounder and BYU product towards that goal.
NFL free agency officially begins on March 15th with the legal tampering period taking place between March 13th-15th.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.