Oh, Canada: A Canadian Viking Needs to Re-Earn His Roster Spot
Happy Canada Day, Vikings fans. Most of you are down in the States, but there’s a loyal contingent of Vikings fans who reside in the true north. Everyone here at PurplePTSD sends along their well wishes for the national holiday.
On this day, perhaps it’s worthwhile to consider the Canadian Viking. Luiji Vilain, an edge rusher who’s going into his sophomore season, is looking to prove that he deserves a roster spot going into 2023. Can he stick around? Better yet, can he get onto the field on Sundays?
Luiji Vilain, the Canadian Viking
The edge rusher position looks a bit more unsettled than it did going into the offseason.
Za’Darius Smith has been traded to the Browns, a move that brought back some better draft picks and increased cap space. Meanwhile, Danielle Hunter is holding out for a new contract. The long & strong Hunter certainly deserves more money, so the hope is that team and player will find a mutually beneficial middle ground in short order.
In the background is Luiji Vilain, an UDFA from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s opening months as the team’s general manager.
The young pass rusher played sparingly during his rookie season, joining the fun for just a trio of games. In the end, he finished the year with 4 total tackles. He had 34 snaps on defense and 59 snaps on special teams.
In many ways, it’s the special teams that could make the difference. Snagging a depth spot for Brian Flores is nice, but also being a key component of what Matt Daniels is doing on special teams would make him particularly appealing. With his size – he’s 6’4″, 252 pounds – Vilain could possibly find himself along the line for punt team and possibly even the extra point team. Moreover, the young pass rusher has some wheels, giving him the possibility of showing up for either kickoff coverage or return.
In short, having a pair of coordinators with a vision for a depth player can only help said player to snag a coveted roster spot.
After the 2022 NFL Draft, the Vikings made it a priority to sign Luiji Vilain. They sent over a hefty amount of guaranteed cash to the Canadian, making Minnesota a lucrative team to join. He had $207,000 in guaranteed salary last year, proof of Minnesota’s serious interest in adding him. Money is what it’s all about in the NFL, folks.
Making things a touch more interesting is that the Vikings have pursued a similar path for the most recent batch of UDFAs. Andre Carter II is a super long edge rusher who actually commanded more guaranteed money in 2023. The Vikings decided to give Carter $300,000, a notable total for an UDFA. Carter and Vilain are on a collision course for the offseason competition.
Minnesota’s defense is undergoing a pretty massive overhaul. Gone are veterans like Eric Kendricks, Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, Za’Darius Smith, Cameron Dantzler, Kris Boyd, Duke Shelley, and Dalvin Tomlinson. And, of course, Ed Donatell was fired, making room for Flores to take over.
The team is fully leaning into their youth for improvement. Vilain has suggested he feels more comfortable heading into Year 2. Partnering that increased comfort with renewed urgency to re-earn his spot can hopefully allow the Canadian pass rusher to stick around the Vikings roster.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
