Vikings Beef Up Defense with a New Add at Linebacker
The eternal work of roster building is ongoing in Minnesota.
Per the team’s official social media, a veteran linebacker has been brought aboard. Check out the official word: “The #Vikings have signed LB Calvin Munson and WR Trishton Jackson to the practice squad. TE N’Keal Harry has been released from the practice squad.”
Vikings Welcome in a New Linebacker
Start off with the known players.
WR-turned-TE N’Keal Harry has been within Minnesota’s orbit for a little while. The former 1st-Round selection has tremendous size, partly explaining the desire for him to switch positions. Moving on from Harry lessens Minnesota’s tight end depth at precisely the moment when it appears that T.J. Hockenson could get activated for game action.
Plus, receiver Trishton Jackson is back after getting let go. Apparently, the playmaker passed through waivers unclaimed, allowing Minnesota to circle back around to the talented receiver. He’ll continue working on his craft as a practice squad player and don’t be surprised if he gets a shot at contributing before the season is over.
Now, with all of that said, the new linebacker.
Standing at 6’1″ and weighing 240 pounds, Mr. Munson isn’t winning any largest-linebacker competitions. Nevertheless, what he can offer is experience aplenty, including for Brian Flores. The LB and DC have a connection going back to Miami, making the transition to Minnesota easier for the defender.
KTSP’s Darren Wolfson foreshadowed the decision in an earlier tweet: “Told to be on the lookout for the #Vikings adding LB Calvin Munson to their practice squad. Worked out here a few days ago.” Wolfson’s prophetic word would materialize not too long afterwards.
Many will think of the current injury to Blake Cashman, but the Munson add isn’t about getting a new LB1. Ivan Pace Jr. is stepping into that role as Kamu Grugier-Hill also sees an increased workload. Plus, there’s always players like Andrew Van Ginkel and Josh Metellus (Harrison Smith, too) who can soak up snaps at linebacker.
The Munson addition does, however, give Minnesota another option when it comes to special teams. After all, the linebacker has 546 career snaps on defense and 685 career snaps on special teams. Does Matt Daniels see something in the veteran that he likes?
Munson first entered the NFL back in 2017 as a UDFA with the Giants. Since then, he has mostly gone back and forth between the Patriots and Dolphins. The Vikings are his fourth NFL team.
Minnesota’s defense is coming off of a poor effort in Week 7, allowing the Detroit Lions to pile up 31 points. Even still, Flores’ crew is sitting at 6th in the NFL by allowing an average of just 17.2 points against per game.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.