Vikings Deliver Some Bad News for Injured Defender
Well, this one goes into the “bad news” category for the Vikings.
Ivan Pace Jr., a menace at off-ball linebacker, is going to be sidelined for the next several weeks due to the injury he snagged in the Week 12 victory over the Bears. Check out the word from the team’s official social media: “OLB Gabe Murphy has been activated off IR to the 53-man roster and LB Ivan Pace Jr. has been placed on IR.”
Coming in alongside that news is the signing of a new linebacker: “The #Vikings have signed LB Jamin Davis (@Jamindavis25) to the 53-man roster.”
The Vikings and The Bad News
Start off with the additions.
Davis, 25, stands at 6’3″ and weighs 234 pounds. He ran a blistering 4.47 forty, at least partially explaining why he was scooped up at No. 19 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Vikings sent out another bit of info about the linebacker, explaining that Davis “has appeared in 50 games (36 starts) and totaled 282 tackles, 7.0 sacks, one interception, six passes defended, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his NFL career.”
Davis is essentially functioning as a one-for-one replacement for Pace, at least in terms of a roster spot. Kamu Grugier-Hill is going to be elevated to LB2. Brian Flores seems likely to shift some of the linebacker responsibilities over to Josh Metellus and Andrew Van Ginkel, among others.
And then there’s the Gabe Murphy addition, something that’s been in the works for the little while.
Signed as an UDFA, Murphy is stepping into a loaded edge rusher crew. He’ll likely need to show what he’s capable of as a special teams ace before getting some serious attention on defense. Currently, Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel are exceeding expectations. So, too, has Patrick Jones been doing a good job and then Jihad Ward does well within his role on third down. Oh, and that’s not even accounting for 1st-Round selection Dallas Turner, someone who oozes potential.
Finally, the Ivan Pace loss.
The play where he got hurt didn’t look good, but it was impossible to know in the moment if he would need just a bit of time off or a more extended stay on the IR. We now have the answer: he’ll be out for at least four games.
His nine games have led to 59 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 QB hits, 6 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 touchdown. The undersized linebacker specializes in flying up the field to wreak havoc. Fast and physical, Pace is a weapon who won’t be easily replaced.
LB1 Blake Cashman, who is just coming off of his own injury, will be more important than ever.
Next up for the Vikings is a date with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, December 1st. Kickoff will take place at noon inside U.S. Bank Stadium. Winning the upcoming game will mean pushing the win streak up to five games and the overall record up to 10-2.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference 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.