Pair of Former Vikings Enter the Next Chapter of their Careers
Free agency week gets referred to as a frenzy for a reason: there’s a lot that goes on.
To that end, consider some of the shuffling surrounding a pair of former Vikings players. Tight end Robert Tonyan made the decision to keep calling Kansas City home. Meanwhile, Cleveland has decided that it’s time to move on from Dalvin Tomlinson, a defensive tackle. Very quickly, the talented defender found a new home.
Pair of Former Vikings & The Next NFL Chapter
Begin with the tight end.
Mr. Tonyan has been around the NFC North, putting in some work for all four teams. Prior to becoming a Chief, Tonyan was seeking to help out at tight end for Minnesota, a position that needed aid due to T.J. Hockenson’s recovery.
The update about him was passed along by Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network: “Veteran TE Robert Tonyan signed with the #Chiefs.”
Meanwhile, the news update about Dalvin Tomlinson has recently gotten a bit spicier. Not only did he become available, be he quickly found work.
Consider the update from Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network: “Dalvin Tomlinson gets 2 years, for $29M with $16M guaranteed. A really nice deal.” Indeed, the number is healthy for an older defensive tackle, a contract that mirrors the one that Javon Hargrave landed to become a Viking.
Mr. Tomlinson is an imposing 6’3″ and 325 pounds. Don’t let the size fool you, though: the man is an athlete, someone who moves well.
His time as a Viking was a success. Across two seasons, Tomlinson picked up 81 tackles, 5 sacks, 17 QB hits, 5 tackles for loss, 2 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.
The Vikings, meanwhile, have been pretty frisky when it comes to addressing their DT deficiency. Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave are both older and yet each one has a high ceiling, even at this stage in their career.
Partnering them with Harrison Phillips — which is to say nothing of the young trio consisting of Jalen Redmond, Taki Taimani, and Levi Drake Rodriguez — means good things for the Brian Flores defense.
In contrast, the tight end position is lacking in depth. At the very top are a terrific twosome: T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Each is at the top of the NFL for what they do well (pass catching for Hockenson, blocking for Oliver). Losing Johnny Mundt — a Kevin O’Connell favorite — means that a TE3 is needed.
Much more to come as the NFL free agency period continues to unfold.
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 social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.