The Vikings’ Surprise Roster Elevation Clarifies Linebacker Hierarchy
Turning to practice squad edge rusher Gabriel Murphy made a lot of sense given that the Vikings’ EDGE3 Patrick Jones II wasn’t able to play. What about elevating linebacker Calvin Munson prior to the Week 18 Lions game?
That one was a bit more surprising.
In the end, Munson wasn’t needed (he was inactive). The reason for bringing him up was very likely due to the uncertain status of LB3 Kamu Grugier-Hill, a player who entered the game with a questionable designation. Any takeaways from the simple decision to have Munson on standby?
The Vikings’ Surprise Elevation in Week 18
Keep in mind that the position is pretty lean on most days.
Blake Cashman is the undisputed top option, the one who wears the green dot and the one who gets tasked with doing a bit of everything. Cashman needs to defend the run, cover running backs and tight ends, and be a menace as a blitzer.
Next up is Ivan Pace Jr., the sophomore who got snagged as an UDFA after the 2023 NFL Draft. Pace specializes in coming forward, proving to be a handful as a blitzer and as someone who can shoot gaps in run defense. Grugier-Hill is a veteran with some pass coverage skills and Brian Asamoah is mostly an option for the special teams.
Brian Flores, of course, doesn’t feel constrained by position labels and where players are expected to lineup. Edge rushers like Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner sometimes play off-ball linebacker. Safeties with size like Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus sometimes get dropped down into the box.
So, there are options beyond just the normal four linebackers.
If, however, one of those linebackers can’t go, then the next man up is Calvin Munson. Earlier in the year, Jamin Davis was on the active roster, doing some good things as a super athletic player who can replicate Pace’s attacking style. Davis is gone, though, opening the door for Munson.
Originally an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants, Munson got into the NFL back in 2017. He has since picked up work in New York, New England, Miami, and now Minnesota. Notably, he overlapped with Flores with the Dolphins, perhaps explaining the Vikings’ decision to bring him to town.
The 30-year-old defender offers plenty of experience and just average size at 6’1″, 240. The appeal in Minnesota likely has to do with a strong understanding of what Flores expects alongside being involved in 51 NFL games. In a pinch, the Vikings could do worse.
Minnesota appears to be mostly healthy moving into the opening round of the playoffs. The linebackers — especially Cashman and Pace — face a tough task in looking to corral Rams RB1 Kyren Williams (which is to say nothing of generating pressure when blitzed).
If, however, something happens and there’s a need for a healthy linebacker, then keep an eye on Calvin Munson, a veteran who has a history with Flores.
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.