Rams Re-Sign LB With a Rather Unspectacular Vikings History
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has brought a bunch of former Rams over to the new gig. He coordinated Los Angeles to a Super Bowl in the 2021 season and hired some ex-Rams. The most prominent guys include Johnny Mundt, Brandon Powell, and Cam Akers.
Rams Re-Sign LB With a Rather Unspectacular Vikings History
And then there’s a linebacker who signed with the purple club in 2023 but didn’t make an impact: Troy Reeder.
If the name is unfamiliar, well, he never actually appeared in a regular-season game with the Vikings, as he failed to qualify for the 53-man roster, although the depth of Minnesota’s linebacker room was not the best at that time.
He now returns to the Rams.
His NFL journey started in 2019 out of the University of Delaware (he started his college career at Penn State but transferred after one redshirt season and one year of starting at linebacker due to a teammate’s injury). The linebacker went undrafted after back-to-back seasons as a first-team All-CAA. He led his conference in tackles and tackles for loss in his final year.
The Rams signed the 6-1, 235 lbs defender, and he instantly showed enough promise to land on the 53-man roster, which isn’t common for an undrafted guy, especially on a team that had just gone to the Super Bowl.
In his rookie season, he appeared in all 16 games and even logged eight starts, and in his three-year tenure with the Rams, he started 25 games and played in all 49 contests, in addition to five playoff starts.
After his contract expired in the 2022 offseason, Reeder switched LA teams, signing with the Chargers, where he appeared in another 17 games.
Then, in 2023, his Vikings chapter arrived. Reeder suited up for all three preseason contests, and he made six tackles, but not the team.
Instead, the Vikings kept starter Jordan Hicks, rookie sensation Ivan Pace Jr., sophomore Brian Asamoah, and Mike Zimmer leftover Troy Dye on the 53-man roster.
Strangely, Reeder keeps playing significant roles in Los Angeles despite the Vikings indicating that he doesn’t have the oomph to do that. Of course, they immediately re-signed him following his contract termination, and he has been there ever since.
Reeder has played in 72 regular season games (37 starts) with over 2,000 snaps on defense in addition to his value on special teams. Last season, the Rams once again relied on him, and he turned into some kind of tackling machine early in the season, tabulating 46 tackles through six games.
A hamstring injury cost him the remainder of the season, and he missed both games against the Vikes.
Bottom line? Either Minnesota misjudged his value, or Los Angeles continues to play him more than he is qualified for.
Reeder is 30 and could meet his former team in the preseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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