Former Vikings Defender Axed By Giants
Roster cutdown day always brings the possibility of a shocking development. In 2022, when the new regime led by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in that position for the first time, they said goodbye to Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the expected WR4 behind Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn. Just as surprising was the release of presumed starter Armon Watts.
Former Vikings Defender Axed By Giants
Everyone entered the preseason expecting Watts to start in the new 3-4 defense next to Dalvin Tomlinson and newcomer Harrison Phillips. Instead, he was cut, and the Vikings turned to a trade acquisition.
It was the first of many trades with the Houston Texans Adofo-Mensah facilitated during his Vikings tenure, bringing former second-rounder Ross Blacklock to the Twin Cities.
Blacklock is now available for free after the Giants told him his services are no longer needed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported.
Once a promising draft prospect out of TCU, Blacklock is now 26 years old, once again looking for a new job. The Texans pulled the trigger to acquire the pre-draft riser with the 40th overall pick, a draft selection they received for shipping DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona.
In two campaigns with the Texans, he played in 29 contests, starting only three. He accumulated a total of 36 tackles and two sacks. Then, the Vikings called to bring the defensive lineman, who landed on the chopping block after only two seasons, to Minnesota.
He was paired with a seventh-round pick, and the Vikings sent a sixth-round pick in return, showing the dropoff in value he experienced in only two campaigns. His time with the Vikings was disappointing, with two tackles and one sack in 11 games. He played only 139 defensive snaps.
Following that season, he took a pay cut and likely would’ve been cut earlier in the offseason without that. After the preseason in 2023, the Vikings said goodbye.
Blacklock spent time with the other three AFC South teams in 2023, with stints on the practice squads in Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and Tennessee. The Titans ultimately gave him a spot on the roster late in the season, and he appeared in a total of four games with Jacksonville and Tennessee.
Last season, he remained in the free agency pool until the Giants signed him to their practice squad in December. In January, he signed a futures contract but didn’t even make it to OTAs.
He has never lived up to his draft expectations. PFF wrote about him in 2020: “The line of scrimmage is the one place where one can fairly easily deduce the ‘have’s’ from the ‘have nots’ within a couple of plays. The good lord only made so many 300 pounders capable of moving like…well…not 300 pounders. Blacklock certainly is one of them and you see that natural ability again and again on TCU’s tape.”
They also compared him to new Vikings defender Javon Hargrave.
Blacklock will turn 27 in July. His next step is to find a team willing to give him a shot to showcase his skills in training camp. Other players have turned to the UFL to revive their careers.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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