Former Vikings Defender Ruled Out for the Season
In the 2023 offseason, the Vikings had a tiny free agency class. The group was headlined by cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who went to his first Pro Bowl following the 2024 season, and he earned a big contract this offseason. Tight end Josh Oliver was also acquired that year. In that same offseason, the Vikings thought giving Packers defender Dean Lowry $8.5 million was a good idea.
Former Vikings Defender Ruled Out for the Season
Lowry’s stint with the Vikings was unremarkable. A torn pectoral muscle cut his lone campaign with the Vikings short, and he was then cut after only one season.
The defender then headed to Pittsburgh, but the Steelers announced that he would miss the entire 2025 season, as he had been placed on IR.
Josh Alper of NBC Sports noted, “Lowry was in his second season with the Steelers and won’t play this season unless he’s released from injured reserve. He had five tackles and a sack in 12 games for the team last season.”
Players that are placed on IR at this point in the NFL calendar are ruled out for the year, unless they can get out of their contract. In some instances, teams and players come to an injury settlement. However, as the Steelers didn’t release him with an injury designation, but straight-up placed him on IR, it doesn’t seem to be the case here. The severity of his knee injury is unknown, but that indicates the injury could be on the worse end.
Lowry, a Northwestern alumnus, was a Packers fourth-rounder in 2016. Now 31 years old, Lowry has played for Green Bay, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh. In his rookie season, Lowry was a backup lineman, playing in 15 games but only 157 snaps that year.
His role expanded in year two, when he started 11 of 16 games and played nearly 500 snaps on defense. A year later, he logged his highest snap total in a season with 697. In seven years with the green NFC North franchise, Lowry played in 111 games with 80 starts and almost 4,000 defensive snaps.
The Vikings hired him in 2023, as their defensive line took a big hit following Dalvin Tomlinson’s departure. A two-year deal worth $8.5 million was signed. Lowry played in nine games and started four of them until the torn pec knocked him out for the year. In his first season with the Steelers, Lowry played in 12 games (one start).
In his nine seasons in the league, Lowry has logged 16.5 sacks, 271 tackles, and 23 tackles for loss. He has never been the man for splashy plays, but for some dirty work in the shadow of Kenny Clark or Cameron Heyward.
His injury could be good news for another Steeler that recently suffered an injury and has a connection to the Vikings: Esezi Otomewo. His injury turned out to be minor. Otomewo was part of the infamous 2022 draft class. He remained on the roster for one season in a depth role. However, he was drafted for Ed Donatell’s defense, and Brian Flores axed him in his first year with the team. The former Gopher signed with the Steelers earlier this year.
Lowry, 31, is in the final year of his contract and is slated to be a free agent next March. An aging player coming off a significant injury rarely has a strong case in the spring.
The Vikings face the Steelers in Week 4, in the NFL’s first game in Dublin, Ireland. Lowry won’t challenge Minnesota’s new interior offensive line.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.