Getty Ejiro Evero has become the second defensive coordinator candidate to spurn the Vikings.
The first waves of cuts have hit Minnesota Vikings training camp.
In accordance with league rules, the Vikings trimmed their roster down to 85 players on August 16, releasing five players in the process.
One of the most notable releases was former Denver Broncos outside linebacker Andre Mintze, who was an undrafted free agent last season and played in six games in Denver before he was released from a crowded outside linebacker room.
Third-year fullback Jake Bargas and veteran cornerback Tye Smith were released, while defensive tackle Tyarise Stevenson and wide receiver Thomas Hennigan were waived with an injury designation.
If Stevenson and Hennigan clear waivers, they can be reverted to the Vikings’ injured reserve list.
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Mintze Was Part of New Regime’s Explosive Additions
When Minnesota signed Mintze in June, it was another admission of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s initiative to get explosive players on defense.
Despite being undrafted out of Vanderbilt, Mintz, 23, tested into an elite tier of outside linebackers with a relative athletic score of 9.62 out of 10. He possesses great size at 6-foot-2, 253 pounds and explosive speed, posting a 4.59 40-yard dash.
His 10-yard split, a metric that Adofo-Mensah prioritized both in the draft and free agency, tested at 1.52 seconds, tied for the fifth-fastest 10-yard split by any outside linebacker since 1999, per the Mockdraftable database.
Adofo-Mensah’s first qualifier for his additions on defense has been explosiveness in the 10-yard split, which he garnered “Moneyball” references from several pundits covering the team.
The 10-yard split of the 40-yard dash shows a player’s potential for instincts and explosiveness on the field. Out of nine drafted players with tested 10-yard split times available, three tested in the 99th percentile, three in the 90th percentile and two above 80% at their respective positions.
Here’s a list provided by Inside the Vikings’ Will Ragatz.
- Lewis Cine, S: 1.45 seconds (9.98 grade, fastest among safeties in 2022 class)
- Andrew Booth Jr., CB: N/A (but likely would’ve tested well)
- Ed Ingram, G: 1.68s (9.89 grade)
- Brian Asamoah II, ILB: 1.55s (9.72 grade)
- Akayleb Evans, CB: 1.54s (8.35 grade)
- Esezi Otomewo, OLB: 1.71s (4.46 grade)
- Ty Chandler, RB: 1.46s (9.93 grade, fastest among running backs in 2022 class)
- Vederian Lowe, T: 1.75s (9.03 grade)
- Jalen Nailor, WR: 1.52s (9.44 grade)
- Nick Muse, TE: 1.63s (8.16 grade)
Undrafted rookie William Kwenkeu, who signed with the Vikings in June posted a 1.49 second 10-yard split, which is the second-fastest time on record for linebackers, per Mockdraftable.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke on why the new regime prioritized this metric in their first year and what it may mean on the field.
“No matter what position you’re really at, I think that first step, those initial bursts of being able to go do your job just a little quicker in those first couple of steps, might be the difference between getting a hand on the ball or springing a big run because you get a great fit on a block,” he said, per Ragatz. “Receivers, that initial burst, we’re always coaching our guys to run off the football and really that’s every position because when you can play fast in those first 10 yards, a lot of times, really good things will happen.
“And then ultimately, when you’re talking about the awareness and the instincts that you kind of try to track and evaluate, it’s great to have awareness and instincts. But even like what we talked about with Lewis Cine, he can see it, but then when it’s time to go, he can go and in those first 10 yards, I think you can really determine what is in a guy’s body to be able to explosively go move to do whatever job they need to do within playing this game. Because as much as we play on a big field, you try to stretch, spread them out on offense, try to attack defenses, try to attack defensively against offenses in space. Ultimately, the make or break type of plays in this league happen in that 10-yard, 5-to-10-yard confined area where guys can really separate themselves.”
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More Cuts on the Way
Minnesota faces two more roster deadlines this offseason, ending with the final 53-man roster deadline on August 30.
The next round will follow the Vikings’ joint practices and preseason game with the San Francisco 49ers, with the roster needing to be trimmed down to 80 players by August 23.
The practice squad has 14 spots available for the 2022 season, leaving 67 available roster spots in Minnesota this season.
Here’s an updated depth chart:
OFFENSE
QB: Kirk Cousins | Kellen Mond OR Sean Mannion
RB: Dalvin Cook | Alexander Mattison | Kene Nwangwu | Ty Chandler | Bryant Koback
FB: C.J. Ham | Jake Bargas
WR: Justin Jefferson | Ihmir Smith-Marsette | Myron Mitchell | Dan Chisena
WR: Adam Thielen | Bisi Johnson | Trishton Jackson OR Jalen Nailor
WR: K.J. Osborn | Albert Wilson | Thomas Hennigan | Blake Proehl
TE: Irv Smith | Johnny Mundt | Ben Ellefson | Zach Davidson | Nick Muse | Shaun Beyer
LT: Christian Darrisaw | Blake Brandel | Vederian Lowe
RT: Brian O’Neill | Olisaemeka Udoh | Timon Parris
LG: Ezra Cleveland | Chris Reed | Kyle Hinton
C: Garrett Bradbury | Austin Schlottmann |Josh Sokol
RG: Jesse Davis | Ed Ingram | Wyatt Davis
DEFENSE
DE: Dalvin Tomlinson | Jonathan Bullard | Esezi Otomewo
DE: Armon Watts | James Lynch | Jaylen Twyman | Jullian Taylor
NT: Harrison Phillips | T.J. Smith | T.Y. McGill Jr. | Tyarise Stevenson
OLB: Danielle Hunter | D.J. Wonnum | Janarius Robinson | Andre Mintze
OLB: Za’Darius Smith | Pat Jones II | Luiji Vilain | Zach McCloud
MLB: Eric Kendricks | Troy Dye | Chazz Surratt | Ryan Connelly
WLB: Jordan Hicks | Brian Asamoah II | Blake Lynch | William Kwenkeu
CB: Patrick Peterson | Andrew Booth Jr. | Akayleb Evans | Harrison Hand | Nate Hairston
CB: Cameron Dantzler | Chandon Sullivan | Kris Boyd | Parry Nickerson| Tye Smith
S: Harrison Smith | Josh Metellus | Mike Brown
S: Camryn Bynum | Lewis Cine | Myles Dorn
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Greg Joseph
P: Jordan Berry | Ryan Wright
LS: Andrew DePaola
KR: Kene Nwangwu | K.J. Osborn | Ty Chandler
PR: Ihmir Smith-Marsette | Jalen Nailor