Getty Vikings rookie Troy Dye returns to the roster after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2.
The Vikings linebacker room was considered a strength heading into the 2020 season that introduced new starters on the defensive line and secondary.
But after a series of ill-fated injuries, the Vikings are scraping the bottom of the barrel to roster a full linebacker group.
Fourth-round rookie linebacker Troy Dye was the fourth linebacker added to the team’s reserve lists on Thursday after he suffered a foot injury against the Colts. Dye joins four-time Pro Bowler Anthony Barr who is out for the season with a torn pectoral injury on the team’s injured reserve list.
Dye suffered a midfoot sprain in the second quarter of the Colts game. The Vikings wrapped it up and he played on it, but the swelling encumbered him on Monday, per Chris Tomasson. Tomasson added that the Vikings “hope” he’s just out the three required weeks under the new injured reserve rules this season.
Starting weakside linebacker Ben Gedeon was a non-participant through training camp and has been on the team’s physically-unable-to-perform list to start the season, while special teams linebacker Cameron Smith underwent open-heart surgery after discovering a heart defect during training camp.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content out of Skol Nation!
Vikings Sign Former Broncos Starting LB
GettyTodd Davis was signed by the Vikings on Thursday.
Todd Davis, a former Broncos linebacker who won a Super Bowl with the team in 2015, signed a one-year contract with the Vikings and is expected to practice with the team on Thursday, per Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson.
Davis played in 59 of the past 60 games for his former team, starting in all but one of those games since 2016. Davis coming off his best two seasons as a pro, tallying one interception and eight passes defended to go along with 158 total tackles — 12 for a loss — and six quarterback hits.
Davis went undrafted in 2014 and had a short stint with the Saints before being signed by the Broncos. Under the tutelage of Wade Phillips and veteran talents like Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall, Davis emerged as a starter in 2016. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak likely advocated for Davis as the Broncos head coach in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, Davis was named a team captain by Kubiak.
“Todd’s a fine player. … I think the world of Todd. Great kid,” Kubiak said in a press conference on Thursday.
Davis practiced with the team on Thursday.
Where the Vikings Go From Here
An inside linebacker, Davis is a run-stuffing, hard-hitting linebacker that will likely catapult into the Vikings starting unit when signed. Eric Wilson will likely move to outside linebacker and fill in Barr’s role.
The Vikings defense gave up 151 rushing yards to the Colts last Sunday and are ranked 28th against the run. The addition of Davis should give the run defense a boost but he likely won’t play a huge role against the Titans with only two days of practice under his belt.
Instead, the Vikings will likely defer to Eric Wilson to fill the outside linebacker role and a timeshare between veteran Hardy Nickerson Jr. and second-year linebacker Ryan Connelly. Connelly saw some action when Barr and Dye went out with injuries last Sunday against the Colts.
RELATED ARTICLES:
-
Trevor Squire is a Heavy contributor covering the Minnesota Vikings and journalism graduate from the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities. Connect with him on Twitter @trevordsquire and join our Vikings community at Heavy on Vikings on Facebook.