The Minnesota Vikings could use a boost in the middle of the defensive line, and if the top potential trade targets either don’t end up changing teams or land elsewhere, Minnesota could take a swing on a brief reunion with Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.
Tomlinson played in Minnesota for two seasons (2021-22), appearing in 29 regular-season games and starting all of them. Those were some of Tomlinson’s better campaigns during his now 10-year NFL career, in which he has started all 146 contests for which he has suited up.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Saturday, October 24 that L.A. is still playing hard to get ahead of the league’s November 10 trade deadline, though circumstances could change both swiftly and significantly.
-Many in league getting impression Colts will wait 1-2 weeks before determining trade course. Rallying off a few wins could change perspective. But…they need picks, too.
-Bucs still in NFC South hunt, but a loss
“Chargers, at 0-6, still giving impression they are standing pat,” Fowler reported to X. “But a long way till Nov. 10 deadline, and Chargers are receiving calls.”
Vikings Could Add Dalvin Tomlinson With Little Impact to Salary Cap
The Chargers are in their bye week and won’t take the field again until November 1 against the Rams in Los Angeles. The Chargers will be underdogs in that contest and a loss probably gets the ball rolling on pre-deadline trades.
Tomlinson, now 32, is playing on a one-year deal worth $6.5 million. The base salary on that contract is slightly less than $2.7 million. Assuming the Vikings dealt for the DT after Week 8, Minnesota would only have to absorb $1.5 million onto its 2026 cap sheet.
A former second-round pick of the New York Giants, Tomlinson has earned nearly $75 million over his professional football career, including $21 million total across two seasons with the Vikings.
While Tomlinson is not the same player that he was in Minnesota during the early 2020s, he remains a depth asset who might end up with an opportunity to start, and would almost certainly see defensive snaps if the Vikings brought him back into the fold.
Dalvin Tomlinson Would Compete for Snaps on Vikings Defense
According to Pro Football Network’s player impact scores, Jalen Redmond is the 25th-best DT in the league through six weeks and the top-rated player at the position on Minnesota’s roster. Levi Drake Rodriguez is 51st on the list, while third-round rookie Domonique Orange is 72nd out of 117 qualifying players despite not yet starting a game this year.
PFN does not have a score/ranking for tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, who has four starts in five games for the Vikings. Pro Football Focus ranks him 65th out of 130 qualifying DTs, though PFF’s player grading system has come under serious scrutiny in recent months following the website’s sale in March and a change in process/evaluators.
Tomlinson slots in as the 112th DT on PFN’s current list, but those rankings are subject to change weekly. Not to mention, he would likely perform better with a strong defense around him, and the Vikings happen to rank second in yardage allowed per game through six weeks.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell entered into that role during Tomlinson’s final year in Minnesota (2022), and the DT did not play for current defensive coordinator Brian Flores who didn’t join the Vikings until 2023. Still, Tomlinson has some familiarity with the organization and coaching staff.
He also shouldn’t cost more than a Day 3 pick. And with Caleb Banks having failed to live up to his billing as a first-round pick thus far, Minnesota could do worse than to add a player like Tomlinson on an inexpensive deal and in exchange for a minimal draft asset.
Vikings Trade Proposal Reunites Team With $75 Million Starting DT