Kevin O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings have official parted ways with Kenny Dyson.
KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported on X, “Injury settlements: #Jaguars Keivie Ross, #Vikings Kenny Dyson, #Seahawks Power Echols #Rams Zech McPhearson.”
This was an expected next step for Dyson and the Vikings. Wilson reported as much in a previous post on X.
Dyson, a former undrafted free agent, signed with the Vikings in mid-August. He was one of their many cuts at the deadline to get down to 53 players, as the Vikings waived him with an injury designation.
NFL Draft Diamonds called Dyson a “sleeper” ahead of the 2024 draft.
Dyson made his presence felt, recording 1.0 sacks and tying for second on the team with 3 hurries for the Vikings during the 2025 preseason, per Pro Football Focus.
What Vikings Waiving Kenny Dyson With Injury Designation, Settlement Means
The Associated Press offered a refresher about just what the NFL’s “waived/injured” designation means. It provides proper context to why the Vikings parted ways with Dyson in two separate transactions.
“Players can also be waived/injured, which means they can be claimed by another team or revert to their original team’s IR list after the claiming period,” the AP’s Dennis Waszak Jr. wrote in July. “The team can then decide whether it wants to move forward with the player or release him with an injury settlement.”
Of course, that begs the question of what an injury settlement is.
“NFL injury settlements aren’t fixed awards. They’re usually calculated by prorating a player’s base salary for the estimated weeks missed, while long-term disability awards under the NFL concussion settlement can reach up to $5 million for ALS. The difference between those figures reflects two separate compensation systems, not a normal settlement range,” Lein Law Office’s Matthew Lein wrote in August.
“A standard injury settlement connects three variables: the player’s weekly salary, the expected recovery period, and the contract consequences of releasing the player. A player injured early in a 17-week season, for example, might receive 5/17 of base salary if both sides agree the injury will prevent five weeks of participation, according to the National Football Post’s explanation of NFL injury settlements. The agreement generally resolves the team’s liability, so the number on the settlement document can be more important than the medical label attached to the injury.”
Additional Time Attached to Injury Settlement
Additionally, players cannot re-sign with the team they reached a settlement agreement with for three weeks after the deal expires, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson on X in August.
That additional time used to be six weeks, per Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald in August 2013. The Vikings have filled their need for another pass rusher. They signed two-time Super Bowl champion Kyle Van Noy to their practice squad.
That just casts further doubts that Dyson could return to the Vikings in the future.
The Vikings also have starters Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel. However, an injury could be all it takes for Dyson to get a call back. That is, once the appropriate time has passed.
Vikings Officially Sever Ties With ‘Sleeper’ Pass Rusher in Roster Tweak