Minnesota Vikings Roster Moves

An injury forced the Minnesota Vikings to make some roster moves. Linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s 30-27 win over the Chicago Bears. This is a significant loss for the Vikings defense. He’s third on the team in tackles (59). He also has six tackles for loss and three sacks. The numbers are great. His play is even better. He’s at his best when he’s moving forward. He’s terrific against the run. He’s a wrecking-ball when blitzing. It’s an understatement to say that defensive coordinator Brian Flores likes to blitz. Pace is arguably his best blitzer. He will be missed. Hopefully, his stint on injured reserve is the minimum four weeks.

Now what? There’s really no replacing Ivan Pace Jr. With his instincts and movement, he’s such a unique football player. The Vikings had to do something. They signed Jamin Davis off of the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers. Originally drafted by the Washington Commanders with the 19th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He appeared in 50 games, with 36 starts, over three-plus years in Washington. With 282 tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception, Davis had the numbers of a defensive contributor. He apparently didn’t fit with the plans of new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. Davis was released on October 22. The Packers signed him to their practice squad on October 29. Now, he has a shot with the Vikings. At 6’4” and 234lbs, Davis has intriguing size. Even more intriguing is his freakish athletic ability. He ran a 4.4 forty and had a 42” vertical leap at his Pro Day. Despite a solid college career at Kentucky, it was probably that Pro Day performance that got him selected in the first round. 

It wasn’t all bad injury news for the Vikings. Outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy was activated off injured reserve. The undrafted rookie was one of the stars of training camp. Just when he was really taking off an injury took him off the field. That injury kept him sidelined until he was able to practice in recent weeks. Now, he’s good to go. If he can regain the form he had during training camp, Murphy might be able to provide a late season pass-rushing boost. 

Get healthy soon, Ivan Pace Jr!