Vikings Will Absolutely Regret Dumping Preseason Standout

The Minnesota Vikings are one of the most intriguing teams ahead of Tuesday’s roster deadline. In addition to cutting the roster down from 90 players to 53 by 3 p.m. Tuesday, the Vikings are also working the phones trying to add to a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

There have already been some surprises including the trade that sent Harrison Phillips to the New York Jets and another deal that sent Mekhi Blackmon to the Indianapolis Colts. While it appears the Vikings roster is a tough one to crack, it doesn’t mean that they’ll be immune to mistakes and may have made their first letting a preseason standout walk out the door.

Vikings Will Regret Cutting EDGE Gabriel Murphy

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Vikings plan to waive outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy. While Pelissero adds that the Vikings could make a trade before the deadline, it appears that the second-year edge rusher could be out of town one way or another, which could be a big mistake for Brian Flores’s defense.

Murphy arrived in Minnesota as an undrafted free agent last season and flashed early in training camp. His momentum was derailed by a knee injury that limited him to two games in his rookie season but he was a favorite to earn a backup edge rusher spot after collecting 1.5 sacks and five quarterback pressures during the preseason opener against the Houston Texans.

Murphy managed three more pressures including two quarterback hits in the second game against the New England Patriots but it was a worse overall effort with a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 49.2. While he sat out the preseason finale against Tennessee, many figured that it was because he made the team. But apparently, the Vikings had other ideas.

This is a risky bet in the Vikings edge rusher room. Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel are locked in as starters. 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner is coming off a tremendous camp and is expected to have a bigger role. But that fourth edge rusher spot could come into play if there is an injury or Turner can’t make the leap in his second year.

There was no guarantee that Murphy would have been an impact player outside of a rotational role but he could have been depth as a situational pass-rusher. While they may have another option up their sleeve, Murphy may have had the most upside and will look to fulfill that somewhere else.