Little-Known Vikings Players Are Standing Out, Too.
Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings demolished the Houston Texans last Sunday, completely stifling DeMeco Ryansā Super Bowl-contending group by a score of 34-7.
Little-Known Vikings Players Are Standing Out, Too.
The Vikings sit alone in first place at 3-0, with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers just a game back entering Week 4.
Along the way to the trouncing of the Texans, two unsung Vikings defenders found their way to the field and ā you guessed it ā made a mark, albeit in defensive āgarbage time.ā
Jalen Redmond (DT)
The Vikings lead the NFL in sacks (16) through three games, and in fact, have more sacks than any team through three games since 2006.
Caean Couto-USA TODAY Sports.
And wouldnāt you know it? The depth defensive players are cashing in on the fun, too. Redmond recorded a 4th Quarter sack last weekend on Texans QB2 Davis Mills. He played just 16 sacks but made the most of those opportunities in the rout of Houston.
Redmond played 4 games in 2024 with the UFLās Arlington Renegades, tabulating 4.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, and 18 total tackles. That stat line was evidently enough to turn heads in the Vikingsā front office, and Redmond parlayed the trial into a roster spot for the 2024 season.
Through three games, he delivered when called upon, notching a sack on Mills.
Baylor s Blake Shapen (12) looks to pass as Oklahoma s J. Redmond (31) makes a sack during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Baylor Bears at Gaylord Family ā Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. Ā© NATHAN J FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK.
The ex-Renegade joined the Carolina Panthersā roster as an undrafted free agent 19 months ago ā right around the time Ivan Pace Jr. signed with the Vikings ā where he stayed for four months. Carolina said goodbye in August 2023, and Redmond eventually tried the UFL on for size. The experiment worked, especially with his current presence on Minnesotaās 53-man roster.
Jay Ward (S)
Ward is more known to Vikings fans than Redmond, as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah scooped Ward out of the 2023 NFL Draft in the 4th Round. His main āproblemā early in his NFL career is the Vikingsā safety depth. Put frankly, Minnesota doesnāt need Wardās defensive presence ā not with safeties Harrison Smith, Josh Metellus, and Camryn Bynum headlining the unit.
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
However, like Redmond, Ward made the most of his playing time, recording a quarterback hit on Mills, along with two tackles in the Week 4 win.
Ward played substantially on special teams as a rookie in 2023 ā 306 plays ā with 35 defensive snaps. That was enough to make a name for himself among coaches, and his sizzle transferred to the summer when he comfortably made the Vikingsā 53-man roster.
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
The USC alumnus would be the next man up if injuries beset Smith, Metellus, or Bynum.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, āThe Sopranos,ā Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.Ā
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
