Minnesota Vikings make key addition to their defense ahead of the meat of OTAs
It was relatively surprising for the Vikings to have two roster spots open, but they remedied that on Thursday.
With the Minnesota Vikings set to enter the meat of the offseason program, they still had two roster spots available. It’s a little odd considering you’d like to have those spots filled for the offseason program with practices being at a premium, but they have left those spots open.
In past years, later signings have made the roster, with defensive linemen Jalen Redmond and Elijah Williams being the beneficiaries of that. This year, that player might be Isaiahh Loudermilk, who the Vikings announced they signed on Thursday morning.
Minnesota Vikings sign DL Isaiahh Loudermilk
Loudermilk was a former fifth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Wisconsin with an intriguing profile. I spoke to our Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer, Rob Gregson, to learn more about Loudermilk.
For a fifth-round pick behind a stacked defensive line trio, there wasn’t much more that you could ask from Loudermilk in Pittsburgh. He played five years with the Steelers, seeing action in 60 total games and making seven starts. He finished his career with 63 tackles and a sack. He was drafted to be the Steelers’ replacement for Stephon Tuitt.
A to Z Sports’ Rob Gregson
At 6-7 and close to 300 pounds, he’s a prototype for what the Steelers covet from their interior defensive ends. He’s long, rangy, and has enough lateral movement to scrape and penetrate. His main issue in Pittsburgh (besides being behind Pro Bowlers) was his high cut frame. Interior offensive linemen could easily get underneath his pads and drive him off the ball. He’s best suited as a special teamer, with some occasional utility on pass rush downs. I’m sure a great mind like Brian Flores can find a way to make him work, however.
The profile of Loudermilk sounds eerily similar to that of first-round pick Caleb Banks in terms of movement and being high cut. With a similar profile, the Vikings might be trying something interesting with their defensive linemen, and that could make things really interesting in terms of how Brian Flores utilizes his personnel.
For now, Loudermilk is the 90th guy on the roster, but with his experience, there’s a non-zero chance he ends up making an impact somewhere.