Minnesota Vikings remedy a situation they didn’t want to be involved with, but they found a way to make it better
It’s never great to see things go against what you want to happen, but the Minnesota Vikings found a way to fix it.
One of the biggest positions of need for the Minnesota Vikings has been at edge rusher, and they continue to look at ways to fortify the position. On Wednesday, Minnesota signed an old friend to the practice squad in edge rusher Jihad Ward. He spent the 2025 season with the Tennessee Titans, where he had 31 tackles and 5 sacks across 17 games.
Ward was with Minnesota in 2024, where he played all 17 regular season games and the playoff game with 2 starts. He had only 1 sack and 10 tackles, but his 14 quarterback hits told a different story about his impact. The reason why his production numbers looked modest was due to the role the Vikings asked him to play in their NASCAR package when they would run three and four edge rushers. Ward would line up on the interior at around 285 pounds, meaning he was not a priority in the pass rush plan. He was impactful in helping spring the likes of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel for sacks.
Why the Vikings had to sign Jihad Ward
The Vikings had to sign Ward to the practice squad because of Kenny Dyson’s practice squad contract being disallowed by the NFL. The reason was simple: the Vikings had agreed to an injury settlement with Dyson, and teams are not allowed to sign a player who had an injury settlement with their organization until 3 weeks after the settlement is completed. For example, if a team paid out 4 weeks due to the injury, they would not be able to sign the player for 7 weeks.
The rule exists to prevent teams from stashing players on injured reserve while also allowing teams to avoid paying them during that stretch. Once a player is fully healed, the settlement structure gives him the opportunity to go find another roster spot. It’s a little frustrating because of how well Dyson had played for the Vikings during his short stint in training camp, but overall it works out well for both sides.
Overall, it’s a smart signing. Ward has experience with the Vikings, and going into his age-32 season, that element can be valuable. His veteran presence could help develop some of the young edge rushers the Vikings have in the building. With edge rusher remaining one of Minnesota’s most pressing needs, adding a familiar face who knows the defense gives the coaching staff a reliable option to lean on while the younger players continue to grow.
