Inside The Vikings

Vikings DT James Lynch Out for 2023 Season With Torn ACL

Lynch's injury is a slight blow to Minnesota's depth at defensive tackle.
Will Ragatz|
Vikings DT James Lynch Out for 2023 Season With Torn ACL
Vikings DT James Lynch Out for 2023 Season With Torn ACL

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Minnesota Vikings

Vikings defensive tackle James Lynch will miss the 2023 season with a torn ACL, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Lynch suffered the injury during the team's practice on Thursday evening.

This is a blow to Minnesota's DT depth, but not a massive one. Lynch was probably somewhere between fourth and sixth on the depth chart in that room. The 2020 fourth-round pick out of Baylor has played in 37 games over the last three seasons, starting three of them. Over the last two years, he logged a total of 580 defensive snaps, typically playing between 15-25 per game.

Lynch had a huge 13.5-sack junior season in college, but has been more of a serviceable rotation player than a budding star in the NFL. He has two career sacks and earned a solid 64.9 PFF grade last season. At 6'4", 295, he's a good run defender with a little bit of pass rush potential, though he has just 11 NFL pressures.

You feel for Lynch with this news, as he was entering the final year of his rookie contract and looking to prove himself. Now he'll spend the year rehabbing his injury on the Vikings' IR before hitting free agency.

Harrison Phillips, Dean Lowry, and Khyiris Tonga are the Vikings' top three defensive tackles. Lynch was in the mix with players like Jonathan Bullard, Esezi Otomewo, and rookie Jaquelin Roy in the next tier. Also on the 90-man roster at DT are Ross Blacklock, Sheldon Day, T.J. Smith, Junior Aho, and Calvin Avery.

Once Lynch is placed on IR, the Vikings will have a roster spot open.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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