Vikings Host Pair of Linebackers For Tryouts on Monday
The Vikings hosted linebackers Bryce Hager and David Reese II for tryouts on Monday, according to the NFL's transactions wire.
Even after signing veteran Hardy Nickerson Jr. last week, the Vikings are clearly still exploring options for additional linebacker depth. That has become an area of concern because Ben Gedeon is on the PUP list and Cameron Smith will miss the season to recover from open-heart surgery. They brought in Quentin Poling, but he got injured, which necessitated the Nickerson signing.
At the moment, undrafted free agents Jordan Fehr and Blake Lynch still appear to be ahead of Nickerson on the depth chart behind Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, Eric Wilson, and Troy Dye.
Hager is a five-year veteran who was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round back in 2015. The Baylor product appeared in 69 games with the Rams over the past five seasons, primarily making an impact on special teams. He has fewer than 300 career defensive snaps and has only started four games, but has nearly 1,500 career special teams snaps.
For his career, Hager has 48 tackles, four QB hits, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He's an excellent athlete who ran a 4.6-second 40 at 6'1", 234 pounds at the 2015 combine. Hager most recently was with the Raiders for a couple weeks, but they released him on Sunday.
Reese, meanwhile, is a rookie from the University of Florida who started 38 games during his college career. He was signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent but was waived this weekend.
We'll see if the Vikings elect to sign either of these guys. With the season less than three weeks, I think Fehr is someone to keep an eye on as a guy who could legitimately make the team as the No. 5 linebacker.
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