Vikings Sign Former Rams Blocking Tight End Johnny Mundt
The Vikings have agreed to terms with free agent tight end Johnny Mundt, the team announced on Wednesday afternoon at the start of the 2022 league year. Mundt, 27, spent the first five seasons of his career with the Rams, so he has familiarity with Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips.
It's a two-year deal worth up to $2.45 million for Mundt. The Rams also had interest in bringing him back.
Mundt is a blocking specialist at the TE position. The 6'4", 233-pounder has just ten receptions and zero touchdown catches in his NFL career, but he's consistently been a good run blocker who can hold his own in pass protection if needed. Even when Mundt played college ball at Oregon, he had just 683 yards and eight touchdowns over four years, posting a career-best 23/334/4 line as a senior in 2016.
The California native is coming off a torn ACL that limited him to six games in 2021. He rehabbed with new Vikings head trainer Tyler Williams, which is another factor that may have played into Mundt coming to Minnesota.
This isn't a move that figures to impact the status of free agent TE Tyler Conklin, although it still seems unlikely that the Vikings will pay the price needed to bring him back. Mundt is competition for Ben Ellefson in the blocking TE role.
Here's what I imagine the Vikings' tight end depth chart will look like in 2022:
- Irv Smith Jr. (No. 1)
- Zach Davidson/Day 3 rookie (secondary pass-catcher)
- Mundt/Ellefson (blocking specialist)
Mundt joins defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and inside linebacker Jordan Hicks as external free agents who the Vikings and new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have signed thus far.
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