Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins Could Shake Up Vikings' Remaining Free Agency Plans

EAGAN — One of the things that Ty Ingram-Dawkins, a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, has always prided himself on is being able to play anywhere along the defensive line.

At Georgia in 2024, he played 104 snaps at defensive tackle, 186 snaps at defensive end and 218 at outside linebacker, per PFF data. The start of his career in Minnesota was no different as he mixed about a 50-50 split of his 250 snaps as a rookie in 2025 between a 3-4 defensive end and outside linebacker.

Going into this season, Ingram-Dawkins still viewed himself as a player who could take on any role in the front seven, but he spent the offseason shaping his workouts and his preparation to get ready to rush the passer from the outside.

Vikings embracing Ingram-Dawkins' versatility

“They’re tapping into how they want to use me…you really put those tools together during the offseason, working with edge [rusher] work,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “Last offseason, I kind of did just defensive tackle work because I knew how they were going to utilize me in this defense.”

This offseason the Vikings traded veteran Jonathan Greenard, bumping up Dallas Turner on the depth chart and opening up a competition for outside linebacker reps behind Turner. There has been plenty of speculation about whether the Vikings will add another player in free agency at that position group, but thus far in the early days of camp, Ingram-Dawkins has appeared to be one of the key depth players.

Knowing that this opportunity could arise, Ingram-Dawkins knew that he needed to focus on quickness and bendiness rather than girth.

“Doing a lot of more agile stuff than I would do if I was playing the inside,” Ingram-Dawkins said. "So it was a little bit different, but I got used to it … I just built up my body to be able to be efficient on the edge, then it would be in the middle.”

Does that mean he dropped a few pounds and thinned down? It appeared that way to the eye but he used a different term to describe his look.

“I just got leaner, still the same weight,” Ingram-Dawkins explained. "I just fixed up my diet and changed a few things in my everyday routine.”

In a mixed role last year, Ingram-Dawkins rushed the passer 72 times and had six QB pressures and had one sack. In 2024 at Georgia, he had 3.0 sacks.

Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Georgia — Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (93) celebrates a defensive stop during the second quarter of an NCAA football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

What the Vikings are betting on is his impressive athleticism translating into a problem for opposing offenses. At the combine, he ran a 4.86 40-yard dash at 275 pounds and had a 36-inch vertical jump. Ingram-Dawkins thinks he can turn the corner in part because he is a self-described film junkie. He spent the summer watching every play.

"I went back and watched my snaps from last year and [looked at] all my strengths that I felt like I did good last year and I went down all the cons, and things I didn’t do really well last year,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “And just the strengths that I had, keep building on them and the cons, we just X them out as we go day by day.”

The Brian Flores factor

If there is anyone who can maximize a versatile player, it’s Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. He has found unique roles within the defense for a number of players. The most comparable player to Ingram-Dawkins in recent years may be Jihad Ward in 2024, where he mixed inside and outside rushing. Though Ingram-Dawkins might also be helpful against the run if they want to give starter Dallas Turner a break in certain situations.

Whatever the role, Ingram-Dawkins has a lot of trust in Flores finding the right spots for him.

“Me and Coach Flo, we have a unique relationship,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “I feel like he’s a great coach, probably one of the better coaches I’ve had in my career. Me and his conversations are very, very positive. He’s straightforward about how he wants to use me, and I’m very intentional with how I come to work every day to do that job.”

In the coming weeks as pads come on, Ingram-Dawkins will have a chance to prove that the Vikings don’t need to go into the free-agent market for another outside linebacker.

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