A fun story crashes back to earth: the Vikings are releasing veteran defensive lineman T.Y. McGill, according to multiple reports.
McGill, a journeyman eighth-year vet signed by the Vikings in March, became the breakout star of Minnesota's preseason slate through the first two games. After surprising with two sacks in the opener against the Raiders, he was maybe the best player on the field against the 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. In that game, McGill racked up six pressures, four QB hits, and another 1.5 sacks. Head coach Kevin O'Connell had plenty of praise for the 29-year-old after that performance.
Unfortunately, he never got the opportunity to add to his 3.5 sacks. McGill suffered an ankle injury on one of the opening plays of Saturday night's preseason finale in Denver, costing him the rest of the game. He's expected to be out for a week or two, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.
The ankle injury may have factored into the Vikings' decision to release McGill. They could still bring him back at some point soon, but he'll need a second opinion on his ankle before that could happen, per Goessling.
This is nothing new for McGill. He's played for nine different teams in his career; this is now the 15th time he's been waived or released. If anyone understands that the NFL is a business where nothing is promised, it's McGill. We'll have to wait and see if the Vikings end up bringing him back or if he lands elsewhere.
In the meantime, the Vikings are down to five players — Jonathan Bullard, James Lynch, Esezi Otomewo, Jaylen Twyman, and T.J. Smith — who could fill two or three spots on the roster as depth defensive linemen behind Harrison Phillips, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Armon Watts.
This is the first of a wave of cuts coming on Monday and Tuesday as the Vikings trim their roster down to 53 players.
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