Shocking news broke on Tuesday afternoon, roughly an hour before the deadline for roster cuts, that the Vikings were waiving projected starting defensive lineman Armon Watts. A few minutes later, the reason became clear: they had traded a sixth-round pick to the Texans for DL Ross Blacklock and a seventh, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
So it's Watts out, Blacklock in.
Blacklock was a second-round pick (No. 40 overall) out of TCU just two years ago. He played sparingly as a rookie, recording 14 tackles and five pressures while earning a very poor 30.2 PFF grade. Last year, Blacklock nearly doubled his snap count to 457 and boosted his PFF grade to 50.4, finishing the season with 25 pressures, two sacks, and 22 tackles.
In 2019, his final collegiate season, Blacklock had 3.5 sacks and nine total tackles for loss. At the combine, he ran an impressive 4.9 40 at 6'3", 290 pounds. The Vikings must feel like they can unlock more of the upside Blacklock was believed to have when he came into the NFL. He showed some flashes as a pass rusher last year, but has graded poorly in run defense in both of his seasons in the league.
Even after acquiring Blacklock, the decision to waive Watts remains surprising. According to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, the news was shocking to those close to Watts, as well.
Watts, a 2019 sixth-rounder out of Arkansas, developed into a solid player in Minnesota. He broke out last year, playing in all 17 games (nine starts) and recording five sacks, 33 pressures, two forced fumbles, and 46 total tackles on nearly 700 snaps. Watts has had a PFF grade of 60 or above in all three of his seasons.
Recently, Watts was listed as a starting defensive lineman for the Vikings, along with Harrison Phillips and Dalvin Tomlinson. He was expected by most outsiders to play a major role this season. But Watts was also the only starting defender to play in the second preseason game against the 49ers, which may have been an indication that the Vikings were still evaluating his fit in their new defensive scheme.
Money may have also been a factor. Waiving Watts saves the Vikings $2.54 million against the salary cap. Blacklock has a base salary of $1.33 million, a difference of roughly $1.2 million.
The Vikings appear ready to go into the season with Phillips, Tomlinson, James Lynch, Blacklock, Jonathan Bullard, and rookie Esezi Otomewo as their defensive linemen.
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