Vikings waive two second-year players in defensive front

The Vikings have waived a pair of second-year players in their defensive front: OLB Luiji Vilain and DL Esezi Otomewo.

We're tracking all of Tuesday's Vikings roster moves here.

Vilain, who signed as an undrafted free agent last year, is the more surprising of the two. He had a strong preseason and seemed to be ahead of rookie Andre Carter II in the battle for a fifth roster spot at outside linebacker. Instead, this move indicates Carter — who received significant guaranteed money as a UDFA this year — will make the roster instead.

Vilain made the initial 53-man roster as a rookie last year and appeared in two games on defense. Across 112 snaps this preseason, he earned a 68.1 PFF grade and finished second on the Vikings' roster with eight pressures (Benton Whitley had nine). Vilain had a sack in the first game and had another in the finale that was negated by a penalty on a teammate. If he clears waivers, the Wake Forest product will almost certainly end up on the Vikings' practice squad.

Otomewo is less surprising, even though he was a fifth-round pick last year. The former Minnesota Golden Gopher hasn't seemed to climb up the depth chart over the past two years. He's theoretically a good fit as a 3-4 defensive end, but Otomewo didn't stand out much this year in training camp or the preseason. He's also a practice squad candidate.