Veteran linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill has inked a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings, as officially announced by the team on Wednesday. Having spent a single season with the Carolina Panthers, initially enlisted primarily for special teams duties, Grugier-Hill’s role expanded due to an impressive training camp performance and positional injuries.
He ended up contributing significantly to the defense, participating in 38% of the team’s snaps throughout the year. Across 17 games, including five starts, Grugier-Hill tallied 56 tackles, two tackles for loss, two passes defended, one interception, one QB hit, and one sack.
It appears the Panthers anticipated Grugier-Hill’s departure in free agency, prompting their pursuit of linebacker Justin Strnad, a free agent with four years’ experience at the Denver Broncos.
Although an agreement was reached between the two parties, Strnad ultimately chose to remain with Denver after careful consideration. Currently, the Panthers’ linebacker corps comprises Claudin Cherelus, Josey Jewell, DJ Johnson, Eku Leota, Shaq Thompson, Luiji Vilain, and Chandler Wooten. GM Dan Morgan is expected to augment this group with 2-3 additional players before the commencement of training camp in July.
