On Wednesday, the Vikings acquired two experienced defensive free agents, inking deals with inside linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill and outside linebacker Jihad Ward. Both athletes, who were drafted in 2016, will turn 30 in May and are now on their sixth NFL team. Grugier-Hill, initially selected in the sixth round from Eastern Illinois by the Eagles, spent his first four seasons in Philadelphia before moving through the Dolphins, Texans, Cardinals, and Panthers over the past four years.
Throughout his career, Grugier-Hill has started in 42 regular-season games, with a career-high of 14 starts with Houston in 2021 and five with Carolina last season. He boasts stats of 28 tackles for loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles, and three interceptions. With extensive experience in special teams, Grugier-Hill is seen as a replacement for Troy Dye, who departed for the Chargers, and will provide depth at inside linebacker behind starters Ivan Pace Jr. and Blake Cashman. Meanwhile, Ward, a second-round pick from Illinois by the Raiders in 2016, started 13 games in his rookie year and primarily served as a rotational player in subsequent years with Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Jacksonville. However, since joining the Giants two years ago, Ward has started 20 games, recording eight of his 18 career sacks, 12 of his 24 total tackles for loss, and all three of his forced fumbles during this period. In Minnesota, he joins Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Pat Jones II, and Andre Carter II in the outside linebacker corps. Though neither Grugier-Hill nor Ward are expected to be game-changers, they bring valuable depth to the Vikings roster, particularly as the team is lacking second or third-round picks this year.
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