Cox only stayed in Minnesota for a few weeks due to injury, and it appears it’s Kunaszyk’s turn to step into his role. The veteran linebacker will now compete for a spot on the 53-man roster or, more realistically, a practice squad spot in 2024.

Here is Kunaszyk’s NFL resume so far:

• Carolina Panthers (2019-2020)
• Washington Commanders (2020-2021)
• The Cleveland Browns (2022-2023)
• Minnesota Vikings (2024–present)

The Panthers signed Kunaszyk as an undrafted free agent five years ago out of the University of California-Berkely, and he has only recently started getting some fairly consistent defensive snaps. He has faced 157 defensive players over the past two seasons, 2022 and 2023, and has also been a special teamer at previous stints in Carolina and Washington.

This is Kunaszyk’s Focus on professional football Summary of the last two seasons:

And to make the active roster in September, he’ll need to secure a spot among these men on the LB depth chart:

• Ivan Pace, Jr. (born March 17, 1972)
• Blake Cashman
• Kamu Grugier Hill
• Brian Asamoah
• Dallas Gant
• Jordan Kunaszyk

The Vikings will likely keep four off-ball linebackers in 2024, meaning Kunaszyk would have to pull off the surprise win over Asamoah.

The Vikings’ defense ranked 11th in 2023 according to DVOA, a 13-spot improvement from 2022, when the group ranked 24th according to the same metric. In the last five months, Minnesota has not only hired the uber-aggressive Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, but has also signed new defensive players: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Jerry Tillery, Shaquill Griffin and first-round rookie Dallas Turner. There’s a good chance the Vikings will transform into a defense-first organization, especially given the current uncertainty surrounding the quarterback.

Vikings.com summarized some statistics on Kunaszyk after the signing: “He appeared in 17 games in two seasons with Washington and has played in 20 games in the last two seasons in Cleveland, including two starts. In his career, Kunaszyk has played in 46 games (two starts) and recorded 45 total tackles, including two for loss, one pass defensed and one forced fumble.”

Kunaszyk was also selected to the All-Pac-12 first team in college six years ago. His last name is pronounced “kuh-NAW-shick.”

At the beginning of the 2020 season, his path crossed with Vikings linebacker coach Mike Siravo at the Panthers, which is an obvious connection between the signing.

Dustin Baker is a political scientist and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube channel. VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis and opinions on all things purple team related, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Viking obsession dates back to 1996. Listed secret passions: Peanut butter ice cream, “The Sopranos,” Basset Hounds and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information from OverTheCap.com.