The last thing the Minnesota Vikings could afford is another injury on the defensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, they got horrible news on that front this afternoon.
According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, second-year edge rusher Tyler Batty suffered a torn ACL in the team's preseason finale against the Broncos on Friday night.
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"Vikings OLB Tyler Batty suffered a torn ACL in Friday's preseason finale and is going on injured reserve, per sources. Batty was slated to be a key rotational player. Instead, he's out for the season." Pelissero wrote on X.
The injury is another devastating blow to a Vikings defense that has already suffered a few medical setbacks since the start of training camp.
Tyler Batty Was Expected To Play A Vital Role For Minnesota This Season
Tyler Batty might not be a household name, but he was causing enough of a stir for Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer
to take notice of him after visiting Minnesota Vikings training camp. He notably listed Batty as a name to watch when it comes to the team's edge rusher depth in a post-Jonathan Greenard landscape.
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"Tyler Batty has had a nice start to camp, and he'll help in that area, along with second-round pick Jake Golday, who has the versatility and athleticism to play on and off the line." Breer wrote
in his Camp Notebook series.
Barring another addition, the BYU product was expected to be the third EDGE rusher behind Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner. He was only one injury away from playing a massive role for their defense, and would still have played a key role in the rotation regardless of their status.
It's a big loss for Minnesota, as their depth at edge rusher was already the weakest spot on their entire defense. Sure, they could deploy second-round selection Jake Golday there, but that would limit his development at linebacker (which is widely believed to be his more natural position).
They Will Certainly Add To The Edge Rusher Room Now
With the Vikings also agreeing to an injury settlement
with preseason standout Kenny Dyson Jr. this afternoon, their outlook at backup edge rusher is BLEAK. Either Bo Richter or Chaz Chambliss would be the next man up if either Van Ginkel or Turner were to go down. There's no way Minnesota would be comfortable with that situation once the games start to matter.
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They've long been expected to add an edge rusher through free agency, and it's somewhat of a foregone conclusion at this point. Some interesting names hit the waiver wire today, including 2025 fourth-round selection Kyle Kennard. Undrafted rookie Xavier Holmes was also showing flashes throughout training camp with the Patriots
before getting cut today.
Alternatively, there are also a few intriguing options on the free agent market. Kyle Van Noy and Leonard Floyd have connections to the coaching staff, and they were both being shipped
to Minnesota earlier this month.
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