The Minnesota Vikings have placed safety Jamal Adams on season-ending injured reserve after the injury he suffered in Saturday’s preseason opener against the New York Giants.
Minnesota responded with a pair of defensive additions, signing rookie cornerback Bryce Phillips and outside linebacker Kenny Dyson. The Vikings also waived rookie outside linebacker Arden Walker to create a roster spot for Dyson.
These are not attempts to replace Adams.
Adams had begun to carve out a specialized role in Brian Flores’ defense, moving between safety and linebacker. He brought a rare combination of experience, blitzing ability and positional flexibility that Phillips and Dyson are not being asked to replicate.
Instead, the Vikings have added two young players who can supply practice depth, compete in the final two preseason games and potentially make a case for the practice squad.
Vikings sign rookie CB Bryce Phillips
Phillips, 23, entered the NFL this spring as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs. He received nearly $250,000 in guaranteed money from Kansas City, a notable commitment for an undrafted player, but the Chiefs released him last week after signing veteran defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah.
The Vikings now get an opportunity to evaluate a cornerback with a productive recent college background.
Listed at 6 feet and 195 pounds, Phillips played two seasons at San Diego State after beginning his college career at Tennessee State. He recorded nine passes defended in 2025, posted four tackles for loss in 2024 and intercepted a pass in each of his two seasons with the Aztecs.
Phillips arrives at one of Minnesota’s deepest positions. Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers are entrenched as the starting corners. James Pierre offers experienced depth. Fifth-round rookie Charles Demmings has emerged as one of the most talked-about players in training camp, while Dwight McGlothern, Zemaiah Vaughn, Marcus Allen, Tyreek Chappell, Da’Veawn Armstead and Jarod Washington are also battling for opportunities.
That is a crowded path for a player signed in mid-August.
Phillips does not need to jump all of those players to make this opportunity worthwhile. He needs to absorb the scheme quickly, show up on special teams and give the Vikings confidence that he is worth keeping in the organization beyond final cuts.
For now, he is a developmental addition. The next two weeks will determine whether he can become more.
Vikings add UFL pass rusher Kenny Dyson
Dyson arrives with a different path back to the NFL.
The 25-year-old outside linebacker signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted rookie in 2024. He spent most of that season on Carolina’s practice squad, though he was elevated for two games and recorded two tackles and a quarterback hit.
Carolina waived him after the 2025 draft, and Dyson did not sign with an NFL team last season. Rather than waiting for another opportunity, he played for the UFL’s Houston Gamblers this spring.
The results were encouraging. Dyson finished the UFL season with 27 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, production that put him back on the NFL radar. Ironically, Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond, who broke out last year, started his career as an undrafted rookie in Carolina, followed by a stint in the UFL, from where the Vikings snagged him.
At Bryant University, Dyson was a disruptive player for five seasons. In 44 college games, the 6-foot-3, 244-pound defender totaled 104 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 25.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and six passes defended. He was named first-team all-conference in both 2022 and 2023.
College statistics from Bryant do not guarantee NFL production, but the repeated backfield impact is clear. Dyson has spent his career finding ways to pressure quarterbacks and disrupt running plays. Minnesota will now see whether those instincts translate against NFL competition in his second attempt to find his footing at the next level.
His most immediate value could be simple: fresh legs at outside linebacker for camp practices and preseason games.
Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel are set as Minnesota’s top edge rushers. Behind them, the Vikings are still determining how much they can rely on Ty Ingram-Dawkins, Tyler Batty and the rest of the depth group. Dyson gives them another player to evaluate in that mix.
Arden Walker loses his spot
Walker’s release is the corresponding move for Dyson, and it reflects the difficult math of the final roster weeks.
The Vikings have no shortage of young edge players with traits worth developing. But roster spots, preseason reps and practice-squad openings are limited. Walker now loses his opportunity in Minnesota, while Dyson gets a short window to show why his UFL production deserves another NFL chance.
That is the reality for the back end of an August roster. One player’s release can be less a final judgment on his ability than an opening for someone else who fits a more immediate need. Walker could receive another chance elsewhere. Dyson now has one in Minnesota.
Adams’ role will be filled from within
The Vikings still have to solve the football problem created by Adams’ injury. That solution is unlikely to come from either Phillips or Dyson.
Adams had lined up at safety, in the slot and close to the line of scrimmage during camp. His versatility was particularly appealing in Flores’ defense, which regularly asks defensive backs to disguise roles, blitz and shift positions before the snap.
Minnesota will instead lean on players already familiar with those demands.
Joshua Metellus remains the defense’s most versatile piece, also capable of doing whatever his coach asks of him. Jay Ward, Theo Jackson and rookie Jakobe Thomas remain part of the competition for conventional safety work. Undrafted rookie Jacob Thomas has also taken advantage of increased reps in camp.
The Vikings could still decide to add a veteran safety before the regular season. That would be a more direct response to losing Adams.
For Monday’s moves, though, the objective is more modest. Phillips and Dyson have been given an audition. If either player makes the most of it, Minnesota may have found useful depth at a time when roster churn is only beginning.
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