Many of the offseason moves reported so far this year have been unofficial, given NFL Free Agency doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, March 17. That’s not the case with the Minnesota Vikings’ latest transaction, however. Shamar Stephen has been cut and the breakup is Twitter-official.

The #Vikings have released DT Shamar Stephen.

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 16, 2021

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings announced Tuesday they have released Shamar Stephen.

The defensive tackle spent six of the past seven seasons in Minnesota after he was a seventh-round draft pick in 2014 out of Connecticut.

The move helps the Vikings add a bit more salary cap space but also means Minnesota’s senior-most defensive lineman is off the roster.

The Vikings now have Michael Pierce, Armon Watts and James Lynch as defensive tackles under contract for 2021. Minnesota cannot add free agents until the start of the new league year, which is set to open at 3 p.m. (CT) Wednesday.

Minnesota Vikings Release

Releasing DT Shamar Stephen would technically immediately create $3.09 million of salary-cap room for the #Vikings since it would shave off $3.75 million on Stephen's deal and he would be displaced on the top 51 by a player with a cap number of $660,000.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 16, 2021

Stashing Cash

The current objective to this offseason game, is saving money to spend it later. This is just the latest way Rick and Rob are accomplishing the former half of that equation. They’re also in the midst of re-working deals with Adam Thielen and Harrison Smith, one of which is nearing completion. What the Vikings will do with this money is yet to be seen but they have plenty of needs.

Signing Vigil and Tomlinson on Monday night was a step in the right direction. Still, this is a team that has HEAVY needs on the offensive line, defensive line and in the secondary. Granted, not all of those things need to be fixed via free agency… but NOTHING about the draft is guaranteed so anything you don’t fix now is at risk of being a soft spot next season.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The NFL offseason was getting underway and with Sheldon Richardson about to sign in Cleveland, the Vikings obviously had a need on the defensive front. After a season that saw the Vikings drop all the way from 2nd in the NFL against the run… to 15th, the Vikings turned to a familiar face.

Shamar Stephen, who played here from 2014-2017, was quickly locked down with a 3 year contract as soon as deals started to be announced. He is expected to bring his run-clogging presence back to the Vikings’ defensive line. Tom Johnson and Shamar Stephen were a force in 2017, next to Linval Joseph, which helped lead the Vikings to the #1 defense in both scoring and total yards that season. It’s clear the Vikings are looking to go back to that formula, where the focus is on stopping the run first, and thus forcing teams to beat them through the air.

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On its face, the loss of Sheldon Richardson seems like a big deal. He’s a very solid pass rusher from the DT position. But, playing defensive tackle goes far beyond that.

I took a look back at the 2018 season and compared Sheldon Richardson’s stats with Tom Johnson’s, to help myself put things into perspective:

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Sheldon Richardson

• 16 Games (16 Starts) 
• 49 Tackles (26 solo) 
• 6 TFLs 
• 16 QB Hits 
• 4.5 Sacks

(Per Pro-Football-Reference.com)

Tom Johnson

• 13 Games (0 Starts)
• 23 Tackles (16 Solo)
• 2 Fumble Recoveries
• 7 TFLs
• 7 QB Hits
• 4.5 Sacks

(Per Pro-Football-Reference.com)

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It’s not about the name, it’s about the work. Sheldon is a solid player, but at his cost, there are better options. Letting him walk was the right thing for the Vikings to do. Signing Stephen back was a good first step. Now, Tom Johnson is a Free Agent but has expressed interest in returning on a 1-Year Deal. That’s something the Vikings should be more than willing to do.

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DT Tom Johnson on free agency: “I’ve got interest from (#Vikings to re-sign) I definitely would like to return but you just never know how free agency is going to unfold'' He'd take 1-year deal “I’m not looking for a multi-year deal I’m in a situation that I’m playing it by ear'

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 7, 2019

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Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan

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