The Minnesota Vikings strengthened their defensive line room with the signing of nose tackle Khyiris Tonga off of the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. This is the likely corresponding move to rookie safety Lewis Cine being placed on injured reserve this week.
Buy Vikings TicketsThe Vikings have signed DT Khyiris Tonga off the Falcons' practice squad, per his agent.
Vikings haven't announced a corresponding move. We're assuming that S Lewis Cine will go on IR at some point. https://t.co/a6Wo8aHV4Y
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) October 4, 2022
A seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2021 draft, Tonga played for BYU during his college career. Playing in 10 games last season for the Bears, Tonga netted 24 tackles.
Coming in at a whopping 6’4″ and 338 pounds, Tonga is the epitome of a space-eating defensive tackle. His job coming in will be to backup Harrison Phillips who hasn’t had an official backup all season.
Here is what the NFL.com scouting profile said about him heading into the 2021 NFL draft.
“Space-eating nose for odd or even fronts with excellent size and quality shed power but lacking desired knee bend to consistently grow his roots against opposing power. There are moments when Tonga really flashed over the last two seasons, but a step up in competition will test him. He’s not overly explosive, but his initial hand quickness will allow him early positioning advantages that can be capitalized upon. He’s not going to be a third-down option for an NFL rush attack. However, he will use brute force to create some pressure up the gut. He has the upside to become a low-end, early-down starter but a career as a backup should be his floor.”
He will provide quality depth for the Vikings on the defensive line.
