Vikings Poised to Bench Veteran Leader After Fast Start

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill shined in his relief of injured starter Ivan Pace Jr. the past two weeks but is bound to return to a limited role on defense.

Grugier-Hill snared interceptions in back-to-back weeks to take the team lead in takeaways. He’s helped the Vikings rank fourth in turnover margin (+3) this season after last year’s team started the year 1-3 with a league-worst -8 turnover margin and only three takeaways.

Grugier-Hill, 30, did not play a single defensive snap in the first two weeks of the season while Pace was healthy. But when Pace went down with an ankle injury at a September 19 practice, Grugier-Hill stepped up admirably.

Pace was a full participant in a Thursday practice ahead of Minnesota’s Week 5 matchup with the New York Jets in London on October 6.

Grugier-Hill is expected to be relegated back to primarily a special teams role but may have earned some more snaps from defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who was with the New England Patriots when they drafted Grugier-Hill in the sixth round of the 2016 draft.

“My confidence is always that I’m a starter in this league,” Grugier-Hill said after a 31-29 win over the Green Bay Packers last week, per the Minnesota Star Tribune. “But I accept my role. When you have a guy like IP [Ivan Pace], who’s younger and just a generational talent there, you know he’s going to be the guy.

“So my job is to kind of be the leader and be there for them. Kind of be maybe the brains behind the stuff and help them schematically or whatever I can do. And, of course, whenever my name is called, be ready to roll.”

Kamu Grugier-Hill’s Super Bowl Background

GettyVikings linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (left) and safety Cam Bynum (right)

While Grugier-Hill is far from a household name in the NFL, he has carved out a nine-year career as a Day 3.

After failing to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster in 2016, Grugier-Hill signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played there for four seasons, including the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl run as a special teamer. Grugier-Hill started 10 games in 2018, tallying 45 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 1.0 sacks and 1 interception.

In 2020, he reunited with Flores as a rotational contributor for the Miami Dolphins.

After Flores’ firing, Grugier-Hill played for three different teams — the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers — in the following three seasons before landing in Minnesota.

His performance with the Vikings should come as no surprise given his 119 games of experience and 42 starts in his career. He’s a testament to the veteran leadership and depth the Vikings accumulated this offseason that has helped the defense transform into a top-5 unit.

“You could tell — the coaches, the locker room, the way guys bonded together — you could tell it was going to be a special year,” Grugier-Hill said on October 3.

Promising Vikings LBs See Field With Pace Out

GettyIvan Pace Jr. #40 of the Minnesota Vikings.

Grugier-Hill may have been in the spotlight for his role in replacing Pace, but there were two other linebackers who Flores deployed before Grugier-Hill seized the role alongside Blake Cashman.

Third-year linebacker Brian Asamoah and rookie Bo Richter played 13 snaps in a landslide Week 3 win over the Houston Texans.

Asamoah saw the field after a quiet sophomore season where he played just 36 defensive snaps in 2023. Richter shined in training camp and made the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent.

He tallied two tackles in the final quarter of the Texans game.