Surprises are part of the process when it comes time for the Minnesota Vikings and the 31 other teams in the NFL to trim down their rosters to 53 players every year before the start of the upcoming regular season. The Vikings kept up with the tradition with a move on Tuesday that no one expected.
Despite second-year edge rusher Gabriel Murphy putting together an impressive training camp and preseason this summer, Minnesota decided to move on from him on Tuesday. According to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Vikings are going to attempt to trade him first, and then they will waive him if no deal with another team is reached.
Most assumed Murphy was a lock for Minnesota's final 2025 roster, but they clearly have other plans that don't involve him moving forward.
Minnesota Vikings make a surprise decision to cut edge rusher Gabriel Murphy
As mentioned previously, no one expected the Vikings to part with Murphy on Tuesday. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024 out of UCLA, he had an outstanding training camp this summer, and he led Minnesota in quarterback pressures this preseason with eight, according to data from PFF.
With Murphy's departure, fellow 2024 undrafted free-agent signing Bo Richter now seems like a lock to make the Vikings' final roster this year, and undrafted rookie Tyler Batty might now have a realistic shot at making the final 53 as well.
Thankfully, Minnesota's edge rusher room is one of the deepest on its roster with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner at the top of the depth chart. So, yes, Murphy's departure did come as a shock to most Vikings fans on Tuesday, but it's not a move that should have a significant impact on the performance of the defense this season.
It's possible that Minnesota attempts to sign him to its practice squad if he ends up getting waived and they don't trade him. However, Murphy would have to clear waivers in order for that to happen, and there's a good chance that at least one team would likely attempt to claim him before he is able to hit the free-agent market.