4 Vikings players who robbed the team blind in 2023

Vikings Player No. 2

Dean Lowry - DL

When the new league year began in 2023, defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson became a free agent after spending two seasons with the Vikings. Minnesota wanted to bring Tomlinson back, but his price tag turned out to be a little too high for their liking, and he wound up signing with the Cleveland Browns.

In an effort to replace some of the talent the Vikings lost on their defensive line with the departure of Tomlinson, the team went out and signed former Packers defender Dean Lowry to a two-year contract worth $8.5 million.

While Tomlinson has been part of a Browns defense that is one of the best units in the NFL this season, Lowry has been a massive letdown for Minnesota.

Currently, Lowry is on injured reserve after tearing a pectoral muscle earlier this season. But his injury isn't why he was a disappointment for the Vikings in 2023.

When Lowry was actually on the field for Minnesota this season, he didn't make much of a difference. In nine appearances with the Vikings, he only accumulated 14 tackles (none for a loss), one pressure, and zero sacks.

Lowry's defensive grade from PFF this season also currently ranks 114th among qualifying interior defensive linemen and that's not even close to just being average at the very least.

Minnesota likely (hopefully) knew that they weren't going to get the same production from Lowry that they got from Tomlinson. But the switch clearly proved to be a much larger downgrade than the Vikings anticipated.