A forgotten Carolina Panthers player released with little fanfare attached is making a name for himself in a different environment. And this just so happens to be a significant position of need for Dave Canales' squad.
Few fans will remember Jalen Redmond. The defensive lineman arrived in undrafted free agency last year and was looking to make a strong impact en route to the 53-man roster. Unfortunately, a disappointing injury over the summer saw him go to the Physically Unable to Perform list and waived.
It was a long road back for Redmond. He spent time building back his confidence with the UFL, displaying promise as an interior rusher and getting another shot in the pros as a result of his sterling efforts.
Redmond signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He bounced between the roster and the practice squad initially. But when the former Oklahoma standout got an opportunity to thrive, he seized the moment with both hands.
Carolina Panthers cast-off Jalen Redmond earns new deal with the Vikings
His 77.2 grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 13th out of 219 qualifying interior defensive linemen. Redmond relished the moment, coming up with big plays aplenty as the Vikings secured 14 wins and reached the postseason. He became the first Minnesota lineman since Pat Williams to record two tackles for loss and two pass breakups in the same game.
A career that once looked down-and-out is anything but now. The Vikings recognized Redmond's potential, re-signing him just days after their postseason defeat at the Los Angeles Rams. This also came with a glowing reference from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for good measure.
"You have to ask yourself, what's your standard for bringing people in, because a lot of good players are on teams already, so there's going to be something there that's not perfect, not clean, and earlier he had injuries, so you've got to understand why he's available. And you saw the flashes for an interior guy with burst, his run defense kind of jumped out."Kwesi Adofo-Mensah via Vikings.com
This is another one that got away from the Panthers. They weren't to know that Redmond would fight back in the face of adversity to attain a new deal in Minnesota. Even so, they could have done with someone like this during a woeful campaign defensively.
The Panthers were the league's worst run defense in 2024. Losing Derrick Brown due to injury wasn't ideal, but the talent was nowhere near the level expected of an NFL team. Evero didn't have the personnel to adjust and Carolina paid a heavy price.
Redmond deserves endless praise for the way he's applied himself. Undrafted players who get waived with an injury designation tend to get chewed up and spit out in this ruthless business more often than not. That wasn't the case in this instance.
Building on this momentum is key. But considering how things went for Redmond in Carolina and the journey it took to get his foot back in the door, complacency won't become an issue.