Brian Flores‘ first Vikings defense will feature one of the Packers’ longtime contributors. Veteran defensive lineman Dean Lowry is leaving for a two-year Vikings deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
An 80-game Green Bay starter from 2016-22, Lowry will head to Minneapolis on a two-year deal worth $8.5MM, Pelissero adds (on Twitter). Lowry will join a Vikings defensive line that just lost two-year standout Dalvin Tomlinson.
Prior to suffering a Christmas Day calf injury that ended his season two games early, Lowry had played 101 straight games. The Packers had previously extended the Kenny Clark sidekick — on a three-year, $20.25MM deal — back in 2019, but the team used one of its two first-round picks on defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt last year. With Lowry going into a contract year, that draft investment pointed him out of Wisconsin.
While Lowry only contributed a half-sack to the Packers’ cause last season, he totaled five — to go with a career-high nine QB hits and four pass batdowns — in 2021. Pro Football Focus ranked Lowry outside the top 70 last season. Although Lowry is not on Tomlinson’s level, the former fourth-round pick is still just 28 and makes sense as a starter or a rotational piece alongside Harrison Phillips up front for the Vikings.
Minnesota is attempting to bounce back from a woeful defensive season in its first post-Mike Zimmer campaign. Flores will be tasked with leading the charge, but the Vikes passed on going to the place the Browns went — four years, $57MM — for Tomlinson. While the Vikings wanted to re-sign Tomlinson and will be hit with a few million in void-years charges after not extending him, they will instead regroup with Lowry. The Packers still have Clark and Wyatt signed, with the veteran’s deal running through 2024. Still, Lowry’s 111 games played are tied for 10th by a defensive lineman in Packers history.