Vikings defensive tackle James Lynch, who played a career-high 15 regular-season games for the team last season, won't play in one this season.
Lynch tore an ACL during the Vikings' practice at TCO Stadium on Thursday night, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The fourth-year defensive tackle will be out for the season.
The Vikings picked Lynch in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, and he was battling for a larger role along the team's defensive line after Dalvin Tomlinson left in free agency. The injury comes in a pivotal year for Lynch, who will be a free agent after this season.
He had played 37 games the past three seasons for the Vikings, starting once in 2021 and twice in 2022. During that time, Lynch had posted two career sacks, four tackles for loss and recovered one fumble.
In other roster news, the Vikings signed running back Abram Smith on Friday and waived former Minnesota-Duluth fullback Zach Ojile, who is from Blaine. Smith, a former Baylor back, played with the D.C. Defenders in the XFL's 2023 season, leading the league in rushing with 781 yards and seven TDs on 158 carries.
