Vikings sign LB Jordan Kunaszyk, waive Jabril Cox with injury designation

Kunaszyk is an experienced special teams contributor.

Aug 12, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Washington Football Team inside linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk (59) at Gillette Stadium. / Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings have signed veteran linebacker and special teams standout Jordan Kunaszyk, the team announced on Tuesday. LB Jabril Cox has been waived with an injury designation.

Kunaszyk, 27, has spent five seasons in the NFL with the Panthers, Commanders, and Browns. He initially signed with Carolina as an undrafted free agent in 2019 after a huge senior season at Cal. Across 46 career games, he's made two starts and played 176 total defensive snaps.

Kunaszyk's main role is on special teams, where he's played nearly 900 career snaps. In 2022, he led Cleveland with 316 special teams snaps and earned an impressive 90.1 PFF grade in that phase. That mark was seventh-best among the 79 NFL players who exceeded 300 ST snaps that season. He's a 6'3", 235-pound linebacker who can play on basically every special teams unit: kickoff return and coverage, punt return and coverage, and field goal block.

The Vikings' inside linebacker room includes starters Ivan Pace Jr. and Blake Cashman, backups Kamu Grugier-Hill and Brian Asamoah II, and rookie Dallas Gant. Kunaszyk will compete for a roster spot as a potential contributor for special teams coordinator Matt Daniels.

Cox was signed by the Vikings on July 25. He was a two-time FCS All-American and three-time national champion at North Dakota State who played at LSU as a grad transfer in 2020. Cox was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round in 2021 and has played in 26 career games for Dallas and Washington. If he clears waivers, he could stick around with the Vikings on injured reserve.