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The Baltimore Ravens are fresh off a two-game win streak, toppling the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills in back-to-back weeks, an impressive achievement for a club that started the regular season 0-2.
Former Viking Signs with Ravens
And with some roster maintenance on Tuesday, Baltimore signed former Minnesota Vikings linebacker William Kwenkeu to its practice squad.
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The Ravens’ main social media account tweeted, “We have released RB John Kelly from the Practice Squad and signed LB William Kwenkeu to the Practice Squad.”
Kwenkeu will now be one gameday call-up away from the Ravens’ active roster.
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Aug 14, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tyron Johnson (1) is tackled by Minnesota Vikings safety Mike Brown (37) and linebacker William Kwenkeu (47) in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
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These are Baltimore’s off-ball linebackers following the Kwenkeu addition:
- Roquan Smith
- Trenton Simpson
- Malik Harrison
- Chris Board
- Josh Ross
- William Kwenkeu (PS)
The Vikings found Kwenkeu as an undrafted free agent last year after the 2022 NFL Draft. He remained on the roster, albeit often dealing with injuries, in 2022 and 2023. Minnesota formally said goodbye in May 2024, and Kwenkeu has bided his time for new NFL employment since, which the Ravens provided this week.
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Kwenkeu battled for a roster spot in 2022 and ultimately joined the practice squad. He was later promoted to the active roster on Thanksgiving against the New England Patriots and played almost exclusively on special teams, totaling 6 games played, 94 snaps, and 2 tackles. The young defender experienced defensive snaps, just 13 of them, in Weeks 17 and 18 of the 2022 regular season.
The young linebacker then suffered an injury in the summer of 2023 and played no regular season snaps last year.
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VikingsTerritory‘s Josh Frey was high on Kwenkeu’s chances of making the regular roster in 2023. He wrote 15 months ago, “If Brian Flores wants to keep young, athletic players in the depth of his linebacker room (similarly to how he built his Miami Dolphins defenses), Kwenkeu is certainly someone to keep an eye on. The Temple product recorded 10.5 TFLs during his final collegiate season, and while Troy Reeder may have been signed during free agency, he saw his playing time plummet in 2022 with the Chargers. In addition, it saves Minnesota more money to get rid of Reeder than to do so with Kwenkeu.”
Kwenkeu is 6’1″ and 235 pounds. He played college ball at Temple and will turn 28 in January.
The Ravens’ defense ranks 19th in the NFL per EPA/Play, a pretty low spot for a usually productive Baltimore group. Baltimore hits the road for a date with the Cincinnati Bengals this week and is favored to win by two or three points.
Baltimore also employs former Vikings outside linebacker Yannick Ngakoue on its practice squad.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
