A couple years ago, the Vikings signed a defensive tackle who had gone undrafted out of college and then made a name for himself in a lower-level professional league. That player was Jalen Redmond, who landed in Minnesota in 2024 after a strong spring season in the United Football League.
Redmond earned a role and showed some flashes that fall, then emerged this past season as the best defensive tackle on a Vikings team that also featured expensive former Pro Bowlers Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Redmond recorded six sacks, 12 total TFLs, and five batted passes in an excellent 2025 campaign.
Now the Vikings appear to be hoping to recreate that success story. They’re signing standout Canadian Football League DT Jaylon Hutchings to a futures deal, according to John Hodge of 3DownNation.
Hutchings recorded 8 sacks and 39 total tackles for the Calgary Stampeders across 17 games this past season. He was named to the All-CFL team and was the highest-graded defensive player in the entire league by Pro Football Focus at 90.7.
Jaylon Hutchings wins the race to the QB! pic.twitter.com/WaLcYUMc9X
— Calgary Stampeders (@calstampeders) July 19, 2025
Hutchings, who just turned 26, is a Texas native who played at Texas Tech from 2018-23. He had 8.5 sacks and 19.5 total TFL over his final three college seasons. Hutchings went undrafted and had a brief offseason stint with the Bears in 2024 before joining the Stampeders. He’s listed at 6 feet tall and 304 pounds.
It would be unfair to expect Hutchings to have the same type of career arc as Redmond, who is clearly an outlier NFL outcome for a UFL/CFL signing. But after an outstanding CFL season, Hutchings figures to compete for a 53-man roster spot with the Vikings, who will likely release at least one of Allen or Hargrave this offseason for salary cap reasons. He’s another project for Vikings defensive line coach Marcus Dixon.
With Hutchings joining Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Levi Drake Rodriguez, Taki Taimani, and Elijah Williams, Minnesota has some intriguing young DT depth behind Redmond and potentially one of the two veterans.
Vikings also signing Calgary LB
Hutchings isn’t the only member of the Calgary Stampeders who the Vikings are signing to a futures deal. They’re also adding his teammate, linebacker Jacob Roberts, according to Hodge’s colleague Justin Dunk.
Roberts, 24, recorded 93 tackles and 4 sacks for the Stampeders this past season. He’s a 6’1″, 233-pound LB who went undrafted in 2024 after spending four years at FCS North Carolina A&T and one year at Wake Forest. Roberts’ 83 tackles for the Demon Deacons in 2023 included 6 sacks and 10 total TFL. He’ll compete to make the Vikings’ roster as a depth linebacker and special teams player.
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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