Remember when Teer Tartt was a thorn in Minnesota’s side during the Vikings-Titans joint training camp workout last summer? Tartt was ejected from practice for landing what was described as a “soft punch” on Vikings center Garrett Bradberry, who was protecting teammate Justin Jefferson after a hit late in the game.
Tartt was a tough defensive tackle for Bradberry and the Minnesota offensive line to block during practice and subsequent preseason games. The Vikings-Tart connection doesn’t end there, as Minnesota was reportedly “in the market” for Tartt even before he signed with the Dolphins last offseason.
Heck, the Dolphins waived Tartt on Tuesday. He’s now free to sign with any team, but the Vikings still see weakness on the interior of their defensive line. Would he be a fit, and are the Vikings still interested in the 27-year-old?
Minnesota’s unofficial depth chart lists Harrison Phillips as the starting defensive tackle in a 3-4 base defense, with Jakelyn Roy listed as the backup, followed by Taki Taimani.
Tartt played all three defensive line positions in Tennessee’s 3-4 base defense last season, so he should be more than capable of providing valuable snaps alongside fellow defensive line starters Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bullard and at least be good enough to compete for backup minutes with the likes of James Lynch, Jonah Williams and Levi “Drake” Rodriguez.
Tartt played in 35 games for the Titans over the past three seasons before being released by Tennessee in December. He remained with the Texans and played two games to end the season before signing with Miami in April.
Tartt has recorded 79 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery and seven passes defensed in his career.