The Green Bay Packers claimed Arden Walker off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings on August 18, putting the rookie edge defender on a new track less than a day after Minnesota moved on from him. The waiver claim gives Green Bay a closer look at a player it can evaluate through the rest of August, with no immediate cost beyond a roster spot.
Walker, 23, spent the offseason and training camp with the Minnesota Vikings after joining them as an undrafted rookie out of Colorado following the 2026 NFL draft. He arrived in Minnesota after beginning his college career at Missouri, then played three seasons at Colorado, where he appeared in 36 games with 15 starts and finished with 91 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 14 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
The timing matters because the Packers and Vikings are already on the same short runway toward Week 1, when Green Bay visits Minnesota on September 13 before the teams meet again on November 15 at Lambeau Field. This is an NFC North move that stayed inside the division, and it hands Green Bay a defender who has already spent months inside Minnesota’s program.
Minnesota cleared the spot by waiving Walker on August 17 and signing Kenny Dyson in the corresponding move. The Vikings also have other outside-linebacker options on the chart, including Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Bo Richter and Chaz Chambliss, which helps explain why a developmental player could be squeezed out this late in the summer.
That is the part Walker now has to survive. Green Bay gets an extended look at him, but August claims are not guarantees, and the final roster cuts still decide whether this becomes a real opening or just another stop in a young career that has already changed directions once. For Walker, the next step is simple: turn this short opportunity into enough tape that the Packers keep him when the numbers tighten.
