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Back in February of 2017, when defensive tackle David Parry was still a member of the Indianapolis Colts, he was involved in a bizarre incident where he got drunk and stole a golf cart at an Arizona housing complex. That incident led to the Colts releasing Parry, and he missed much of last season with the New Orleans Saints with an ankle injury.
The Vikings gave him a tryout, and obviously liked what they saw enough to offer him a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. Parry has told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he’s made some serious changes in his life following his turbulent year, and hopes that they can lead to him getting his career back on track.
“I just made a pretty big mistake,” he said. “I learned from that mistake. I’ve carried myself the right way ever since then just to try to make up and prove that that night wasn’t me and that incident isn’t (indicative) of who I am.
“It was just too much alcohol. I haven’t had a drink since that incident and I don’t plan on it going forward. … It was a big speed bump for me (in his career), but I’ve always kind of been resilient, and it’s really kind of shown to me not to take anything lightly.”
While the Vikings’ defensive line might be the best overall unit on the team in terms of talent and depth, Parry is definitely going to have a shot at making the roster. He started all 32 games for the Colts in his two years with the team after being a fifth-round pick in 2015, so he obviously has the ability to be a solid player at the NFL level. He’s more of a nose tackle than a three-technique sort of player, and the Vikings could definitely be looking for someone to serve as a backup to Linval Joseph at that position. In his two seasons with the Colts, he put up 79 combined tackles and did manage to collect four quarterback sacks as well.
Whether Parry ends up making the big club in Minnesota or not, it’s still good to see that he appears to have turned his life around and is moving in the right direction.