Khyiris Tonga Signs Deal With Arizona Cardinals
Mar 15, 2024, 6:00 PM
The Minnesota Vikings defense lines up for a play during the second half of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on August 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Christopher Mast/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christopher Mast/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Former BYU Cougars defensive tackle and NFL free agent Khyiris Tonga agreed to a deal with the Arizona Cardinals.
Khyiris Tonga joins Cardinals
The Cardinals announced Tonga’s addition on Friday, March 15.
RELATED: 2024 Local NFL Player Free Agency Tracker
NFL free agency officially kicked off on March 13.
“Inked,” the Cardinals posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The former BYU standout spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
Inked ✍️
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) March 15, 2024
Tonga’s deal is reportedly for one year, according to Pro Football Talk.
Cardinals sign Khyiris Tonga. https://t.co/HB4RZJT0ci
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 15, 2024
Last season, Tonga helped the Vikings to a 7-10 record.
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Tonga recorded 15 total tackles and nine solo tackles in 14 games played.
About Khyiris Tonga
Before his time at BYU, Tonga was a standout player for Granger High School. He was rated as a two-star player in the class of 2017 by 247Sports.
Tonga signed with BYU in early 2017. After his high school career, Tonga played for the Cougars from 2017-20. He played in 13 games as a freshman and finished his first season with 19 total tackles, nine solo tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and three pass breakups. In his sophomore campaign, Tonga had 30 total tackles, 20 solo tackles, two sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and two pass breakups in 13 contests. As a junior in 2019, he had 45 total tackles, 28 solo tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and two pass breakups in 13 games. In 11 games played during his senior year, Tonga had 36 total tackles, 12 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, three quarterback hits, and five pass breakups.
Khyiris Tonga just invented the nose tackle blitz. You might want to block that guy #ouch #BYU #BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/n6pWSzzEOL
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JeremiahJensen) September 27, 2020
Tonga helped the Cougars to an 11-1 record in his final season in Provo. The defensive lineman finished his college career with 130 total tackles, 69 solo tackles, 7.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, five quarterback hits, and 12 pass breakups.
Following his time at BYU, Tonga was the No. 250 overall pick by the Chicago Bears during the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The young guys are BALLIN'. @trevisgipson on the strip sack & @khyiristonga with the recovery. #NYGvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/lNWgwRAejq
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 2, 2022
He played his rookie season with the Bears before he was waived and picked up by the Vikings.
During his three seasons in the league, Tonga has recorded 67 total tackles, 31 solo tackles, 0.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups in 40 games played.
Kyle Ireland is a Sports Producer and Locals in the NFL Insider for sports.ksl.com. Listen to Ireland on Yards After College: An NFL Podcast. Follow him on X (@kyleireland), Threads (@kyleirelandksl), and Instagram (@kyleirelandksl).
