Defensive lineman T.Y. McGill Jr. emerges as the Vikings' preseason standout

Preseason football is meaningless to many of you. But it means everything to T.Y. and Sara McGill and their 1- and 2-year-old daughters.

"Sara's been with me every step of the way, from girlfriend to fiancée to now my wife," said McGill Jr., the Vikings' 29-year-old journeyman defensive lineman. "There's times I got cut, Sara's packing up our stuff and I'm already on a plane practicing the next day somewhere else. That's the kind of support you need when you're a guy like me trying to stay in this business."

McGill, an eight-year veteran, would be long gone if not for the fact the NFL still has three opportunities a year for guys like him to be evaluated playing live, full-go-to-the-ground football while fans and reporters whine about the preseason games being boring for nine hours a year.

"You give everything you got in training camp, but it's different," McGill said. "When these lights come on for the preseason games, it's time to go. That's what I do."

By NFL defensive lineman standards, McGill isn't much to look at. He looks too short (6 feet). He looks fit, but he's on the smaller side (294 pounds).

He's been with nine teams in eight seasons. He's been with the Chargers three times, Washington and Philadelphia twice. He's been cut 12 times and has managed to play in 46 regular-season games and one in the playoffs.

Heck, the man has worn seven different jersey numbers and is on his second one (76) since joining the Vikings last November.

But McGill also was the best player on the field in Saturday's 17-7 loss to the 49ers at U.S. Bank Stadium. A week after notching two sacks at Las Vegas, he was even better against the 49ers, with 1 ½ sacks in the second quarter and a wrecking-ball impersonation during a goal-line stand that forced a turnover in the third quarter.

Granted, both teams rested just about every starter they had. The only Viking currently listed as a starter who didn't sit was defensive end Armon Watts, which means the thinnest unit on this team – defensive line – remains unsettled and ripe for an opportunistic overachiever like McGill to leapfrog his way to a spot on the 53-man roster.

McGill was listed as the third-team nose tackle on the Vikings' first depth chart of the season, released Aug. 10. Like all the linemen in this 3-4 system, he's asked to know and perform at all three spots. That first depth chart needs an update.

Coach Kevin O'Connell sounds like he's leaning toward rewarding McGill with an opening-day roster spot after watching his preseason footage, as well as him going against the Vikings' first-team offensive line in practice.

"I ask those offensive linemen, 'Who's sticking out to you guys as far as someone who's tough to block?' " O'Connell said. "They're [saying], 'T.Y. is a problem.' "

McGill has bounced around long enough to know it's too early to think he's made the team.

"All I know," he said, "is I'm playing next week" in the preseason finale at Denver.

May 15, 2015 is a date etched in McGill's memory. A date for which he'll be forever grateful to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

"To this day, if I see Pete, I definitely thank him because he gave me that tryout my rookie year," said McGill, who was undrafted out of North Carolina State. "Because of that tryout, I'm where I am today."

Carroll cut McGill that summer, but the opportunity launched McGill into a two-season stint with the Colts. He left Seattle with words of encouragement from standout starting defensive linemen that stick with him to this day.

"When you have a Michael Bennett and a Brandon Mebane saying, 'You're good enough to be in this game,' that keeps you going," McGill said.

Indy is where McGill sheepishly stole his "T.Y." sack celebration from Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton. The irony, of course, is McGill admits the "Y" in his name stands for nothing.

His given name is Torrone, same as dad. Dad grew up being called Tyrone and then just Ty.

"Then when I was born they were like, 'We're going to start calling him T.Y. for short,'" McGill said. "So there's really no 'Y' nowhere in my name."

The fact reporters spent a Saturday night in August investigating the origin of McGill's first name tells you he had a great preseason game.

The sacks were impressive. The goal-line stand probably went unnoticed by most.

The 49ers had first-and-goal at the 2. They ran the ball. McGill made the stop. On second-and-goal at the 1, McGill blasted center Keaton Sutherland with such force and quickness that quarterback Brock Purdy never got the ball, and the Vikings recovered.

McGill's jump was so quick, he looked offsides.

"I thought I was, too," he said with a laugh.

Plays like that in live football keep a journeyman employed another day, another week.

McGill doesn't take any of that time for granted. His first stint with Washington lasted 14 days. His first stint with the Eagles lasted two days. The second one in Philly came a month later and lasted 13 days.

"Just gotta be gritty, man," McGill said. "Stay gritty and when the lights come on, step up. These games are not meaningless. Not to me."