James Lynch is a former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year who has settled into a rotational nose tackle role in the pros.
James Lynch turned a dominant final season at Baylor into a fourth-round pick in 2020, and he has since carved out a career as a dependable run-stopping presence up front. He now plays nose tackle for the Bears.
Path to the league
Lynch was a three-year starter at Baylor who won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2019, leading the conference with 13.5 sacks and adding 19.5 tackles for loss. For his college career, he totaled 101 tackles with 22 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss. Minnesota drafted him in the fourth round (130th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Lynch spent his first four NFL seasons with the Vikings from 2020 to 2023, appearing in 71 regular-season games. He signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2024 and played there through the 2025 season. He now plays nose tackle for the Chicago Bears.
2025 season recap
Lynch played all 17 games for the Titans in 2025, making one start, and recorded 25 tackles with a half-sack, three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. It was a steady, if unspectacular, season in a rotational role along Tennessee's defensive line.
Sources
- Wikipedia: James Lynch (American football)
- ESPN: James Lynch player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | titans | 17 | 25 | 14 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | titans | 17 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | vikings | 15 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | vikings | 13 | 30 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | vikings | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Baylor
- Hometown
- Round Rock, TX, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
