The Vikings Signed a Veteran Slot Corner
The Minnesota Vikings have added another defensive back to an already deep area of their roster. On Tuesday afternoon, the Vikings signed veteran corner Duke Shelley onto the practice squad, and they also reached an injury settlement with DL T.Y. McGill and released him of IR. McGill was one of the preseason stars for Minnesota prior to leaving the finale with the injury. He recorded 3.5 sacks through the first two games.
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As for Shelley, he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears after playing his college ball at Kansas State. Over the first three years of his career in Chicago, he saw his role increasingly grow larger each season. In 2021, Shelley started four games and recorded career highs in tackles (37) and pass defenses (3).
This is the second former sixth-round cornerback that the Vikings have added to their practice squad in the past week. Last week, they also signed Tay Gowan, who was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Gowan has played exclusively as an outside CB throughout his collegiate and early NFL career, limiting his potential impact for the 2022 season unless there are significant injuries in the secondary.
Shelley could be a more impactful player for this current Vikings roster, though. He has largely been a slot cornerback throughout his career, and the only other true slot corner on the roster right now is Chandon Sullivan, although rookie Akayleb Evans has played there at times as well. There have been some concerns with the depth at slot corner, so the Vikings signed another veteran with experience to potentially fix that problem.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh can often be found training for a marathon, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his takes, NFL and otherwise, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken