Veteran CB Signs with the Vikings for Second Stint of 2022
With recent injuries to both Cameron Dantzler and Akayleb Evans over the past week, the Minnesota Vikings find themselves in need of cornerback depth. Because of that, a veteran CB signs with the Vikings for his second stint of the 2022 season. This cornerback is, of course, Parry Nickerson.
Nickerson was with the Vikings during the 2021 season, and he also spent the 2022 preseason in Minnesota. During the 2022 preseason, Nickerson played two games, including one start, and recorded five tackles.
However, the fifth-year CB was waived at the end of the preseason as the Vikings finalized their roster. Largely, this was likely due to the fact that Minnesota had young depth at the position in rookies Andrew Booth and Evans, but he signed with the practice squad after going unclaimed. He was released by the Vikings on September 27th, and he has been a free agent ever since.
Now that the Vikings roster has diminished depth at the cornerback position, they have brought Nickerson back for another stint.
In 2021, we got to see a little bit of Nickerson during the regular season for the Vikings. He played for games in Minnesota during the 2021 season, and he recorded a single tackle. In these games, he appeared in 17 defensive snaps as well as 35 special teams snaps.
Prior to his time with the Minnesota Vikings, the veteran CB had played with four other teams during his first three seasons. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played all 16 games that season with the Jets, and he started twice for their defense. The Tulane product recorded 21 tackles, 1 TFL, and his only career pass defense during that season.
Prior to the 2019 regular season’s start, the Jets traded Nickerson to the Seattle Seahawks for a seventh-round pick. However, he did not play any games for the Seahawks, and Seattle released him in October of that year.
After that release, he joined the Jaguars, and that’s where he finished the 2019 season. He played in four games with Jacksonville and started once. He once again hit waivers prior to the 2020 season, but the Green Bay Packers eventually picked him up. He spent that season on Green Bay’s practice squad, appearing in one game for the Packers.
During the spring of 2021, he then signed with the Vikings on the practice squad, and he’s bounced back and forth between free agency and the Vikings ever since.
This past weekend, the Vikings roster displayed some terrific depth at the cornerback position. Evans started the game against the Bills, and he played very well during the early portions of the game. However, the rookie was forced to leave with a concussion.
After that, it was mostly Andrew Booth Jr. who took snaps at corner, and the Bills attacked him often with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. As should be expected, he got turned in circles a few times by the receivers during his first NFL defensive snaps. However, we should see him continue to develop in upcoming weeks, assuming he steps on the field. Nickerson could play a role in making sure Booth continues on the right track for the remainder of the season.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
