Duke Shelley’s Example Both Lingers and Instructs
Very perplexingly, the Vikings opted not to re-sign Duke Shelley.
A fan favorite, the diminutive corner snatched the starter’s job in the final third of the season, distinguishing himself as Patrick Peterson’s running mate as the season hastened toward it conclusion. Many – including yours truly – believed that the 26-year-old DB would stick around. Signing him to a modest deal made a ton of sense.
Instead, Duke Shelley has taken his talents to Las Vegas. His deal is for a single season and will involve making an NFL pittance: $1.3 million. Certainly, the Vikings could have offered more and yet opted for the severance. The team has gone in a completely new CB direction with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the man in charge of the roster.
Duke Shelley and the CB Position in Minnesota
Brian Flores is the team’s new defensive coordinator. The man has an excellent reputation. He’s being leaned on to resurrect a once-proud defense, but does he have the talent he needs?
Recently, the defense has consistently flirted with disaster. All too often last season, mediocre offenses played Minnesota and suddenly experienced a metamorphosis. The shift would be swift and dramatic. Far too often, Minnesota’s fans would see an offense akin to the ’07 Patriots march up and down the field. The same offense would then put forth a dud the next week when they played a strong defense (see Giants, New York).
Despite these shortcomings, Duke Shelley appeared to be part of the solution. Sure, the PFF grade is impressive – 82.9, 4th overall – but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The former Bear was scrappy and competitive, consistently going toe-to-toe with pass cachers who had a considerable advantage in both the weight and height department. In a ton of instances, Shelley left the exchange victorious.
Though he’s no longer in town, Duke Shelley shows up in brief glimpses when onlookers consider the need for young-yet-experienced talent at CB. Fans, for the most part, would feel much better about the defense if the corner was still in town.
One wonders if the team will soon look back in some regret if the defense once again struggles to compete. Without a strong CB2, the Vikings’ secondary is going to be leaky. Might Shelley have been a strong partner for Byron Murphy?
Yes, some fear has stuck around in Minnesota, if not among the team’s leadership than certainly among the fans.
And yet there’s also an important instruction for us. Answer honestly: did you foresee Shelley’s emergence last season? I certainly didn’t.
As we assess the team’s current depth chart, then, we should let hope assuage some of our fears. True, having a more proven corner opposite Murphy is preferable, but the team isn’t throwing in the towel for the 2023 season. Quite the opposite is true.
Right or wrong, the Vikings are gearing up to compete. True, their approach – the not-that-confusing-and-yet-still-stubbornly-mistifying competitive rebuild – isn’t to everyone’s liking, but the point remains: the Vikings are looking to win it all in the upcoming season.
Perhaps it’ll be Akayleb Evans and/or Andrew Booth Jr., the promising, unproven sophomores. Either Mekhi Blackmon or Jay Ward could shine early. More veteran players like John Reid or Tay Gowan could surprise. The point is simply this: essentially no one could foresee what Duke Shelley would accomplish. Does the current roster have someone similar?
As you continue travelling through the offseason, remember that the team’s corner situation is one that contains an important lesson: don’t completely write off the unproven players.
Just ask Duke Shelley.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
