The Vikings Cornerbacks Have a Huge Opportunity This Week
During the course of the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings saw some very notable departures from their cornerback room.
Cam Dantzler, Patrick Peterson, Duke Shelley, and Chandon Sullivan all started at least five games for Minnesota during the 2022 season. None of them remain on the roster heading into 2023. In addition, the Vikings also parted ways with special teams ace Kris Boyd, who joined the Arizona Cardinals.
A Huge Opportunity for the Vikings Cornerbacks
The Vikings brought in free agent Byron Murphy to hold down the CB1 duties, but outside of that, they are largely relying on home-grown young talent and fringe free agency signings. Mekhi Blackmon, Andrew Booth, and Akayleb Evans are all Kwesi Adofo-Mensah draft picks from over the past two offseasons. Meanwhile, former Patriots second-round selection Joejuan Williams has also been mixing it up with the starters at training camp.
Regardless, this is a very inexperienced group. Evans has more starts than anyone in the CB room other than Murphy with a grand total of two.
The inexperience in the group has caused many to doubt their ability to hold up in a Brian Flores defense that often relies on the cornerbacks to play one-on-one coverage while the linebackers and safeties blitz.
This week provides the Vikings cornerbacks with their first true opportunity to silence the doubters as the Tennessee Titans come to town for joint practices and a preseason game.
Tennesse is far from a Super Bowl contender this year, but they have some truly elite talent at the wide receiver position. They recently made the acquisition of three-time All-Pro player DeAndre Hopkins after the Cardinals released him this offseason.
Over the course of his career, Hopkins has been a dominant player, surpassing 1000 yards receiving in six of his 10 NFL seasons. He likely would have done so for a seventh time in 2022 had he not missed the first six games of the season while serving a suspension. Instead, he finished the season playing nine games and catching 64 passes for 717 yards.
Tennessee also employs Treylon Burks, who they selected the first round of the 2022 Draft. Despite some subpar QB play last season for the Titans, Burks totaled 33 catches for 444 yards and a touchdown during his rookie season. These receiving totals could skyrocket in 2023 with so much attention from opposing defenses going towards slowing down Hopkins.
During their first preseason game against the Bears, the Titans uncorked a number of huge gains through the air as well. Without either Burks or Hopkins on the field, Tennessee still managed seven passing plays that went for 20+ yards on the afternoon.
The Minnesota Vikings will get plenty of tests for their secondary over the course of the 2023 season, but their first big test begins today with joint practices alongside the Titans. They need to take advantage of this opportunity against some great talent.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.