Fan-Favorite Vikings CB Bolts for Vegas
Josh Frey
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Duke Shelley burst onto the scene for the Minnesota Vikings down the stretch of the 2022 season, and he quickly became a fan-favorite Vikings player. Now, though, it appears that his tenure in Minnesota has come to an end as he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday. The team announced the signing via social media.
During the 2022 season, the Minnesota Vikings found themselves with oodles of injury troubles in their secondary. Particularly at the cornerback position, Minnesota faced the challenge of trying to field a defense despite Andrew Booth Jr., Cameron Dantzler, and Akayleb Evans missing games due to injury.
That is how Shelley became a fan-favorite Vikings CB last season. After signing onto the Vikings practice squad prior to the season, Shelley found himself thrust into the CB2 spot during Minnesota’s Week 10 game against the Buffalo Bills.
In that game, Shelley made a key pass breakup in the end zone while covering tight end Dawson Knox. That was the launching point towards Shelley being a lockdown cornerback over the closing half of the season for Minnesota.
In all, he recorded 31 tackles, 8 passes defended, and an interception over 11 games for the Vikings. He also started five of these games. He also started Minnesota’s Wild Card playoff game against the New York Giants and recorded 6 tackles and another pass defense.
Shelley actually got his NFL career started with the Chicago Bears in 2019 after spending his collegiate years at Kansas State. However, largely because of his slight 5’9 frame, he spent the majority of his time in Chicago as a slot corner.
Over those three seasons in Chicago from 2019-21, he appeared in 30 games and recorded 53 tackles along with 4 passes defended. He was waived in August of 2022, and that is how he ended up playing a very impactful role in Minnesota last season.
Now, he joins a Raiders secondary that includes seven other CBs such as Isiah Brown, Brandon Facyson, Tyler Hall, Nate Hobbs, David Long, Amik Robertson, and Sam Webb. Shelley should get a strong opportunity to compete for another starting role in this secondary.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. 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