Vikings Corner Competition Gets a Bit More Crowded as Kwesi Keeps Cooking
During the NFL Draft, cameras captured a Vikings fan with a sign making a simple plea: “Let Kwesi Cook.” Well, the GM has been hard at work in the kitchen, adding players left and right.
Most recently, the Vikings corner competition got a bit more crowded as the GM onboarded yet another young defensive back.
Per Field Yates of ESPN, the Vikings have claimed John Reid. He was formerly with the Falcons.
John Reid & The Vikings Corner Competition
Originally, Reid played for the Houston Texans. He joined the NFL in 2020 as a fourth-round selection. After a relatively modest opening season that featured 13 games played and a single start, Reid trekked to Seattle. Like with Houston, though, Seattle proved to only be a one-year stop. The 2022 season took place in Tennessee and Atlanta.
Keeping up? Reid hasn’t been around for a very long but he has already been around the NFL a lot.
Minnesota is now his fifth team. He’ll be competing within a jam-packed corner room that has swollen in size since the draft.
The undisputed CB1 is Byron Murphy, the former Arizona Cardinal. Murphy is one of the rare players who blends veteran experience with youth. At 25 and yet already through his rookie contract, Murphy is a bit of a unicorn. The hope is that he’ll be a week-in, week-out stud at corner.
Getting Murphy into a purple uniform is arguably the most significant move of the offseason.
Meanwhile, the team has a lot of faith in sophomores Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr. Based on just last season, Evans is the leading contender to start opposite Murphy. However, Booth is an excellent athlete who has struggled mostly due to injury. Health is no sure thing for the former Clemson corner, but there’s no denying his talent.
Otherwise, there are the recent draftees Mekhi Blackmon and Jay Ward, both of whom will be on the final roster (unless something dramatic happens). Reid will thus need to distinguish himself among a group of depth corners led by Joejuan Williams, Tay Gowan, Kalon Barnes, and several others.
John Reid is 5’10”, 187 pounds. He ran a 4.49 and put up an impressive 20 reps on the bench press. He’s nearing his 27th birthday. For his career, he has played 157 snaps in the slot and 130 out wide.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
