A 2022 Fan-Favorite Viking Is Up for Grabs Once Again
The Minnesota Vikings had a carousel at the cornerback position throughout the 2022 season.
At different points in the season, all of Patrick Peterson, Cam Dantzler, Chandon Sullivan, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth, and Duke Shelley got starts.
However, the very last player on this list, Shelley, proved to be the most effective when he finally got his chance. The CB quickly blossomed into a fan-favorite in Minnesota when he stepped on the field against the Buffalo Bills and made a game-saving pass defense while covering TE Dawson Knox.
Minnesota somewhat surprisingly opted not to bring Shelley back to the roster, and he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. His contract was a measly $1.3 million with just $500,000 in guaranteed money, per Over the Cap. After roster cutdowns happend on Tuesday, the CB found himself on the outside looking in as Vegas waived him.
A 2022 Fan-Favorite Viking Is Up for Grabs
Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the news via Twitter, writing, “Dalton Wagner goes to I.R. Tough loss. Duke Shelley and Tyler Hall get waived and released at CB, in a bit of a surprise.”
With Shelley heading back to waivers, this opens up the possibility (once again) to the 26-year-old rejoining the Vikings roster. Currently, Minnesota holds five players at their cornerback position. Only one of them is a proven starter at the NFL level (Byron Murphy).
Meanwhile, Mekhi Blackmon, Andrew Booth, Akayleb Evans, and NaJee Thompson have played a combined 16 games at the NFL level. Thompson likely will spend much of his time playing special teams, so he shouldn’t even be considered as a true cornerback.
The undrafted rookie actually played receiver during the early portion of his collegiate career at Georgia Southern before switching his focus to special teams. Thompson made the Vikings roster because of his expertise at the gunner position in punt coverage.
The Vikings will likely play three cornerbacks at a time on a regular basis. While Josh Metellus and Jay Ward can step into the slot at times, it would be smart for the Vikings to consider making another addition at the cornerback spot.
Perhaps that addition comes in Shelley, who thrived in the Vikings secondary last season. He played a grand total of 398 defensive snaps for Minnesota last season. His Pro Football Focus pass coverage grade of 84.9 ranked third at the position among all corners with at least 200 coverage snaps.
Shelley came in behind only Patrick Surtain (86.7) and Sauce Gardner (90.0). He was one of only 20 qualifying cornerbacks to be penalized one or fewer times as well.
If the Vikings look to add another CB via waivers in the next few hours, Shelley should be one of the players in consideration.
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.