The Vikings’ Corner Roll Call Picks Up an Added Layer of Mystery as MNF Lingers
Byron Murphy isn’t going anywhere as Minnesota’s CB1.
Young and versatile, Murphy will continue soaking up snaps since he’s the Vikings corner with the most experience and versatility. He regularly stands alongside defensive stalwarts like Josh Metellus, Camryn Bynum, and Harrison Smith as the lone Vikings who get a monopoly on all of the defensive snaps (before injury, Jordan Hicks could be tossed into that group).
Meanwhile, Akayleb Evans will occupy the CB2 spot as long as his health cooperates. More recently, the health hasn’t been cooperating, but the prognosis from Kevin O’Connell on Monday was positive: “[Evans is] doing very well, got some good work in over the weekend.” So, no guarantee he’ll be back in time for Chicago but he’s moving in the right direction.
Where the corner roll call gets a touch more fascinating is at CB3 and beyond. Right now, the Vikings have shown the willingness to give chances to Mekhi Blackmon, Andrew Booth Jr., and Joejuan Williams. Who’s leading the pack?
The Vikings’ Corner Roll Call
Mekhi Blackmon was in a great position. It didn’t matter too much, though. Courtland Sutton’s size advantage was too great.
Vikings fans know the play. Denver completed the comeback by heaving the ball up to their best receiver in the back of the endzone (a strategy that was predictable). Minnesota’s rookie corner looked like he was in a good spot to come down with the football, but Russell Wilson — very wisely — threw the ball high. The end result was the go-ahead touchdown.
The moment directly fed into the final score, a 21-20 victory in favor of the Broncos. By the end of the night, Blackmon had been on the field for 53 snaps, picking up 7 tackles and a TFL in the process. More discouraging is that the 6 targets into his coverage went for 6 receptions and 69 yards. And, of course, the decisive touchdown.
Now, it’s notable that Williams got worked into the mix instead of Booth. The former Patriot saw 17 snaps while Booth saw 0.
Coming into the game, I discussed how teams were finding success by bullying Minnesota’s defense along the outside. Get tight ends and larger receivers to the boundary. That’s part of the winning formula for scoring on the Brian Flores defense. Williams stands at 6’3″ and weighs 212 pounds, so he certainly helps in this regard.
And, for whatever it’s worth, he directly helped with precisely the scenario we’re discussing. With the score sitting at 17-12, Williams got his long arm into the chest of Jerry Jeudy, helping to disrupt what would have been a successful touchdown pass at the beginning of the 4th.
And then one thinks of the 23-year-old Booth. His career has been a roller coaster.
A disappointing rookie season gave way to an offseason with some hope. There would be a new defensive coordinator and a return to health. No one can question his athletic abilities. Maybe a new scheme alongside a bit more experience and some greater injury luck would result in him living up to his draft slot. After all, he was picked 42nd overall after a trade that looks like it’s in the running for the worst one of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s career.
To his credit, Booth has been active for all eleven games in 2023. The more discouraging trend is simply that he got shutout on defense in Week 11. Previously, he saw his defensive snaps down at 17 (Week 10), 2 (Week 9), and 7 (Week 8). His season high arrived in Week 6 when he was trusted with 26 snaps for Mr. Flores.
During his press conference on Tuesday, Brian Flores discussed how he sifts through who will get more run among the corner. A variety of factors — “practice, past performance, matchup, availability” — get worked into the decision making for the defensive coordinator. Flores then explains that he’s looking to ensure he can put speed on speed, size on size, and so on. Understand the challenges that an offense will present and then lean on the players who are best equipped to nullify those challenges. Makes sense.
Toward the end, Flores articulated the broad, consistent goal: “Always do what’s best for the team.” Hard to disagree with that perspective, folks.
Re-inserting Akayleb Evans into the mix clears up some of the uncertainty. He’ll re-establish himself as the #2 option, giving Minnesota’s defense a needed boost. The modern NFL, though, regularly demands that defenses welcome at least three corners onto the field.
Look for Flores and O’Connell to keep mixing and matching their corners. Some combination of Blackmon, Booth, and Williams will need to give this group quality snaps for Minnesota to reach its potential in 2023. The next test comes against a Chicago Bears team with some sneaky talent on offense.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and PFF helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.