Vikings Rumors: Kirk Cousins Stumbling, Young DT Shines Even Brighter, and Corner Problem
Even if we’re officially in the portion of the year when Vikings rumors are quieting down, we’ll still be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss Kirk Cousins struggling as he enters the Week 14 game in Minnesota, a young defensive tackle shining pretty brightly, and the (potential) corner problem in Eagan.
Vikings Rumors: 12.04.2024
Rumor #1 — Kirk Cousins is Struggling Entering the Week 14 Return to U.S. Bank Stadium
No doubt.
In fact, Kirk Cousins may have played one of his worst ever games just last week. In a 17-13 loss to the Chargers, Cousins went 24/39 for 245 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. That means that 10.3% of his passes were intercepted.
Kick things back a little further and you’ll see that the struggles have been ongoing for several weeks. Cousins hasn’t tossed a touchdown pass since November 3rd. Since then, Cousins has had a bye week and then three games without a TD pass. He does, however, have a half dozen interceptions within that same timeframe.
Making life difficult for Cousins is a Brian Flores defense that’s proving to be difficult to overcome.
Lately, the pass rush has been stifled a bit simply due to the fact that Caleb Williams (the Week 12 QB) and Kyler Murray (the Week 13 QB) are so elusive. Kirk Cousins doesn’t have the same wheels as those aforementioned passers. Any chance the pressure gets home early and often as Cousins continues to struggle?
Atlanta got Cousins to venture down to Georgia due to a four-year commitment that’s tipping the scales at $180 million. In the 2024 NFL Draft, Atlanta drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick.
Rumor #2 — A Young DT is Shining Even Brighter
For a little while, I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that Jalen Redmond has loads of ability.
There was the question about whether Minnesota has a bit more sizzle when he’s on the field. The discussion about how Redmond’s emergence fits within the GM’s quiet effort to restock the DT spot. An observation about Redmond eating into a veteran’s snaps. How the decision to add him back to the roster represented an upside move.
I could go on, but you get the point. I’m a believer in Redmond. He has even gotten some love over on The Vikings Gazette.
Anyone who wasn’t paying attention to Redmond’s emergency may be changing course. After all, Redmond is coming off of a great game in Week 13 where he had 4 tackles and 2 TFLs. He did so while playing just 15 snaps on defense to stand alongside his 14 snaps on special teams.
Dustin Baker wrote about him on Vikings Territory: “The Vikings downed the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday 23-22, and along the way, Redmond thrived, tallying two tackles for loss. He now has 9 tackles in 9 games, with a sack and 4 tackles for loss. Redmond has seen the field on just 95 plays, but when defensive coordinator Brian Flores calls his name, he provides a spark. Like clockwork.”
Janik Eckardt wrote about him on PurplePTSD: “The lineman has registered nine tackles, one sack, and four tackles for loss. For perspective, fellow interior linemen [Harrison] Phillips (481 snaps) and [Jerry] Tillery (357 snaps) have combined for only three tackles for loss, and their play has been decent, too. Redmond has been a reason for Minnesota’s elite run defense.”
Keep an eye on #61 in the middle of Minnesota’s defense.
Rumor #3 — The Vikings Have a Corner Problem
Too dramatic. Potentially, there will be an issue, but we’ll need to wait and see.
Stephon Gilmore hurt his hamstring in the game against the Cardinals. Fabian Moreau, a veteran who hadn’t played much, took over when Minnesota needed to roll with a trio of corners. Moreau got picked on as Kyler Murray often targeted him instead of Shaq Griffin or Byron Murphy Jr.
For good reason, hamstring issues have a bad reputation. Just go back to last season and all of those games missed by Justin Jefferson. Good chance Minnesota plays things cautiously with their top outside corner, especially since Gilmore is a bit older.
Brian Flores will thus need to be ready to pivot at the pivotal position. Moreau is likely to earn more playing time but there could also be a greater reliance on the safeties, such as S4 Theo Jackson. We could also see UDFA rookie Dwight McGlothern inserted and/or Nahshon Wright elevated from the practice squad.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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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, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.