Purple Headlines of the Week: Flores Welcomes Old Friend, New CB with the 1s, and RB Defying Odds
Over the past week, the purple headlines have been flying off the shelf at PurplePTSD.
The end result, then, is a modest effort to keep readers abreast on some of the best material of the past seven days. Ideally, your Sunday morning will be enriched by getting the chance to circle back around to some of what was offered on our humble site. Oh, and a shout out to the Godfather of the Purple Headlines series: Mr. Josh Frey. Enjoy the reading.
Purple Headlines: 08.04.2024
Headline #1 — Vikings Acquire One of Brian Flores’ Old Friends
For a little while, Bobby McCain was a co-worker with Flores in Miami. Seeing the pair reunite in Minnesota thus makes some sense.
What makes the deal a bit more surprising is the mere fact that McCain is being added as a safety. Already, Minnesota is working with a loaded safety spot. In fact, the reigning theory is that the talent is so deep and abundant that Lewis Cine — the No. 32 pick from a couple of years ago — isn’t going to make the team. The key seems to be that Flores thinks McCain can slide around the defense, moving around by displaying the coveted versatility that comes up so often with these Vikings.
Headline #2 — The Newest Viking Is Already Running with the First Team
No doubt, it’s a surprise. Working in Fabian Moreau’s favor is that he’s a veteran who has seen a ton, so acclimating to a new environment isn’t going to be as difficult as it would be for someone who is just getting his career off the ground.
Minnesota’s defensive backfield has been undergoing no shortage of work in recent days. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been adding a lot of depth to help solidify that portion of the depth chart, but it remains to be seen if any of the new additions will turn into impact players. In an ideal world, Minnesota will see Akayleb Evans take a large step forward by locking down one of the outside corner spots.
Headline #3 — Forgotten Vikings RB Has a Shot to Defy the Odds
Sensibly enough, the conversation around Minnesota’s rushing attack focuses on the addition of Aaron Jones and the upside of Ty Chandler. Where does that leave DeWayne McBride?
Not too long ago, there was considerable optimism about the 7th-Round selection. After all, McBride had dominant statistics in college, so landing him so late was seen as a nice bit of work from the GM. The 2023 season, however, featured solely a practice squad assignment for the runner. Does anything change going forward? Minnesota will need rushing help beyond just the top pair. A strong preseason will go a long way in helping McBride to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Extra Reading:
- Vikings Rumors: 07.31.2024
- Unsung Vikings Defender Stood Out
- Vikings Hit by Next Injury
- Vikings Cut Candidate “Flashed” in First Padded Practice
- Kevin O’Connell Name Drops UDFA Defender
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.
