The Newest Viking Is Already Running with the First Team
Injuries have overshadowed many storylines related to the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings lost cornerback Mekhi Blackmon for the 2024 season as he was placed on IR with a torn ACL. His promising sophomore season ended before it had even begun. Because the cornerback group has been a concern, the franchise has added various players throughout the last few days.
The Newest Viking Is Already Running with the First Team
The first guy who joined the thin group was third-year player Jacobi Francis. He didn’t log a defensive snap in two years with the Houston Texans. Safety Bobby McCain was the second acquisition. He played under Brian Flores in Miami and can line up as a traditional safety and in the slot. Player number three is veteran defender Fabian Moreau, an experienced cornerback with plenty of reps on the outside and in the slot.
Moreau might be a big piece of defensive coordinator Flores’ defensive puzzle. On Wednesday, his first day on the practice field, he was inserted into the first-team defense, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert: “New Vikings CB Fabian Moreau getting a good run with the No. 1 defense today in his first practice with the team.”
He wasn’t the only one reporting this as his colleague Alec Lewis from The Athletic confirmed: “CB Fabian Moreau was mixing in with the 1s a good bit today and thought he looked good.”
It’s quite unusual for players to enter the starting unit in practices immediately, but the door is open during Shaquill Griffin’s short-term and Blackmon’s long-term absences.
Moreau has been a journeyman since his rookie contract expired in 2021. The 2017 third-rounder spent the first four seasons of his career with Washington, where he started 18 of 60 games in which he appeared. The defender was used primarily as a slot cornerback. That changed when he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. He started all 18 games as a boundary cornerback. In 2022, he played with the New York Giants in 14 regular season and two postseason matchups, once again playing on the outside.
Last year, Moreau was employed by the Denver Broncos, where he started 11 of 16 games. In his seven years in the league, Moreau has played in 106 games (56 starts) and registered 298 tackles and seven interceptions.
His Pro Football Focus grades show a below-average cornerback, but perhaps not a total disaster.
- 2017: 43.3 (not eligible)
- 2018: 60.4 (94th/112 eligible CBs)
- 2019: 52.7 (100th/116)
- 2020: 64.7 (not eligible)
- 2021: 57.7 (84th/116)
- 2022: 56.5 (90th/118)
- 2023: 62.4 (73rd/127)
The Vikings will enter the season with Byron Murphy filling one starting cornerback spot, and the other two are vacant. Griffin received most first-team reps on the other side before his injury. Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth, two 2022 rookies, hope to make a step in the upcoming season, but the fact that the Vikings keep adding veteran defensive backs might not be the best sign.
Fan favorite Duke Shelley was acquired before training camp started. It remains to be seen if he can return to his 2022 play instead of looking like a player who teams cut annually. Undrafted rookie Dwight McGlothern could be a wildcard to make some noise, while safety Jay Ward also received some snaps at cornerback.
The depth chart for the important coverage position is a total mystery at this point, but Moreau has as high a chance to earn a starting job as anyone, which is why the Vikings immediately wanted to see him with the first team.
At the very least, Moreau provides an experienced veteran presence who can be a reliable backup.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt