Pre-Free Agency Vikings Roster Evaluation: The Vikings’ Cornerback Position Has Depth, but Do They Need a Top-Tier Talent in 2024?
Free agency across the NFL officially gets started on Wednesday, March 13th.
Over the 11 days before free agency, we’ll be taking a bit of a deep dive into the Vikings roster to evaluate where each position group stands before the team can officially begin signing players on the open market. These evaluations will be broken up into the following topics:
- Quarterbacks
- Running Backs
- Wide Receivers
- Tight Ends
- Offensive Line
- Defensive Line
- Edge Rushers
- Linebackers
- Cornerbacks
- Safeties
- Special Teams
As free agency continues to inch closer, we move to the backend of the Vikings defense to discuss Minnesota’s cornerback position.
Current Vikings Cornerbacks
The cornerback position is currently among the deepest positions on the entire roster in terms of total bodies, which is a complete inverse of where we were at heading into free agency last offseason. The Vikings employ eight players at the position right now, including the following names:
- Byron Murphy
- Akayleb Evans
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Andrew Booth
- Joejuan Williams
- NaJee Thompson
- Jaylin Williams
- A.J. Green III
Murphy is at the forefront of this group as he was last year when he signed a two-year deal with the Vikings as one of the team’s early free agency moves. The cornerback played 15 games for the Vikings last season, but saw his year end prematurely do to a knee injury. Prior to that injury, he recorded 57 tackles, four tackles for loss, 13 passes defended, and three interceptions.
Meanwhile, the next three spots on the depth chart are taken by draft picks that the Vikings have made over the past three years to try and help solidify their youth at the position. Andrew Booth has not garnered much of a role in the defense after being selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, playing just 256 snaps with the defense over the past two seasons.
Instead, Mekhi Blackmon and Akayleb Evans were the two to take the majority of the snaps alongside Murphy in the secondary. Evans started 15 games for the Vikings last year, but after a strong start to the season, he did not finish on a very strong note, being benched on a couple of different occasions.
Blackmon, a third-round pick in 2023, saw his role steadily increase throughout his rookie season. After playing 20+ snaps just twice from Weeks 1-7, he did so in eight of Minnesota’s final 10 games of the regular season, but he missed Week 18 against the Lions due to injury.
The group is then rounded out by NaJee Thompson, a special teams ace who should be kept around, as well as practice squad candidates like A.J. Green III, Jaylin Williams, and Joejuan Williams.
Pending Free Agents
Amazingly, the Vikings do not have a single cornerback set to hit free agency this offseason, meaning they could certainly run it back with the same group if they so choose. Eight players is more than enough to fill out the roster while also keeping one or two stashed on the practice squad.
However, the question remains, should the Vikings pursue a more lockdown player at the position?
Potential Free Agency Targets
Admittedly, this year’s free agency class isn’t necessarily looking the greatest for Minnesota to find the type of boundary CB that they may be looking for. However, a few potentially intriguing options are headed to the open market this offseason.
One such player is Sean Murphy-Bunting, who began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing with the Tennessee Titans for the 2023 season. The cornerback will turn 27 years old in June, and he has proven to be a capable player on the boundary over his career, including the 2020 season when the Buccaneers won a Super Bowl and Murphy-Bunting recorded three interceptions during their playoff run.
Our own Kyle Joudry listed Murphy-Bunting as the No. 7 player on his Vikings free agency big board this past week, writing:
“A versatile corner who is capable of lining up in the slot and along the outside. He has experience playing within a super aggressive defense given his experience working under Todd Bowles. Plus, he’s a Super Bowl champion. The defender is 26. PFF puts the contract estimate at a single season and $4 million.”
A Talented Draft Class Could Intrigue Minnesota
This year’s draft has massive amounts of talent at many different premium positions, and cornerback is no exception. However, the Vikings seem much more likely to try and target either a quarterback or edge rusher in the first round. Luckily, this could be the same thought process for many teams in the first round, thus pushing some of the top cornerbacks further down the board.
For instance, Ennis Rakestraw is a borderline first-round prospect who could fall into the second round if QBs, OTs, WRs, and edge rushers fly off the board early on. The cornerback has played a huge role in Missouri’s rise as a collegiate program over the past couple years, and his physical playstyle in coverage could be exactly what the Vikings need on the boundary.
At 5’11” and 183 pounds, he is a bit smaller, though, and he struggled a bit at the combine by running a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash. There are question marks, but his mentality at the cornerback position could make up for some of these weaknesses.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
Pre-Free Agency Vikings Roster Evaluation: Who Partners with Ivan Pace at LB in 2024?
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.