The Vikings Cannot Succeed Unless Two CBs Shine
There’s no such thing as a modern NFL team that wins without at least solid corner play. To that end, Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers Sr. are of the utmost importance. The Vikings cannot win without them.
The team’s CB1 and CB2 inspire at least some level of optimism given last year’s success. Murphy earned a Pro Bowl trip largely due to his 6 interceptions and 14 passes defended, both career-high numbers. Meanwhile, Rodgers was helping the Eagles win a Super Bowl. The bold truth, though, is that each need to continue elevating their play in 2025.
The Vikings Cannot Win Without Murphy & Rodgers
Brian Flores knows more about defense than the vast majority of people (a cluster of souls that includes myself). If he is content with the corner crew, then many onlookers should be, as well.
The issue is merely that there’s (seemingly) a lot that’s being left to chance. Or, put more charitably, an educated guess. The Vikings have confidence in their ability to assess and develop talent. As a result, the offseason corner pursuit has been a bit more restrained than some thought.
For instance, there’s a willingness to trust someone like Mekhi Blackmon coming back to full health while pushing his game higher. That decision has coincided with not signing a high-priced free agent while then opting against drafting a corner.
A similar bet is being made for Jeff Okudah, a super-talented corner who has had his own injury battles. One then thinks of UDFA sophomore Dwight McGlothern taking a step. He has a great build to be an NFL corner — standing at 6’2″ and weighing 185 pounds — but putting too much faith in an undrafted 23-year-old defender does carry risk.
Bring things back to Byron Murphy and then Isaiah Rodgers. Each corner is 27; each corner is being looked at as being capable of slowing down the other team’s top receivers on a weekly basis. Is that going to look like a good bet by the time the Week 6 bye arrives? What about the final weeks of the season as Minnesota is (presumably) jostling for a playoff spot and/or positioning?
Last season, Mr. Murphy snagged a healthy 73.4 grade on PFF, doing so while picking up 672 snaps as a wide corner and 325 snaps as a slot corner (playoffs included). Meanwhile, Mr. Rodgers was given a near identical 73.2 grade for his efforts while picking up 368 snaps as a wide corner and then 18 snaps as a slot corner (playoffs included).
Kick it over to PFR, a spot that also has some advanced statistics. In 2024, Murphy is dinged with allowing 65.5% of passes into his coverage to be completed with an average catch going for 10.9 yards while allowing 4 touchdowns. Rodgers is dinged with allowing 46.4% of passes into his coverage to be completed; the average catch went for 9.1 yards and he allowed 2 touchdowns into his coverage.
One area of concern is that both are a touch smaller, especially the newcomer. Byron Murphy is coming in at 5’11” and 190 pounds. Isaiah Rodgers is coming in at 5’10” and 170 pounds. Any chance that the NFL’s bully receivers can get the better of them? Does the starting twosome struggle with getting boxed out when jumping up for a rebound?
Byron Murphy, the Vikings’ CB1, is working under a three-year deal that’s sitting at $54 million. Isaiah Rodgers, the Vikings’ CB2, is working under a two-year deal that’s coming in a touch above $11 million.
Sitting on more than $23.5 million in open cap space, the Vikings are betting that these two corners will be weekly difference makers.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
