Older Viking Submits Argument to Become a Borderline Starter as MIN’s CB3
Coming into training camp, the Vikings appeared ready to hand over the corner position to some mixture of young players alongside those who are solidly within their prime.
A season ago, older Vikings — headlined by Stephon Gilmore — took charge at corner alongside Byron Murphy Jr. Well, Murphy (who is 27) is back as the CB1 while Isaiah Rodgers (who is 27) has been grafted into the defense as the CB2. Behind them are CB3 Jeff Okudah — a currently-hurt player who is 26 — alongside CB4 Dwight McGlothern — a 23-year-old sophomore who evidently isn’t trusted by the coaches. In Week 9, the turn was to Fabian Moreau, a 30-year-old corner who made a solid case to keep functioning as the third corner.
Older Viking Fabian Moreau as the CB3
Originally a 3rd-Round selection from 2017 — a lifetime ago in the NFL — Mr. Moreau has seen a lot.
The No. 81 pick did work with Washington for a time (overlapping with Kirk Cousins, Kevin O’Connell, and even being part of the same draft class as current Vikings DT Jonathan Allen). Before too long, Moreau would get sent on a winding journey around the NFL. He would become a Falcon, Texan, Giant, Bronco, Viking, 49er, and then a Viking yet again.
Coach Flores runs a sophisticated scheme, one that requires players to make adjustments in real time. Accordingly, the players need to have a level of sophistication, as well. Maybe not at the same level as Flores, but capable of getting into the conversation, comprehending what’s said, and then competing after the communication gets passed along.
So, a veteran such as Fabian Moreau has his appeal. His NFL career has featured jumping into 115 games, starting 56 of those games. There have been 308 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 7 interceptions, 43 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles.
Most recently, Moreau was part of the (very surprising) winning effort at Ford Field in Week 9.
The Vikings took down the Lions 27-24. More often than not, Amon-Ra St. Brown was getting the best of Byron Murphy Jr. Maybe with some controversy, Isaiah Rodgers got scorched by Jameson Williams for a long touchdown (possibly with a push off from the Lions’ speedster). And then there was the veteran Moreau, someone who quietly put together a nice day at the office in Detroit.
The veteran corner was bumped up from the practice squad for the game. The (close to) must-win contest was hard fought, so one could step away with the conclusion that a third corner who didn’t play well might have been the difference between winning and losing.
Moreau jumped into 24 snaps, a number that works out to 38% of the total for Coach Flores’s crew. Per PFF, the older Viking posted a strong 73.4 grade. There were 17 snaps along the outside and 6 in the slot. The single target didn’t get completed and he tossed 2 tackles onto the pile.
At 6’0″ and 200 pounds, Fabian Moreau offers a sturdy frame alongside a pile of experience. Does that mean being capable of stepping into the vacant CB3 job?
The first (and most important) detail for Okudah is to return to full health. Once he’s back, there needs to be a conversation about the best path forward at corner. Quite possibly, the best route is to turn things over to Moreau.
So much of the appeal of Okudah is that he’s a corner with good size, coming in at 6’1″ and weighing 205 pounds. In theory, Okudah should be capable of going toe-to-toe with bully receivers, making it difficult for pass catches like Drake London, Christian Watson, Mike Evans, and several others to come down with the ball.
Too often, Okudah has struggled to turn his gifts and abilities into strong on-field play. He deserves ample respect for being resilient and hard working, overcoming various injuries to keep his NFL career going. The cold reality, however, could be that Okudah is a depth option rather than a starter.
Fabian Moreau isn’t going to be the silver bullet. No one will watch him play and begin thinking back to Darrelle Revis. Proving capable of being a sturdy CB3, though, does have its value.
In the coming days and weeks, Fabian Moreau may force Minnesota’s hand, leading to a promotion to bring him off the practice squad and onto the 53-man roster.
