Vikings Add Some Cornerback Help
Wide receiver and cornerback were the two positions Vikings fans flagged when the club finalized the initial 53-man roster. The former was addressed on Wednesday when long-time Viking Adam Thielen was acquired after a pair of seasons in Carolina.
Vikings Add Some Cornerback Help
The latter could still use an infusion of talent and depth. On the active roster, the Vikings have kept only four corners:
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Jeff Okudah
- Dwight McGlothern
In addition to that, Tavierre Thomas is listed as a safety, but has plenty of slot cornerback experience.
Wednesday afternoon, the Vikings announced their practice squad players, and part of that was a familiar cornerback: Fabian Moreau. The veteran defensive back returns for a second season. He was Minnesota’s fourth cornerback last season behind Murphy Jr., Stephon Gilmore, and Shaq Griffin.
Primarily used as a backup, Moreau was heavily involved in a couple of games late in the season when Gilmore was sidelined with a minor hamstring injury. Moreau, now 31 years old, appeared in seven contests with the Vikings, playing 102 defensive snaps and 56 on special teams. He made seven tackles and earned a PFF grade of 63.2, which is pretty much average.
Zemaiah Vaughn, a rookie defender who was surrounded by some buzz in training camp, was also brought back to the practice squad. He has intriguing size and athleticism, but was cut on Tuesday. He now gets the time to develop and potentially have a chance to make the team later in the season or next year.
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 played in 60 games (18 starts) mainly as a slot cornerback. That changed when he signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. He started all 16 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.
In 2023, Moreau was employed by the Denver Broncos, where he started 11 of 16 games. In his eight years in the league, Moreau has played in 113 games (56 starts) and registered 305 tackles and seven interceptions.
This offseason, he was waiting for an opportunity and joined the 49ers for three weeks in August. Like many others, he was cut on cutdown day.
His Pro Football Focus grades show a below-average cornerback, but not a total disaster, and with his experience, that’s perfect for a depth player.
- 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)
- 2024: 63.2 (not eligible)
Entering the season with Moreau as a starter would be a problem, but if he is asked to hold down the position for a quarter or a game, that’s not the end of the world. Last season, in place of Gilmore, he struggled early but got more comfortable after a drive or two. Having his experience to rely on in case of an emergency is a smart move by the Vikings.
Of course, the addition of more cornerback help can’t be ruled out, both on the practice squad or on the 53-man roster.
At this point, Moreau is likely CB5 in the Twin Cities and needs an injury to one of the top four to be activated on gameday.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.