Vikings Still Have 1 Major Concern
The Minnesota Vikings will have a completely retooled offensive line in September, and the defensive line is much scarier than last season. In addition to that, J.J. McCarthy is expected to be the new quarterback to captain Kevin O’Connell’s offense, and Jordan Mason will be the reliable RB2 the club has tried to find for a while.
Vikings Still Have 1 Major Concern
Those things sound good and should excite fans for the upcoming 2025 campaign. But there’s one thing that still needs to be addressed, and that’s the cornerback group.
Don’t believe me? Maybe I can convince you by pointing to not just one but two analysts who said that exact thing on Thursday.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote: “Byron Murphy Jr. is back after a fabulous season in which he ranked seventh in the league in my coverage DVOA metric. But you need three starting cornerbacks in the NFL, plus depth behind them. Right now, the other two starters would be Mekhi Blackmon and Isaiah Rodgers.”
Murphy Jr. has made the next step towards becoming a top cornerback, which ended with his Pro Bowl participation. His teammates raise more eyebrows.
“Blackmon missed last season with a torn ACL and had a below-average 9.8% coverage DVOA as a rookie in 2023,” Schatz continued. “Rodgers was good with the Eagles last season but started only three games. Behind them are Jeff Okudah, a onetime high draft pick who played only 7% of Houston’s defensive snaps last season, and Tavierre Thomas, a 29-year-old slot corner who played only 4% of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps in 2024.”
Whether Rodgers and Blackmon can be solid corners in elevated roles remains to be seen. Backup Jeff Okudah has gotten some buzz from Vikings decision-makers. Another player to watch is Dwight McGlothern, who showed some promise last year after signing as an undrafted rookie.
PFF’s Trevor Sikkema also nominated the cornerback room as a concern: “The Vikings will be replacing more than 1,000 coverage snaps following the departures of Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin. They’ll now have to lean on Isaiah Rodgers, who earned a 70.5 PFF coverage grade with the Eagles last season, and Mekhi Blackmon, who is coming off a torn ACL.”
The Vikings currently employ 11 cornerbacks.
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Jeff Okudah
- Tavierre Thomas
- Dwight McGlothern
- Ambry Thomas
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Reddy Steward
- Keenan Garber
- Zemaiah Vaughn
Acquiring Help?
There are still some ways to address the position. The obvious one is via free agency. Mike Hilton and Asante Samuel Jr. could provide more experience to the position and could become full-time starters. Jaire Alexander has been rumored to be axed by the Packers, but there hasn’t been any traction recently.
The trade market is also available. Jalen Ramsey and the Miami Dolphins are looking for a divorce, too.
Of course, adding a less prominent name to the mix is another option.
Anyway, at this point, the cornerback group could still use another experienced player. That man could be an ex-Viking, too. Both departed corners, Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore, have yet to sign with other teams. If one of Rodgers and Blackmon wasn’t up for the task, they could just slide into the lineup.
Other Concerns?
The Vikings lost Cam Bynum in free agency. His vacated spot could be taken over by Theo Jackson, a three-year reserve who signed a contract extension ahead of free agency. With Harrison Smith in his age-36 season and Joshua Metellus enjoying his versatile role, adding another experienced free safety could make sense.
The other potentially problematic position is quarterback. Minnesota puts a lot of trust in J.J. McCarthy, but he hasn’t thrown a pass in the NFL. His backups, Sam Howell and Brett Rypien, don’t quite provide the same insurance a guy like Joe Flacco would have. After trading for Howell, the Vikings are unlikely to make another move here.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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