All of the Sudden, The Vikings’ Roster Has a Massive Hole

Dec 1, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Shaquill Griffin (1) and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) and cornerback Fabian Moreau (23) react after Griffin made an interception late during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The issue has already been discussed a decent bit.

Currently, the Vikings’ roster has a massive hole at corner, arguably the most important position in football if we exclude quarterback from the equation. Sure, there are plenty of players under contract, but none who have proven to be reliable, every-down starters (depending on how one feels about Mekhi Blackmon, a young corner coming off a serious knee injury). How does Minnesota address the issue in the coming weeks and months?

The Vikings’ Roster and The Massive Hole

Fans with a bit of a memory may recall the edge rusher crisis of 2024 (as it may or may not be known in Minnesota).

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Minnesota Vikings were moving through February with Patrick Jones and Andre Carter as the team’s edge rushers. Guys like Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum, and Marcus Davenport were all moving toward free agency. The wild is thing is that those final three names — Hunter, Wonnum, and Davenport — all ended up leaving. Regardless, things turned out just fine.

Brought aboard were Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to function as the Batman & Robin of Brian Flores’ pass rush. Jihad Ward, a veteran with tremendous size, got tossed into the mix, as well. The 2024 NFL Draft then involved the bold trade up for Alabama’s Dallas Turner, giving Minnesota a young, extremely gifted player to build around for (ideally) the next decade.

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) celebrates a sack with linebacker Dallas Turner (15) during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

At the risk of being hyperbolic, the situation at corner appears to be even more dire. Or, at least, just as dire.

Janik Eckardt, Managing Editor of PurplePTSD, recently put corner as Minnesota’s top need: “The cornerback position has caused some headaches since Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes said goodbye in 2020. In 2024, the Vikings were somewhat close to having a good cornerback group for the first time since. However, the top four guys (Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, Fabian Moreau) are all set to become free agents, and Adofo-Mensah needs to re-sign or replace them. Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern remain.”

Otherwise, the team is working with guys like NaJee Thompson, Ambry Thomas, Nahshon Wright, and other unproven corners.

NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Dec 24, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Israel Mukuamu (24) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys cornerback Nahshon Wright (25) after a fourth down play during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Consider some of the basics about what kind of production was offered by the Vikings’ top corners last season:

PlayersGames/SnapsTacklesInterceptionsPasses Defended
Murphy, Byron17/1,06081614
Gilmore, Stephon15/8645619
Griffin, Shaq17/5724126
Moreau, Fabian7/102701

Now consider a different way of understanding what these players have to offer: age, size, and PFF grade (including playoffs):

PlayersAgeSizePFF Grade
Murphy, Byron 275’11” – 19073.4 (22/118)
Gilmore, Stephon346’0″ – 19062.2 (69/118)
Griffin, Shaq296’0″ – 19863.7 (64/118)
Moreau, Fabian306’0″ – 20063.2 (N/A)
NFL: Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
Sep 8, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) celebrates with teammates after defensive stop during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Obviously, we’re considering a lot of veteran talent that did a lot of heavy lifting in last season’s secondary. Almost indisputably, the greatest loss would be seeing Byron Murphy Jr. take his talents elsewhere.

The former Cardinal joined the Vikings a couple of seasons ago on a two-year deal that kicked over a total of $17.5 million. The next deal — whether in Minnesota or elsewhere — is going to come in quite a bit larger.

The youth that Murphy offers is among the most compelling reasons to make him a priority to re-sign. But then there’s his coveted versatility. He’s a low-end CB1 who offers high-end versatility, proving capable of moving into the slot with regularity while also handling boundary corner responsibilities.

NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons
Nov 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) runs with the ball after making an interception against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

A new deal with Mr. Murphy would be a great first step, but it would be precisely that: just a first step. Far more is needed.

One wonders about an option like D.J. Reed, a sneaky excellent corner who got overshadowed in New York due to playing opposite Sauce Gardner. He looks like a dream addition for the Vikings.

The issue, however, is that Minnesota seems likely to desire a corner (or two) who possesses great size. Murphy and Reed are both a touch smaller. So, too, is Blackmon smaller than a lot of outside corners. Dwight McGlothern has good height but is fairly skinny, which is to say nothing of his status as a UDFA sophomore who still needs to prove he belongs in the NFL. Can he be trusted to win jump balls against someone like D.K. Metcalf?

In other words, the Vikings’ roster will still be looking for a matchup weapon even if there are deals involving players like Murphy and/or Reed.

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) defends against Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) in the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Vikings currently have around $58 million in cap space. Pretty impressive, all things considered. Standing behind that initial number is north of $100 million in 2026, a part of the team budget that’s sure to get plenty of cap hits pushed into it as part of Adofo-Mensah’s effort to make the numbers work in the short term.

Keep an eye on how things develop in this area, folks. Last offseason, the edge rusher spot was in rough shape before a tremendous free agency haul turned it into one of the Vikings’ greatest strengths. Can lightning strike twice as Adofo-Mensah looks to continue building up what is already a strong defense?

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.


K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.