Vikings Need 1 Guy to Overcome His Demons
It was quite the bet this offseason when the Minnesota Vikings went with Isaiah Rodgers as their CB2. The newcomer who signed in free agency has never been a full-time starter, mostly playing as a rotational CB3. But even that was not as bold as to hand Jeff Okudah the CB3 gig.
Vikings Need 1 Guy to Overcome His Demons
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gave Okudah a one-year contract worth $2.35 million. Certainly a cheap contract, but the reason for that is obvious: He’s been fairly underwhelming in his career.
However, the Vikings need him to emerge as a solid defender in the upcoming season if they want to play a role in the NFC playoff picture. The only backup on the roster is sophomore Dwight McGlothern, and Fabian Moreau is on the practice squad. Okudah will play Shaq Griffin’s role, who logged 572 defensive snaps in 2025, equaling half of all defensive snaps.
Okudah came into the league as the third overall pick in Justin Jefferson’s 2020 draft. Soft-tissue injuries limited him to nine games in his rookie campaign, and he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the first contest of his second season, costing him the remainder of the year. Last season, a hip injury kept him out of the lineup for all but six games. Injuries are one major problem in his career.
Just as much of a concern is the level of play he has delivered when he was actually healthy.
According to PFF, Detroit’s former draft pick has been targeted 181 times in his career, allowing 120 passes to be caught for 1,926 yards and five touchdowns with a passer rating of 106.3. He has yet to finish a season with a PFF grade of 60, which would still be considered below average. The Vikings put a ton of trust in a defender who has yet to earn it.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis potentially summed up why this week, “Okudah has a specific skill set that is not lost on Flores. He deploys his physicality with jams at the line of scrimmage, and he is explosive enough to cover ground on the short side of the field.”
Okudah, without any doubt, has a certain athleticism and physicality that make him intriguing. He was the third overall pick for a reason, and his size and speed are why. The Vikings list him at 6-1, 205 lbs, which is pretty much the ideal size for a corner. Despite his size, he has the ability to quickly turn his hips and accelerate to match up with defenders who try to blow past him.
That, paired with some power at the line of scrimmage, is something that receivers hate. Just ask Justin Jefferson, who said in the offseason, “He has that speed … and he has that ability to really play-make and just be an annoying cornerback. That’s what I like to call those types of corners, ‘annoying cornerbacks,’ because they know how to be physical. They know how to get you off your route and not be able to have free access.”
The first obstacle to overcome is his health, and the second is his performance on the field. It’s a big bet to make for the Vikings, a team with high expectations going into the season. There’s minimal urgency to hire someone else to take his place.
He was handed the CB3 job in training camp without much competition, and it remains to be seen whether that was a wise decision or not.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.