Things Are Looking Pretty Dire for Vikings At Corner
K. Joudry
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Last season’s defense fell apart, largely because of lackluster play from overmatched corners. Heading into 2021, Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman made a concerted effort to rectify that situation. Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland, and Mackensie Alexander were signed. Cameron Dantzler – who had an excellent rookie season – was returning. This depth and internal competition was supposed to pay dividends. So far, that hasn’t been the case. The Vikings have really struggled at corner.
For the most part, Breeland has been horrendous. I was very enthusiastic about the signing when it was announced. Leading into training camp, I was most intrigued by seeing Breeland and Dantzler battle for the CB2 job. Both are long corners who are physical in run defense. One is young, the other old. I (foolishly) believed this set up well for the Vikings. How wrong I was.
One of the best things Breeland accomplished yesterday was sparking a back-and-forth with Chase Claypool. Claypool torched him on numerous occasions, but at least the sophomore Canadian felt compelled to gloat after again beating Breeland. That drained precious time off the clock, giving Minnesota a better chance of hanging on:
True, Breeland did have the INT, but he was mostly awful (as has been the case all season). PFF offers a brief breakdown of his performance (alongside Patrick Peterson’s): “Due to how Minnesota attempted to pressure Roethlisberger throughout the game, Patrick Peterson and Bashaud Breeland were often left on an island. The pair was targeted 14 times and allowed 131 yards with a pair of touchdowns in coverage. Their struggles made it more difficult for Minnesota’s defense to stress Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh’s offensive line.”
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Currently, Breeland is PFF‘s 114th corner. Mackensie Alexander is 117th. There are only 118 ranked.
Breeland is allowing nearly 63% of passes to be completed in his coverage. Alexander is allowing just over 57%. On average, receivers get 13.8 yards when they get a catch on Breeland. On average, receivers get 15.3 yards when they get a catch on Alexander. In other words, the numbers confirm what has been evident to everyone watching the games: Breeland and Alexander have been brutal.
In many ways, Dantzler represents a reasonably substantial upgrade. He is PFF‘s 28th corner, suggesting he’s a low-end CB1. 52.3% of the passes in his direction get completed, though he’s able to contain receivers to 9.8 yards per catch. The implication is that he’s the superior tackler and/or he sticks closer to his man.
Nevertheless, fans shouldn’t get their hopes up when it comes to Dantzler being the solution at corner for the Vikings. The sophomore does indeed have plenty of upside, but one wonders about his focus and ability to think the game at a high level. The decision to backpedal into the endzone has confused people far and wide, ranging from a former Vikings GM to even Amon-Ra St. Brown. Using some common sense in that moment means the Vikings are 7-6 rather than 6-7.
What we have, then, is a real pickle. Harrison Hand is an option, but he is best kept in a depth role. Kris Boyd got his shot yesterday, though he promptly took a game-changing taunting penalty. As a result, the Vikings may need to role with the current trio as they sprinkle in Dantzler. It’s a less than inspiring option.
Getting players back in the front 7 does make life easier for the corners. Moreover, Cameron Bynum is getting healthier. Perhaps he could be brought in more in nickle situations, or perhaps even to replace Xavier Woods (who has been up and down). These things will help Zim to fix what ails the secondary.
Even still, there’s good reason to be concerned about the situation at corner. When Zimmer was brought on, the expectation was that he’d put together elite defenses that succeeded because of suffocating coverage. As the 2021 season nears its conclusion – and Zim’s time with the Vikings likely gets to its end – the Vikings will need to hope for a Christmas miracle in their secondary.