Vikings

How Can Mike Zimmer Be So Confident in His Corners?

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas (USA TODAY Sports)

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer seems to have a lot of confidence in the secondary after trading away first-round cornerback Mike Hughes for next to nothing. And this after Jeff Gladney’s arrest. With cornerback looking like one of the team’s shallowest positions, do the Vikings have enough depth to warrant trading away Hughes?

I was a fan of Hughes’ ability at corner, but he was never healthy and has yet to play an entire season. His career-high starting percentage was in 2019, with 33% of the season’s snaps. He played 20% in 2018 and just 3% last year after suffering a third neck injury three years into his career.

With the team likely looking to cut Hughes, getting a sixth-round pick for him and a seventh is better than nothing. Besides, I would argue that moving on from him makes the depth at corner more predictable and therefore easier to discern who they need to fill roles when they enter camp in August. There’s no guessing what games Hughes will miss, which would lead to worrying about replacing him midseason.

But with Hughes gone, there still is a lot to prove at the cornerback position on the Vikings. Here’s what they have after his departure:

Patrick Peterson

Anytime a future Hall of Famer joins your team, it should be exciting, but many people didn’t like the signing. Peterson, 30, may no longer be in his prime, but he is a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. That alone adds value to a very young cornerback room.

Last year was Peterson’s worst season since his rookie campaign, but that doesn’t mean he has nothing left to offer. He is only 30 and made it clear over the past couple of seasons he wanted to move on from the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe a change of scenery is all he needed.

Peterson is in a position to rebound on his new team and set a standard of play for all of the young corners on the roster, especially since Mackensie Alexander is now the second-most experienced corner on the team.

And the reason Peterson may have struggled last season is due to his lack of help in Arizona’s secondary. Only one corner played meaningful snaps on their roster who had better PFF grades in coverage than Peterson. Budda Baker was the only player in the secondary who had a better season than Peterson, and he’s a safety.

I have a good amount of confidence in Peterson bringing it to Minnesota, especially since he seems excited to be here.

Cameron Dantzler

While first-round corners have not necessarily worked out for the Vikings recently, Day 2 corners have.

For a third-round corner to start and replace Xavier Rhodes, I think Dantzler did a commendable job. Obviously, there was a learning curve, but given that the rookie minicamp was shortened due to a pandemic, I don’t think any more could’ve been asked from Dantzler.

Dantzler ended up making PFF’s 2020 All-Rookie Team as the second corner. The fact that he was able to show up as a rookie at one of the most challenging positions to learn in the NFL is impressive and shows he will have a great future on the Vikings.

However, he didn’t have a hot start. It took until around Week 11, after he had suffered an injury, to become a lockdown corner. Even late in the season, he was inconsistent, but he held his own against receivers like Allen Robinson and DJ Chark — players who are just a step below the best of the best.

Overall, I am very excited to see his development. Having Peterson brings me even more hope that Dantzler will be the next lockdown corner on Zimmer’s defense.

Mackensie Alexander

Maybe I just love cornerbacks, but I remember being pretty disappointed that the Vikings lost Alexander in free agency to the Cincinnati Bengals last year. He was a great corner in the slot and played his role well.

Word was that Alexander left because he was looking to be more than just a slot corner, but Zimmer may have disagreed. Regardless, he is back and had a lot of good to say about his return to Minnesota.

Signing Alexander was a great move. He is familiar with the system Zimmer runs and already knows his role if he is to take over the slot corner position as he should. It’s also unclear why the Bengals were quick to move on from him in free agency unless it really was Alexander choosing to return to the Vikings, as he claims. In that case, it’s great news — he had a decent season last year.

Like with Peterson, players need to want to be where they are playing.

Depth

It may sound like I’m happy with the starting corners, but that doesn’t mean I love the depth the Vikings currently have. Depth at corner is a weakness, and they should look into this before the start of next season — especially since Gladney’s future on the team is up in the air. However, it seems like he may return based on the moves the front office has made.

Harrison Hand is one backup who could turn out to be an impact player next year. Not only does he have a spectacular name for a corner, but he also had some flashes as a rookie last year. Forced to play due to a lack of depth, Hand showed out at times. The problem is he didn’t play much, but he seems like a serviceable backup at the very least.

That leaves Kris Boyd, Dylan Mabin, and newly signed Parry Nickerson. I don’t expect these corners to be impact players, but Boyd does have some experience. If they play, it will likely only be due to injuries.

Vikings
There’s Joy To Be Found In This Tumultuous Transition Period In Vikings History
By Tyler Haag - Mar 28, 2024
Vikings
Harrison Smith Has Become Minnesota’s Lone Survivor
By Kaleb Medhanie - Mar 27, 2024
Vikings

Andrew Van Ginkel Brings Versatility and Energy To Minnesota's Defense

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas (USA TODAY Sports)

When the NFL’s 2024 free-agency window opened, the Minnesota Vikings quickly attacked the defensive side of the ball, adding a trio of players, including Andrew Van Ginkel. […]

Continue Reading