After the New York Giants eliminated the Minnesota Vikings from the playoffs, I asked what the Vikings would do at cornerback next year. Silas Bobendrier followed up in May by looking at the cornerback room a month after the draft. By then, we knew that Brian Flores had replaced Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator, and Minnesota signed Byron Murphy to replace Patrick Peterson. Aside from Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr., the cornerback group is almost unrecognizable from last year.
Following cuts on Tuesday, here is Minnesota’s cornerback depth chart:
- Byron Murphy (25): When in doubt, sign another former Arizona Cardinals cornerback. The Cardinals drafted the Scottsdale-born Murphy in the second round of the 2019 draft. He made 16 starts in two of his first three seasons, but injuries limited him to nine last year. The Vikings hope he’s another guy Arizona gave up on too soon.
- Akayleb Evans (24): Perhaps the fan-friendliest player on the team, Evans showed signs of upside in ten games last year. However, he suffered three concussions last year. Assuming he returns healthy and as productive as he was, Evans looks like a fourth-round steal from last year’s draft.
- Mekhi Blackmon (24): We only have to go three spots down the depth chart to find a rookie. Granted, Blackmon is Evans’ age, and the team has said he’s more NFL-ready than most first-year players. Still, they’re expecting a lot of Blackmon, who played college ball at community college in San Mateo, Calif., the University of Colorado, and USC. Blackmon flashed before suffering a minor shoulder injury in camp.
- Andrew Booth (22): Kwesi-Adofo Mensah was going for value when he took Booth in the second round of last year’s draft. He looked like a steal, but it came with a caveat. Booth suffered an injury in his final season at Clemson, and he’d have to stay healthy. He played in six games last year before a knee surgery ended his season.
- NaJee Thompson (23): An undrafted player out of Georgia Southern, the school that old friend Jerick McKinnon made famous, Thompson will mostly have a special teams role. Thompson showed out enough in joint practices and the preseason to make the roster. However, he’s mostly replacing Kris Boyd as a special-teamer, meaning the cornerback group is pretty thin.
Adofo-Mensah and the front office will probably put some final touches on the roster. The Wolf of Chicago Ave. probably has something in the works to bolster the cornerback group. Still, he won’t find prime Xavier Rhodes on the waiver wire or in a low-wattage trade. Anything the Vikings do from here on out likely just bolsters the depth.
However, it’s worth comparing this group to what the cornerback room looked like after last season ended.
- Patrick Peterson (32): The Pittsburgh Steelers gave him a two-year deal, which is risky for a corner on the wrong side of 30. Peterson had more left in the tank than Arizona thought, but he’s not the player he was in his prime. Still, the Vikings lost a veteran leader and someone Flores probably would have liked to have in his secondary.
- Duke Shelley (26): Pour one out for the 5’9” corner Minnesota stole from the Chicago Bears last year. Whatever Shelley lacked in stature, he made up in mettle. He stepped right into the Buffalo Bills game last year and swatted the ball away from 6’4” Dawson Knox in the end zone. However, the Las Vegas Raiders scooped him up this offseason, making the Vikings look elsewhere for help.
- Chandon Sullivan (27): The former Green Bay Packers corner didn’t end up being a turncoat. The Vikings were 1-for-2 with former NFC North cornerbacks.
- Cameron Dantzler (25): Minnesota’s third-round pick in 2020 won people over in his first camp and showed flashes throughout his career. However, he never became a reliable corner, and the new regime moved on from him after a year. Dantzler bounced around in the offseason before finding a home with the Houston Texans.
Minnesota’s cornerback group looks more promising compared to last season. Assuming Murphy effectively replaces Peterson, the Vikings got younger at CB1 and filled out the final three spots with promising young players. Still, they could have held onto Shelley to have another veteran on the roster. Minnesota may be deep enough if Booth and Evans stay healthy, but it’s uncertain that they will. And Blackmon looks like a good player, but he’s a rookie.
It’s also worth considering that Flores will be more aggressive than Donatell. Therefore, he will be putting less pressure on the corners. The Vikings also have an exciting safety group behind the cornerbacks. Harrison Smith, 34, can plug holes when the corners make mistakes. But things are less certain behind him. Josh Mettelus has evolved from a special-teamer to a true safety, and Cam Bynum and Lewis Cine are promising young players.
Ultimately, the Vikings will adjust their roster between now and the September 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, cornerback looked like a need after the season ended. While this group seems more promising, it’s hard to know how good they are until the games matter.
