Tragedy, injury, and heartbreak has devastated the Minnesota Vikings’ cornerback room this offseason to nearly “Order 66” level proportions.
Injuries to Mekhi Blackmon and Shaquill Griffin within the span two days of practice have taken an already dire situation at the position and are quickly spiraling into complete organizational collapse.
Make no mistake, this cornerback group was already a ragtag bunch of rebels that needed to rally together to survive against NFC passing attacks. Byron Murphy can be a legitimate CB1 when he’s able to play on the outside, and there was reason for optimism with the signing of veteran Griffin and the continued ascension of Blackmon in his second season. Now, two of those three presumed starters in the Vikings’ nickel package will be missing time with what could be very serious injuries.
This team needs a viable starting CB2 like it needs air to breathe. They need a hero to emerge from obscurity. Maybe someone who was once overlooked due to their size or perceived lack of pedigree, only to have the resiliency and heart to prove the doubters wrong. If this secondary is going to have a chance at success this season, that success may very well rest on the shoulders of Duke Shelley.
I might be engaging in a bit of hyperbole, but my premise is certainly less ridiculous than it seemed 48 hours ago. Shelley came into our lives a few seasons ago via the practice squad after spending the first three years of his career in Chicago. After giving everything he had and paying his dues with the Bears, Shelley was eventually shown the door. He was given a chance to bounce back on the Vikings’ practice squad before the Cam Dantzler injury in 2022 led to the Vikings calling up Shelley to the active roster.
Rather quickly the short, feisty Shelley stole the hearts of Vikings fans. The 2022 defense was, by and large, a pretty awful watch. Ed Donatell’s scheme never took and for the most part was an anemic and passive excuse for football. Duke Shelley, though? There was nothing anemic or passive about him.
Fans will never forget Shelley’s miraculous pass breakup on Dawson Knox against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10, or his interception against the Bears later that season where he spiked the ball on the midfield logo afterwards as a metaphorical middle finger to the organization that passed on him. Shelley is simply the kind of player fans want to root for.
He’s the perfect protagonist for this story.
He’s also in dire need of a redemption arc himself. That short stint with Minnesota in 2022 has been the highlight of his pro career thus far, and after being let go as Minnesota turned over its defensive coaching staff, he was never able to catch on and make his mark in a crowded defensive back room in Las Vegas before eventually being released and catching on with the Los Angeles Rams as a reserve for all of 2023. According to former Viking Ron Johnson, Shelley was almost ready to hang up his cleats when Minnesota came calling again.
If there was ever an opportunity to revitalize Shelley’s career, it’s now. He’s back with the organization where he had his greatest success as a pro, and he has a wide-open path to a starting job. Outside of Byron Murphy, the Vikings competition at cornerback couldn’t be more open.
The only corners with any semblance of experience competing with him for a starting slot are Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr. Evans has had stretches of solid play in his young career, but really seemed to lose his mojo last season leading to him being benched. Booth showed flashes of his pre-draft pedigree for the first time near the end of last season, but is still a far cry from being a consistent and trustworthy player on gameday.
Shelley has no reason not to seize a role in this defense, other than his own play. He’s always been a bit of an odd fit for his size, with a body type that would lead many to pigeon-hole him as a slot defender but a skillset that’s much more suited to playing on the outside. And we saw that firsthand back in 2022. He thrived by playing sound technique and remaining strong through the catch point to make the receiver earn it.
Am I overhyping Shelley? Maybe. If he was truly this incredible, he’d have been playing football somewhere this July and not selling real estate. Then again, I’ve heard stories of the galaxy being saved by a farm boy from Tatooine, why can’t our season be saved by a real estate agent in Atlanta?
Duke Shelley shined in 2022 when he was able to play loose with zero expectations and simply let his ball do the talking. And if he can recapture those instincts and tenacity this fall, it would make a tremendous difference for a desperate Vikings’ secondary. My advice, if you’re reading this, Duke, is to simply let go and play the game you love like you have all your life. Turn off your inner targeting computer and go blow up the NFC North. Just because you’ve been here before doesn’t mean you can’t be the new hope.
