What’s Next At Cornerback For The Minnesota Vikings?

Let’s take a look at a few cornerbacks that will need to step up in 2024 as the Minnesota Vikings prepare for training camp.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jamal Agnew (39) gets tackled by Carolina Panthers cornerback Shaquill Griffin (20) and safety Vonn Bell (24) on a first down pass play to the 5-yard line late in the second quarter. Agnew was injured at the end of the play. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, December 31, 2023. The Jaguars went in at the half with a 9 to 0 lead. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]

Cornerback was seen as a position that required one or two breakthrough candidates in order for the Minnesota Vikings to have success going into rookie minicamp. In the hopes that a few would surpass their status and contribute more than anticipated, the position group was made up of veterans on cheap contracts and mid-round draft selections.
The Vikings had a good chance of finding some choices given the number of options available to them during the rookie minicamp, but those plans have taken a sharp change.

Minnesota has been depressed since Khyree Jackson’s untimely death and Mekhi Blackmon’s ACL tear on the first day of training camp. The Vikings must face the harsh fact that they will need to replace Jackson in addition to their memories of him. Jackson and Blackmon, who were expected to play potentially starting-level snaps, will now need to be replaced, either by a current roster player or by a player who is brought in from another team.

What’s Next at Cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings?
Byron Murphy, Jr.

Being the only player on the squad to play at a starting level for the entire season earns Byron Murphy Jr. his place on this list. Originally, the defense was going to start him outside because of the immediate need for outside corners, but now that they have them, he will start outside again. Although he was inconsistent in 2023, he provides the Vikings with a reliable corner who can at least compete.

Griffin Shaquille

He began the season in Houston, was cut after seeing little action, was picked up in Carolina, and played out the season before agreeing to a one-year contract to contend for a starting position in Minnesota come free agency. Since being selected in the 2017 draft, Griffin, the group’s most seasoned cornerback, has started 79 games. He has demonstrated the capacity to play at a high level for an extended period of time while he is on the field. But since March 2023, the Vikings will be his fourth team. Despite being outplayed and suffering injuries, he is the favorite to start against Murphy in the opening week in New York.

Evans Akayleb

No player on this team has experienced the highs and lows that Akayleb Evans has. Having struggled in the last games of the year, he ended 2023 on the bench after having played the best of his young career in purple in the beginning of the season. Evans has the talent to start the first game and defeat Shaquill Griffin, but it will be difficult because Brian Flores and the staff don’t think highly of him. He will most likely get significant playing time going forward, starting or not.

Shelley, Duke

Fans were searching for any glimmer of life from someone who could provide it to them because the 2022 Vikings defense was among the weakest in the NFL. When the Vikings won what can only be called a football game that could best be described as a fever dream, most fans got to know Duke Shelley for the first time in Buffalo. Shelley made plays in every game he participated in after that and immediately emerged as a fan favorite. He appeared one day and was involved in the biggest game of the year the following.

He spent a year playing for a few different teams, but now that he’s back in Minnesota, he wants to find the magic that he once had. Since he isn’t the ideal player, he won’t be the betting man’s favorite right away. As an outside corner, he lacks the size and quickness to often play inside. However, anything can happen when the right player and the right moment come together.

Andrew Booth, Jr.

“When opportunity and preparation meet, luck happens.” Perhaps someone else wouldn’t find this quote to be as appropriate as it is for Andrew Booth Jr. Booth’s career has not started well, with injuries dominating his play during the preseason. He gave it his all toward the conclusion of 2023, although in a supporting capacity. He is among the first picks in the Kwesi Adofo Mensah class and could be the draft class of 2022’s savior. As Booth approaches his third season—the year most players breakout—he will get a run in the preseason, which will be quite significant. The chance exists for someone just like Booth, and if it doesn’t happen now, it probably never will.

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