Although the Minnesota Vikings had an unquestionably good draft class, selecting edge rusher Dallas Turner and quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the first round, there are still a few elite positions at the top of the depth chart that might use improvement.
Cornerback is arguably the most important of the positions, given Minnesota’s struggles in the secondary throughout the 2023 campaign. On Sunday, April 28, Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon listed Minnesota as one of the top destinations for cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was most recently with the Dallas Cowboys.
sons with the Buffalo Bills and four with the New England Patriots; but, in the last three years, he has bounced about the NFL, going from the Carolina Panthers to the Indianapolis Colts to the Dallas Cowboys.
Additionally, a reunion might be planned. Carolina, which lacks depth at cornerback, neglected to address the position throughout the first two days of the draft. The phone should also be picked up by the Las Vegas Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings.
Gilmore should be a locked-in starter wherever he ends up. With Dallas in 2023, he gave up 6.9 yards per target, which was his lowest total in the previous six years, but it’s still pretty damn good.
Gilmore, who will turn 34 in September, spent 12 seasons as an NFL player. During that time, he has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times and twice as a first-team All-Pro. Additionally, in 2019, the cornerback was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
In 2023, Gilmore completed the second year of a two-year, $20 million deal with the Cowboys. Based on a one-year contract, Spotrac predicts his market value to be just $9 million. That would be a big value for the Vikings, who as of Sunday have just under $16.7 million in salary cap space for the 2024 season.
Over the course of his career, Gilmore has amassed 140 pass breakups, 31 INTs and 7 forced fumbles across 165 games played (158 starts), per Pro Football Reference.
When April turns into May, Gilmore isn’t the only well-known cornerback still looking for a place to call home. In order to save $18.5 million against their salary budget this offseason, the Miami Dolphins released defensive back Xavien Howard. Kenyon mentioned Minnesota as a potential destination for Howard.
The Vikings are expected to be interested in one or both of the two highly accomplished cornerbacks for two reasons. First off, Minnesota gave up 3,986 yards via the air to opponents last season, ranking 24th in the NFL against the pass.
Secondly, the Vikings’ two starting cornerbacks — Byron Murphy Jr. and Akayleb Evans — were well-below-average performers last year, per advanced analytics calculated by Pro Football Reference (PFF). The two players finished 87th and 99th out of 127 NFL cornerbacks who played enough snaps last year to qualify for a ranking. Beyond that, Murphy has just one year remaining on his current contract, while Evans has just two seasons left on his rookie deal.
Minnesota drafted Mekhi Blackmon out of USC in the third round last season before taking Khyree Jackson out of Oregon in the fourth round on Saturday. While either, or both, could develop into long-term answers for the Vikings, betting on them as regular starters in 2024 could be a risky proposition.
The team also added veteran defensive back Shaq Griffin in the offseason on a one-year contract, though it’s clear the Vikings could use more help in the secondary before the 2024 campaign kicks off a little over four months from now.
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