With Memorial Day officially behind us, summer is finally here. The two weeks before the mosquitoes arrive are the best time to hang out in Minnesota, and it also means that football is right around the corner.
The Minnesota Vikings will gather at TCO Performance Center this week to begin their first wave of OTA workouts. The practices are designed to prepare for the team’s mandatory minicamp next month, but they are also the first look at some of the players Vikings fans are curious about heading into next season.
Everyone will focus on J.J. McCarthy. Some will wonder about the offensive line. Even new additions like Jordan Mason and Jonathan Allen will probably get some ink from the local scribes.
However, Minnesota’s secondary may be the position that has the most to lose.
The secondary feels like the unsung hero in Brian Flores’ defense. With so much talk about pressure and getting after the quarterback, fans naturally focus on Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, or even Dallas Turner as he enters his sophomore season. Still, the secondary gets thrown into the spotlight when that front can’t get to the quarterback.
Case in point? The Vikings tied for fourth last season with 49 sacks and sixth with a 25.3% pressure rate. However, Minnesota had trouble shutting down passing attacks. Their 242 yards per game were the fifth-most in the league.
Minnesota’s 14-3 record can explain part of this. If the Vikings are ahead most of the time, their opponent will throw to get back into the game. While their 7.0 yards per attempt allowed last season (tied for 11th) reflects that, it also didn’t account for the shuffling that was forced upon them.
The cornerback room was an unstable position from the beginning of the season. Khyree Jackson’s tragic death deprived the room of a promising rookie, and the Vikings took another blow during their first training camp practice when they lost Mekhi Blackmon for the season with a torn ACL. Shaquill Griffin proved to be a fine free-agent pickup, and the Vikings signed Stephon Gilmore at the 11th hour to curb the damage, but neither of those players can help a revamped unit.
Byron Murphy Jr. was the star for Minnesota’s secondary last year. He grabbed six interceptions, making five pass breakups, and posted a 79.3 passer rating in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. The Vikings rewarded him with a three-year, $54 million contract in free agency. Still, it’s fair to wonder if last year was a coming-of-age campaign, or if he’s more like the player who allowed a 102 passer rating in coverage in 2023.
There’s even more uncertainty behind Murphy. Blackmon is healthy after tearing his ACL last August and had a fine rookie season in 2023. After allowing an 87.8 passer rating, an interception, and eight pass breakups on 44 targets, many were excited to see what he could do in his second year. Instead, he spent the season rehabbing. At 26 years old, it might be time for him to show his worth and earn a second contract.
The questions are even bigger for free-agent pickup Isaiah Rodgers. He posted an overall PFF grade above 70 in all three seasons he played with the Indianapolis Colts, but he was also inconsistent. A suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy knocked him out for the entire 2023 season. Still, he rebounded to allow an 85.4 passer rating and make six pass breakups on 36 targets with the Philadelphia Eagles last year.
At 5’10”, 170 lbs., Rodgers is a little smaller than the prototypical Brian Flores corner. However, he also could be the type of upside the Vikings are looking for in free agency.
There are similar cases throughout the rest of the depth chart. The Detroit Lions took Jeff Okudah third overall, and he could become a serviceable depth player despite his injury setbacks. Dwight McGlothern was a UDFA who shone in the preseason but appeared in just five games during his rookie season.
Cornerback isn’t the only position with questions. The Vikings overhauled their safety group when Camryn Bynum left for the Indianapolis Colts in free agency. While Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus are still there, Smith is 36, and Metellus played more in the box than Bynum’s coverage role.
It puts a big spotlight on fourth-year safety Theo Jackson. Vikings coaches have put out a positive drumbeat since the Tennessee Titans waived him in August 2022. Smith gave a positive review when speaking to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis in April.
“From the day he got here… Like literally, the day … I was like…how did the Titans let him go?” Smith said. “That’s not to knock the Titans, but he’s a good player. … Everything I’ve seen from Theo, man, he’s got a lot of ability.”
Put it all together, there isn’t a lot of star power in the secondary, and the Vikings didn’t add an impact player during last month’s draft. However, while people obsess over McCarthy’s throws or break down social media clips, the secondary should probably grab their attention as the Vikings take their first step toward the fall.