The addition of a former Defensive Player of the Year, especially at a position lacking proven production, is always a huge win. However, one of the main reasons the Minnesota Vikings’ signing of Stephon Gilmore was so huge is that it also allows Byron Murphy Jr. to shift from the outside to the slot.
Murphy, despite having five NFL seasons under his belt, is still just 26 years old as he enters his second year with the Vikings.
While he wasn’t bad last season, he also didn’t perform at the level many had hoped he would when he signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract with Minnesota in March 2023.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 58.0 overall grade in 2023, ranking him 87th out of 127 qualifying cornerbacks, along with a 48.4 pass-rush grade (90th), a 58.2 coverage grade (89th), a 65.1 run defense grade (49th) and a 29.0 tackling grade (4th-worst). His overall and coverage grades were the second-worst marks of his career, trailing only his rookie season, and his tackling grade was well-below every other season he’s played.
Of course, coming to a new team and system is certainly an adjustment that takes time for many players, so it’s not terribly surprising that his numbers dipped a bit. However, it also was not ideal for a team that lacked any other well-established players at cornerback and a guy with the 20th-highest average annual salary among NFL corners.
He gave up 56 catches on 84 targets — both among the 20 highest among all corners last season — although his 66.7% catch rate allowed was only tied for the 48th-highest among corners who played at least 300 snaps.
Additionally, his 12.8 yards per catch allowed ranked only 40th-highest and the 102.0 passer rating when he was targeted, while not great, was still only the 46th-highest among corners last season. Of course, he also surrendered six touchdowns (tied for ninth-most among corners and 10th in the NFL) but he also snatched three interceptions (tied for 12th among corners, 25th among all defenders).
All of that came while Murphy frequently shifted between being the nickel back and an outside corner. He played double-digit snaps in the slot in all but two of his games last season but rarely played even a third of his weekly snaps in the slot and spent more time on the outside than in the slot in every game.
Overall, he spent 23.6% of his snaps in the slot last season, the second-lowest rate of any season in his career.
So, with the personnel to allow him to more consistently play in the slot in 2024, will Murphy perform better? There are certainly reasons to be optimistic, although it’s not all great news.
First off, Murphy has never received a PFF grade in the top-45 at his position, which isn’t to say he can’t do so but rather that he hasn’t yet proven he can. That being said, he has gotten a top-50 overall grade twice, most recently in 2022, and has basically alternated strong seasons with average ones, which I guess bodes well for 2024 if that trend continues.
However, shifting to the slot won’t solve everything. According to PFF, the 124.1 passer rating he allowed when in the slot was the third-highest mark among corners who played at least 100 snaps there in 2023 and his 1.71 yards allowed per snap in the slot was the highest rate.
With a full season in Minnesota and defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system under his belt, it’s possible he can improve. Adding more talent around him, including Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin but also linebacker Blake Cashman and more edge rushers in Jonathan Greenard , Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner, should also help.
Plus, two of his best NFL seasons, including the two with the lowest passer rating allowed, came in 2020 and 2021 when he primarily played in the slot.
He’ll still need to improve his tackling from last year, when his 24% missed tackle rate was the sixth-highest among corners with 300+ snaps, but that’s also over 10% higher than his career rate entering last season, so there’s reason to believe he can bounce back there, too.
Overall, Murphy has plenty to improve upon from last season, and there are valid reasons to question whether an improvement is likely. However, with more time in the slot, better talent around him and a better understanding of the defensive system and his teammates, there are also plenty of reasons to be optimistic for his 2024 campaign.
Plus, Murphy is also in a contract year, which should give him extra motivation to perform well, if any was needed, and he did show improvement as the season went on, before hamstring and knee injuries ended his season three weeks early. Over his final six games, he produced the 28th-best coverage grade and 32nd-best overall grade among corners with at least 100+ snaps.
If he’s able to rebound, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Vikings try to work out an extension with him. As mentioned earlier, he’s still young enough and the Vikings still don’t have much proven talent behind him; Griffin and Gilmore will also be free agents at the end of the season. Plus, because of the void years on his contract, an extension could save the Vikings some dead cap space.
That’ll be something to watch as the season progresses, but first, Murphy will have to show that he can shine in the slot.
Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (7) celebrates his interception with safety Camryn Bynum (24) against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
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