The Minnesota Vikings will play their first preseason game of 2024 on Saturday at 3 pm CDT vs the Las Vegas Raiders. It shouldn’t take long before we see how desperately this defense needs help at cornerback, either. Even if the Raiders have questions galore at quarterback.
On Friday, the Vikings traded away cornerback Andrew Booth Jr, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s second-ever draft pick. The CB they got in return, Nahshon Wright, has been in the league for three seasons, and started just three games. Offloading one struggling CB for another won’t fix their problem.
Minnesota Vikings linked to two CBs who have played for Brian Flores
But there are a couple of big name veteran free agent corners still on the market who were linked to the Vikings by NFL insider Dan Graziano (ESPN) today. And both Stephon Gilmore and Xavien Howard once played for defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Minnesota also likes Byron Murphy Jr . but would prefer to use him in the nickel corner spot to help with some of the most talented slot receivers its division features, such as Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit, Keenan Allen in Chicago and whichever of the Packers’ interchangeable dudes ends up playing that role in Green Bay. That leaves Fabian Moreau and Akayleb Evans as the likeliest starters opposite Griffin on the outside.
There are still a few free agent veterans who haven’t signed yet, and a couple of those — most notably Stephon Gilmore and Xavien Howard — have experience playing in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ system. So watch for the Vikings to possibly be in play on guys like that when they decide it’s time to sign somewhere.
Dan Graziano – ESPN+
Stephon Gilmore named next to Vikings again
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Stephon Gilmore linked to the purple . It’s already been made clear that Minnesota has interest in the former Bills and Patriots pro bowler. It may be more about how much training camp the 34-year-old wants to partake in, before the season starts.
Gilmore would slot in as a starter immediately for the Vikings. His PFF grade from 2023, a 74.4 overall (72.3 coverage), was better than any CB on Minnesota’s roster by a long shot. He totaled 68 tackles, defended 13 passes and snagged two interceptions with the Dallas Cowboys.
How big time of a get would Xavien Howard be?
The second free agent cornerback that Graziano connected to the Vikings is former Miami Dolphin Xavien Howard. Taken in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Howard has FOUR pro bowls and ONE all pro selection. That’s not quite as impressive as Gilmore’s FIVE pro bowls and TWO all pro selections.
Nonetheless, at 31-years-old , he is three years younger and should have more tread on the tires. And, much like Gilmore, would immediately slot in as a starter in Minnesota’s secondary.
PFF doesn’t like Howard (55.1 overall grade, 51.9 coverage) nearly as much as the other former Flores CB mentioned. Still, there is no doubt Howard bring QB pressure ability that Gilmore doesn’t possess.
Cowboys star WR, CeeDee Lamb (who was teammates with Stephon Gilmore last season) recently named Xavien Howard as one of the top five corners in the NFL today.
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