Getty General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (left) and head coach Kevin O'Connell (right) of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings could use another cornerback and an accomplished one remains available in free agency.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has transformed the secondary in two short years, devoting more valuable picks to the unit than any other through his first two NFL drafts. As a result, the defensive backfield is loaded with youth and talent, but it has also proven injury prone. Minnesota doesn’t have much salary cap space, just over $1.1 million as of Sunday. But if there is an area worth opening up some money to solidify, the secondary is it considering the defensive scheme new coordinator Brian Flores has brought with him to Minnesota.
To that end, Dustin Baker of Vikings Territory suggested on May 7 the pursuit of former Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
“Beyond Byron Murphy, all the team’s cornerbacks are mysteries. One or two men will emerge as starting cornerbacks, but if the Vikings want a surer bet, Griffin is on the free-agent wire,” Baker wrote. “Griffin would be a wise veteran addition if somebody gets hurt this summer or Minnesota realizes the group isn’t progressing on schedule.”
Shaq Griffin Has Proven Reliable, Productive NFL Starter
GettyCornerback Shaquill Griffin, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, celebrates after a stop during a game against the Houston Texans in December 2021.
Griffin spent his first four seasons with the Seahawks after Seattle selected him with the 90th overall pick in the third round of the 2017 draft. The cornerback earned a trip to the Pro Bowl after his third year in the league.
The Jaguars signed Griffin to a three-year contract worth $40 million in 2021. He played two of those seasons out before Jacksonville released him in March to clear $13.1 million in cap space.
Griffin suffered a back injury last year, which cost him 12 games. Prior to that, the CB had been able to stay on the field for the most part, missing just 10 contests over the course of his first five NFL campaigns. Griffin has tallied 59 pass breakups, 12 tackles for loss and six interceptions to this point in his career, per Pro Football Reference.
Vikings CBs Andrew Booth Jr., Byron Murphy Each Have Concerning Injury History
Courtesy of VikingsMinnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. underwent knee surgery on November 28, 2022.
Andrew Booth Jr., an early second-round pick in 2022, figures to start at cornerback in Minnesota alongside the aforementioned Murphy, who the Vikings inked to a two-year deal in March.
The youth and skill level of the two are encouraging, as Booth will play most of next season at the age of 23 while Murphy will be 25. The primary problem for both last year was staying healthy — a reality that offers a less optimistic outlook for 2023.
Booth underwent season-ending knee surgery in November and has played in just six games for the Vikings, starting only one. The cornerback’s injury issues followed him into the NFL after posing the biggest threat to his collegiate production at Clemson.
Murphy, an early second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, missed eight regular season games in least year with a back injury.
Behind Booth and Murphy on the Vikings’ depth chart are second-year cornerback Akayleb Evans, who had his rookie campaign cut short by multiple concussions, and 2023 third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon out of USC.
Considering the widespread and recent injury concerns to three of the Vikings’ top four cornerbacks heading into training camp, Griffin would offer a security blanket of sorts in Minnesota. He wouldn’t come cheap, but the Vikings can clear enough cap space for Griffin, and then some, by cutting or trading running back Dalvin Cook and/or edge rusher Za’Darius Smith.