Getty Vikings free agent target Stephon Gilmore.
Despite a pair of defensive back signings since cornerback Mekhi Blackmon‘s season-ending knee injury, the Minnesota Vikings are anticipated to make a bigger move, with Stephon Gilmore among several names on the team’s radar, KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reported on July 30.
After a bounceback season with the Dallas Cowboys, Gilmore remains a free agent through the first week of league training camps. The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback shared publicly that he’s content waiting until the start of the season to sign a contract.
“If teams want to win, I think they should sign the best players. I know I’m still a starter in this league. I started games last year, but the season doesn’t start until September, we got a while,” Gilmore told Josina Anderson on July 16.
While the Vikings have signed defensive backs Jacobi Francis and Bobby McCain, no player is running away with the starting spot left vacant by Blackmon.
“I fully anticipate another move, a recognizable name coming in in the coming weeks,” Wolfson said on a July 30 episode of SKOR North’s “Mackey and Judd” podcast.
“My understanding is Gilmore is still staying in shape. He’s got his trainer, he’s doing work now. Gilmore, who will be 34 in September, has been through it — he knows how to get himself ready for a season. So if he signs in a couple weeks that would be okay,” Wolfson added. “I’m not saying it’s going to be him, I’m just saying I firmly believe he is one of a few names on the Vikings’ radar.”
Stephon Gilmore Proves He’s a Worthy Starting CB
GettyStephon Gilmore with the Dallas Cowboys during the 2023 season.
Once the 2018 Defensive Player of the Year on a Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots team, Gilmore has bounced around the league in the twilight of his career.
He’s played for three teams in the past three seasons after leaving New England in 2020. Gilmore made his last Pro Bowl appearance in 2021 with the Carolina Panthers, but struggled with the Indianapolis Colts, leading to his trade to the Cowboys last offseason.
Gilmore proved he’s worth more than the fifth-round pick he was traded for, grading out as a top-30 cornerback by Pro Football Focus (PFF) in 2023. He also played over 1,000 snaps each of the past two seasons after he came back from a torn quad in 2020.
“Gilmore’s trade from the Indianapolis Colts to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason got him back to playing contending football, and he hasn’t skipped a beat at any point as he’s moved around over the past few years,” PFF’s free agency report reads. “Gilmore still thrives in single coverage and can jostle with the more physical receivers who play through contact, timing his leap well on contested catches and jumping routes with top-end play recognition.”
Vikings Are Exploring Several Safeties at CB
GettyVikings safety Jay Ward
Addressing their day-to-day needs at cornerback, the Vikings moved safety Jay Ward to cornerback at practice on July 29 while McCain is presumed to play safety.
Francis, who has not played a defensive snap in the regular season, was a safety with the Houston Texans. He was listed as a cornerback upon his signing on July 25.
The cornerback room was short on depth after Najee Thompson started training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list along with the tragic passing of Khyree Jackson.
There’s an opportunity for former second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. to cement a contributing role on the roster. Akayleb Evans, who was benched several times last season, has been called on to step up in Blackmon’s absence.
Undrafted rookie cornerback Dwight McGlothern is a dark horse to take a top-four spot on the depth chart — but if no cornerback inspires confidence as a starter, a more significant move like signing Gilmore could be in the making.