Two events took place Monday that highlighted the Minnesota Vikings’ tight end room as NFL free agency began.
First of all, Patrick Peterson signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in what will likely be the final stop on the future Hall of Famer’s magnificent career.
Vikings Skinny CB Room Amplified Monday
NFL Network Ian Rapoport tweeted, “Source. The Steelers sign Pro Bowl CB Patrick Peterson. Surprise! The perennial star headed to the storied franchise to bolster their back end.” And that was it.
So, for better or worse, Peterson will not rejoin the Vikings in 2023, an uncertain determination heading into Monday morning. But that was not all for the CB cleanup.
The Vikings released 24-year-old Cameron Dantzler on Friday, and he certainly won’t be returning to Minnesota anytime soon, as the fourth-year quarterback landed with the Washington Commanders.
It Pioneer Press’ Chris Thomason tweeted“Washington’s Chiefs are calling for QB Cameron Dantzler’s resignation after he was released by the Vikings last Friday. So they’re picking up the non-guaranteed $2.743 million he was due to make in the final year of his contract.”
2022 free agent hero Duke Shelley can re-sign at any time. Vikings fans are ecstatic about the deal, but Minnesota’s cornerback crop is awfully underwhelming right now. Without a doubt, with Peterson and Dantzler not reunited, cornerback is the Vikings’ most important need in the offseason.
Here’s the game state of the Vikings CB as of March 13th at 7:30 PM CST.
- Calon Barnes
- Andrew Booth
- Aquileb Evans
- Tay Govan
Unless one or more of those men have an absolutely glorious training camp and preseason, the Vikings are in a rough spot at one of the league’s most important positions. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could still explore free-agent deals with James Bradbury, Shaquille Griffin, William Jackson, Byron Murphy or Marcus Peters, among others, but the clock is ticking. all NFL teams flock to the open market for new players.
Furthermore, if the Vikings “do nothing” or sign a relatively unnamed player in free agency, the need for a cornerback increases early, perhaps in the 1st or 2nd round. a decent spot to pick a coveted young corner like Deonte Banks from Maryland or Devin Witherspoon from Illinois. Many Vikings fans expect Adofo-Mensah to be traded out of the 23rd overall pick, so perhaps a cornerback could come in the 2nd round. We’ll see.
But now is the time, as a fan, to keep a close eye on the team’s CB maneuver. No Peterson and no Dantzler, along with Shelley’s aerial status, means Brian Flores needs cornerbacks for his shiny new defense.
A team with playoff aspirations cannot limp into a season featuring unproven cornerbacks. It doesn’t work that way anymore.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube channel, VikesNow:. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday Raun Sauh and: Sal Spice:. His Viking obsession dates back to 1996. Guilty pleasures mentioned: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, The Sopranos and The Doors (band).
All statistics are provided Pro Football Reference / Stathead:; All contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.