With Za’Darius in the House, Vikings Have One Glaring Roster Need.
The acquisition of Za’Darious Smith by the Minnesota Vikings fundamentally changed the course of the offseason, redefining roster needs with a tuned focus.
No longer do the Vikings have to “panic” about EDGE-rushing contingency plans. Those are firmly erased. Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith instantly formulate a Top 3 tandem of pass rushers leaguewide.
However, the team still needs cornerbacks — and that should cause some panic.
Cameron Dantzler is the only Vikings corner living inside the roster on March 23rd who could start in good faith. The Mississippi State alumnus is maturing aptly, even wiggling out of a head coach’s doghouse last autumn.
Yet, he’s the team’s single cornerback. Depth corners such as Harrison Hand, Kris Boyd, and Parry Nickerson are under contract, but would you trust those men as CB2 and CB3? Negatory.
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Signing Smith put to rest a lot of defensive fears for Minnesota, but it did not vanquish all in late March. The Vikings need cornerbacks, and they need them desperately.
Thankfully, the pathway to remedy is simple. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can clear more cap space and sign some free-agent CBs. Plain and simple. Problem solved. Bryce Callahan and Kyle Fuller have ties to new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, so those are the veteran defensive backs who could reasonably join the squad and help fix the anxiety.
Sometime soon, though, they have to actually be signed. Otherwise, the Vikings operate sans cornerbacks — a deadly prognosis in an ever-evolving pass-happy NFL.
Too, there is a safety valve — the NFL draft. The Vikings are slated to pick 12th on April 28, a marvelous spot for cornerbacks by most credible accounts. For the first portion of the offseason, Ahmad Gardner was all the craze for Minnesota, but his draft stock soared after the combine, likely ixnaying his availability at #12. Others will be attainable, however. Derek Stingley Jr. — from LSU, a place the Vikings enjoy scouting — should be on the board. Trent McDuffie and Andrew Booth are enticing.
As each day passes that the Vikings sign no corners should be a fat clue the team will select one early in the draft. In fact, it would be a last-gasp, desperation maneuver if Adofo-Mensah doesn’t sign free-agent CBs by then.
Finally, a sensible leg up to this CB-depth fear is the re-upping with Patrick Peterson. He performed well in 2021, sounds like he wants to remain with the Vikings if somebody picks up the phone to talk to him about it, and the Vikings need defensive backs. That’s a sound trio of logic.
Re-signing Peterson, exploring veteran CBs, and drafting Garnder, Stingley, McDuffie, or Booth is probably the fix for Minnesota’s suddenly spooky cornerback problem.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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