Former Vikings CB’s Career Takes Quick Detour with Dolphins

Former Vikings CB's Career Takes Quick Detour with Dolphins
Dolphins cornerback Mackensie Alexander. © HAL HABIB / The Palm Beach Post / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Former Minnesota Vikings CB Mackensie Alexander added his talents to the Miami Dolphins last week, but the on-field union will be short-lived.

Alexander was added to the Injured Reserve list on Tuesday, presumptively signaling the end of his 2022 campaign before it began.

Miami is Alexander’s third stop as a pro, spending five total seasons with the Vikings and a one-year stint with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020. Alexander turns 29 in November, so he’ll use 2022 to recover and eye a resurgence for his age-30 season in 2023.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.

Alexander is well-known in the Vikings orbit, participating in 71 games for the franchise, and was selected with 2nd-Round draft capital from Clemson in 2016.

He wasn’t welcomed back, though, by Minnesota in 2022 when a new general manager (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) and head coach (Kevin O’Connell) took over for Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer. The 2021 season was daunting for Alexander, who tallied a 41.0 grade from Pro Football Focus. The score ranked last in the NFL among 116 qualifying cornerbacks.

Former Vikings CB Lands with Dolphins
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports.

The veteran defender was seeking some performance redemption in Miami, attempting to rectify last year’s down season. The bottom-of-the-league designation wasn’t always the case for Alexander. This is his resume from PFF through six seasons:

  • 2016 = 47.5
  • 2017 = 56.4
  • 2018 = 78.1
  • 2019 = 65.7
  • 2020 = 60.4
  • 2021 = 41.0

The Dolphins still have eight cornerbacks on the roster: Keion Crossen, Elijah Hamilton, Xavien Howard, Noah Igbinoghene, Byron Jones, Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, and D’Angelo Ross. They’ll likely look for a veteran replacement in light of the Alexander injury.

The Vikings play the Dolphins in Miami on October 16th, a Week 6 showdown.


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 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).


Trade! Vikings Pull the Trigger at QB

Vikings Territory Also Read: TRADE! Vikings Pull the Trigger at QB


Share: