Jan 8, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Duke Shelley (20) celebrates a defensive pass break up during the third quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Not long ago, the Minnesota Vikings desperately needed cornerback depth.
Rookie Khyree Jackson tragically passed away in early July, and three weeks later, second-year defensive back Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL. So, it was Duke Shelley to the rescue, a free-agency move utterly embraced by Vikings fans.
Fast-forward to late August, and Minnesota unceremoniously released Shelley amid roster cuts — and it didn’t even add him to the practice squad.
He’ll return to a familiar situation: free agency.
Shelley joined the Vikings in September 2022 on the team’s practice squad, a cast-off from the Chicago Bears, leaving fans to wonder, “Who’s the guy with the cool name?” For a while, Shelley was “just a guy” signed to the practice squad who’d play if cornerback depth dwindled to slim pickings. Indeed, Shelley was needed because of injuries to Andrew Booth, Cameron Dantzler, and Akayleb Evans — and he absolutely thrived.
The 6th-Round draft pick by the Chicago Bears began experiencing playing time versus the Buffalo Bills in 2022 — in one of the wildest NFL games anyone will ever witness. Before that opportunity, Shelley played a handful of special teams snaps but evidently wasn’t trusted on the field for defensive duty.
Well, he became trusted — really quickly — and was a defensive saving grace for the 2022 team. Shelley snagged his first career interception out of the sky against his former team in Week 18 that season. He tweeted about the Bears after the Week 18 win, “They had to feel how disrespected I felt when they cut me.”
When it was all said and done in 2022, Shelley was classified as the NFL’s fourth-best cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus, tallying an 82.9 grade. Only Sauce Gardner (87.9, NYJ), Patrick Surtain (86.8, DEN), and Jalen Ramsey (86.4, LAR) outperformed Shelley.
But when the 2023 offseason rolled around, Minnesota neglected to re-sign the 2022 standout, and he landed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Like this go-round for Shelley, he failed to make the active roster and later signed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he played sparingly.
Without Shelley, the Vikings will roll with this CB group in 2024:
CB1: Stephon Gilmore
CB2: Byron Murphy
CB3: Shaquill Griffin
CB4: Fabian Moreau
CB5: Akayleb Evans
CB6: Dwight McGlothern
Although the reunion angle was fun in July, it was for nil.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.