Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
Duke Shelley rejoined the Minnesota Vikings roster about four weeks ago, but the relationship could be short-lived.
The club has added six defensive backs in the last 26 days, beginning with Shelley on July 24th and ending — for now — with five-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore. Accordingly, Shelley could be the odd man out when roster trimdowns occur on August 27th.
Put bluntly, roster room may be too scarce for Shelley’s inclusion. These are the Vikings corners as of August 19th:
Brian Flores’ defense will retain 5-6 CBs for the regular season, and when Minnesota dropped its first unofficial depth chart two weeks ago, Shelley nestled in around CB8-CB9. That doesn’t seem like a man heading toward the regular season roster.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis published a roster prediction for the Vikings last week, with Shelley on the outside looking in. “Letting go of Shelley isn’t an easy decision either, but it essentially became a question of Ward/McCain versus Shelley. Versatility and a tie going to a draft pick proved to be the deciding factors,” Lewis wrote.
In VikingsTerritory’s latest roster projection, Shelley failed to make the cut as well.
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.
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 he didn’t re-sign with the Vikings last year, ending up with Las Vegas Raiders instead. Then, he didn’t make the Raiders’ 53-man roster, cut during roster shavedowns. He wound up playing 76 defensive snaps altogether in 2023, all with the Los Angeles Rams.
If Shelley does make the September roster, it will mean, in hindsight, that a player like Akayleb Evans or Fabian Moreau didn’t make the team.
Shelley could also end up on Minnesota’s practice squad.
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.