Will Dwight McGlothern Get Some Run for Vikings?
It seems unlikely that the Minnesota Vikings will have the services of Stephon Gilmore this weekend. He has missed practice all week and didn’t finish the game against Arizona. With plenty left to play for, there is no reason to rush the veteran back from his hamstring injury.
Will Dwight McGlothern Get Some Run for Vikings?
That means someone has to step up, and it could open the door to Dwight McGlothern’s playing time.
The starting cornerbacks in Gilmore’s absence will be Byron Murphy Jr. and Shaq Griffin. Last week, Fabian Moreau took over after Gilmore had gone down, but he looked more cooked than a Thanksgiving turkey. If the Vikings go with a different configuration on Sunday, then the undrafted rookie could be in line for an opportunity.
When the Vikings left the draft, they felt good about cornerback Khyree Jackson getting an opportunity. Unfortunately, that tragically ended before he ever saw an NFL field, leaving the cornerback room lacking depth. McGlothern has traits similar to those of the Ducks cornerback, and his size may be the most imposing of the physical ones.
Gilmore has been a staple in the league for a long time, and much of his performance has been related to his ability to shut down the opposition.There shouldn’t be any belief that an untested rookie will step in and replicate that level of performance. That doesn’t mean McGlothern can’t clear the bar that Moreau set.
The Vikings’ defense will face a quarterback they are infinitely familiar with on Sunday. Kirk Cousins has been here long enough that Brian Flores and plenty of his talent can expose the weaknesses of the Atlanta signal caller. The majority of the cornerback room is different, though, and they will need to lean into coaching.
The Falcons don’t possess a ridiculous pass-catching stable. Kyle Pitts is a solid but underutilized tight end. Drake London is still emerging as a top threat, and Darnell Mooney is just a nice throw-in. There is plenty of reason to believe a group, even without Gilmore, can lock down the opposition.
Kevin O’Connell has talked up his undrafted rookie of late. McGlothern probably isn’t going to play 50% of the snaps, but getting anything notable would be a good start for him. If he can fare well in something of a debut, then look for him to continue carving out a bigger role as the year progresses.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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