Former Vikings All-Pro Has a Message for Fans
For Vikings fans, plenty of questions surround the cornerback room heading into 2024.
It was already projected to be one of the thinner rooms on the roster in terms of overall talent, but Khyree Jackson’s tragic death earlier in July, along with Mekhi Blackmon’s ACL tear that happened just weeks later, puts the CB group in a very difficult position,
However, one former Vikings All-Pro has taken to social media in an attempt to quell any fears.
Former Vikings All-Pro Has Faith in Minnesota’s Secondary
On Monday evening, Xavier Rhodes decided to post a tweet which read, “Skol Nation, I think the DB room is going to be okay. Have faith that those boys are going to show up and show out. Plus, when has [Harrison Smith] ever let us down? NEVER. So, trust in them like you trust in Hitman Harry.”
Of course, if there is anybody who knows about being a part of an elite Vikings defense, that person would be Rhodes.
The cornerback spent 10 years playing at the NFL level, including seven years in a Vikings uniform from 2013 to 2019, after being selected as the 25th overall pick. Rhodes was named a first-team All-Pro during the 2017 season, playing a major role in Minnesota’s defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL. He was also named a Pro Bowler in 2016 and 2019.
Of course, Minnesota’s CB room isn’t quite as star-studded as it was during that 2017 season, but a couple of factors could play into the defense remaining a solid unit in 2024.
The first of those factors is the man running the show, Brian Flores, who returns for his second season as defensive coordinator after completely reviving Minnesota’s defensive unit in 2023.
Flores’ commitment to the blitz last season constantly left teams guessing where pressure would be coming from next.
Of course, while Danielle Hunter is no longer a part of this defense, Flores arguably could be working with the most talented pass-rushing group the Vikings have had in the past decade. While Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel provide veteran leadership, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah also injected youth into the unit with the first-round selection of Dallas Turner.
Assuming this group of pass rushers lives up to the hype, there hopefully won’t be as much pressure on the secondary to carry the unit. If the guys up front get pressure, that only means less time for the DBs to play lockdown defense.
And finally, while Minnesota is going through tumultuous times in the CB room, we cannot forget that the Vikings employ arguably the best safety group in the NFL. Even as Harrison Smith enters his age-35 season, the Hitman has continued to be a stable veteran presence while Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus both emerged as key contributors at the position under Flores’ tutelage.
Only time will tell how Minnesota’s defense fares in 2024, but even through the questions at cornerback, there is reason to believe this unit can find success this fall.
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