Oct 9, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans Syd Davy cheers on his team against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports.
It may actually happen.
The Minnesota Vikings have added five new defensive backs in the 2.5 weeks — and they may not be done. According to Josina Anderson, five-time Pro Bowl corner Stephon Gilmore will chat with the Vikings brass next week.
She tweeted Saturday, just hours before Minnesota’s first preseason game: “NEWS: Free agent CB Stephon Gilmore tells me he’s flying out on Sunday to visit with the Vikings on Monday.”
Depth in the secondary is a little skimpy at the team’s training camp after Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL and Shaquill Griffin tweaked his hamstring. Blackmon will miss all of 2024, and Griffin is considered week-to-week.
Adding Gilmore would represent significant roster change at cornerback for the Vikings in the last five weeks after Khyree Jackson’s tragic passing, Blackmon on the shelf, and Andrew Booth’s trade adventure to the Dallas Cowboys.
Meanwhile, the purple team never stopped doing summer homework on additional cornerbacks. Earlier this month, The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis claimed Minnesota may not be done signing cornerbacks and that Gilmore could be on the agenda. That declaration now feels prophetic.
“The Vikings are well aware of their cornerback issues. On Monday, they signed defensive back Bobby McCain, who has played the position, and they also moved safety Jay Ward out to cornerback for the first time. On Tuesday, they agreed to terms with 30-year-old cornerback Fabian Moreau, according to an NFL Network report. Moreau started 11 games last year for the Denver Broncos,” Lewis wrote a week and a half ago. “He has one thing many of the Vikings’ backup cornerbacks don’t: experience. Does this rule out additional cornerback signings? No. The free-agent market is not filled with high-end options, but Stephon Gilmore is the most intriguing.”
Vikings fans have dreamt about Gilmore for months because the man was incredibly effective last season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Although he will turn 34 in September, he did not appear “washed” by any standard in 2023.
“He played for Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores in New England. He has started 33 games at corner over the last two seasons, and his production has remained. Adding him is a no-brainer, but the Vikings aren’t the only team thinking this way,” Lewis added. “Gilmore’s market is going to be robust, and the longer he waits, the more likely it is teams could need his services. Not to mention, the longer he waits, the less time he has to spend at training camp.”
Gilmore started all 17 games for last year’s Cowboys, recording a fabulous 74.4 Pro Football Focus grade. If he signed with the Vikings — or almost any other team — it would represent five teams in five seasons for the 33-year-old.
He registered a sweet 82.7 passer-rating-against in 2023, as well, which would’ve been terrific by Vikings cornerbacks’ standards. For now, Minnesota has playable CBs in Byron Murphy, Akayleb Evans, Andrew Booth, Duke Shelley, Fabian Moreau, and the aforementioned Griffin on the roster. Many would classify Gilmore as the cherry on top of the Vikings’ offseason.
Former Vikings general manager Jeff Diamond, too, recommended a Gilmore-Vikings relationship. Writing for VikingsTerritory last week, Diamond opined, “I think the Vikings should make a strong effort — which perhaps they’re quietly doing — to sign the best available corner, Stephon Gilmore.”
Diamond added, “As I watch training camp practices, I see plenty of talent at edge rusher and safety, and the D-line should be okay. At this point, I just don’t trust the corners other than Murphy. Adding Gilmore would improve the situation significantly.”
If current general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah does not take the plunge on Gilmore, other free agents like Akhello Witherspoon, Adoree’ Jackson, and Xavien Howard remain on the open market.
But Gilmore could be a Viking as early as Monday.
For context, these are the team’s cornerbacks before the start of the first preseason game:
CB1: Byron Murphy
CB2: Shaquill Griffin
CB3: Akayleb Evans
CB4: Fabian Moreau
CB5: Nahshon Wright
CB6: A.J. Green III
CB7: Jacobi Francis
CB8: Duke Shelley
CB9: Jaylin Williams
CB10: Dwight McGlothern
CB11: NaJee Thompson (PUP)
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 MIN 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.