Vikings Get the Worst Kind of News Right Away at Training Camp
Often, Minnesota Vikings fans say something like, “The Vikings can’t have nice things.”
Vikings Get the Worst Kind of News Right Away at Training Camp
Wednesday echoed the tongue-in-cheek slogan as second-year cornerback Mekhi Blackmon was lost for the season, tearing his ACL at training camp.
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero confirmed the worst Wednesday evening in a tweet: “Vikings CB Mekhi Blackmon suffered a torn ACL in the first practice of training camp today, per source. Tough blow for Minnesota and Blackmon, who played in 15 games (three starts) as a rookie last season.
The Blackmon injury arrives in an awful month of July for the Vikings, when rookie Khyree Jackson, also a cornerback, tragically passed away in Maryland on July 6th, and wide receiver Jordan Addison was arrested in California for suspicion of DUI on July 12th.
The hits just keep on coming, and Minnesota will have to pivot, probably to a Plan C with free agency or the promotion of an unsung Viking who would otherwise play CB4 or CB5.
Minnesota drafted Blackmon in Round 3 last year, and the man immediately contributed. He ranked as the NFL’s 32nd-best overall cornerback in 2023, according to PFF, a fantastic mark for a rookie and a decent grade for anybody. About 90 cornerbacks play football on any given Sunday, and Blackmon was near the NFL’s best one-third. He also checked as PFF’s third-best rookie corner.
Blackmon didn’t necessarily receive the same sexy fanfare that followed rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., for example, but he was nearly as efficient in lesser playing time. Now, his development will hit a roadblock because of the ACL tear or at least hit the pause button for one year.
Minnesota has about five weeks to finalize a 53-man roster, and with Blackmon no longer factoring into the mix, all eyes will turn to Andrew Booth, Akayleb Evans, and Dwight McGlothern — the “other” young corners on the 91-man roster. The heat is on for Booth, especially, a former 2nd-Rounder.
Otherwise, the free-agent market has two prominent names waiting for 2024 marching orders: Stephon Gilmore and Xavien Howard. Both men have ties to Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores from the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, respectively. Either man should be gettable for the purple team, and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has around $21 million to spend in cap space.
Blackmon earned “breakout” forecasts from various NFL media outlets this offseason. Those will have to wait a year.
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.
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