Vikings Re-Sign Folk Hero
Duke Shelley is back, and folks are excited about it. So is Shelley.
Vikings Re-Sign Folk Hero
The Minnesota Vikings re-signed Shelley on Tuesday, a folk hero of sorts after the veteran cornerback performed marvelously in the 2022 season.
The Vikings’ main social media account tweeted, “Welcome Back, Duke! The Vikings have signed Duke Shelley.”
About as straightforward and non-ambiguous as it gets for a signing, Shelley is back in the saddle just in time for training camp to vie for a 53-man roster job — and maybe even a starter’s job if he plays his cards right.
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.
The 6th-Round draft pick by the Chicago Bears began experiencing playing time versus the Buffalo Bills in 2022 — in one of the wildest NFL games anyone will ever witness. Before that opportunity, Shelley played a handful of special teams snaps but evidently wasn’t trusted on the field for defensive duty.
Well, he became trusted — real fast — and was a defensive saving grace for the 2022 team. Shelley snagged his first career interception out of the sky against his former team in Week 18. He tweeted about the Bears after the Week 18 win, “They had to feel how disrespected I felt when they cut me.”
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.
During the 2023 offseason, we polled Vikings fans about their free-agent wishlist, and Shelley took the vote.
Minnesota refrained from signing Shelley, though, and he bounced around to the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams last season.
This is the Vikings’ cornerback room following the Shelley addition:
- Byron Murphy
- Akayleb Evans
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Shaquill Griffin
- Andrew Booth
- Duke Shelley
- NaJee Thompson
- Jaylin Williams
- Joejuan Williams
- A.J. Green III
- Dwight McGlothern
Shelley, evidently excited about the reunion, tweeted Tuesday, “Vikings fans will forever be the best fanbase in the NFL without a doubt.”
The reunited Vikings played 76 defensive snaps altogether in 2023, all with the Rams, a number he obviously hopes will grow this year. Shelley’s free-agent addition to the roster was universally praised by Vikings fans on social media. Folkloric hero.
He’ll turn 28 in October.
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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