Vikings Defender Quietly Placed on Injured Reserve
In a season utterly filled with injuries, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Jeff Okudah became the latest to fall by the wayside last week, tossed on injured reserve for at least four games due to concussions in nine weeks.
Before the Vikings’ Week 10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the team’s coaching and training staff placed one defender on the shelf indefinitely.
Minnesota signed Okudah back in March, and his stay in the Twin Cities encountered a hiccup with the IR designation.
Vikings CB Jeff Okudah to IR
Another mini-blow to the defense.
Okudah Gone for at Least 4 Games with Concussion
Okudah is out for a while, no matter what.
NBC Sports‘ Mike Florio wrote last weekend, “The Vikings’ weekly pregame roster moves for Week 10 include the placement of cornerback Jeff Okudah on injured reserve. Okudah suffered a concussion during the Week 8 loss to the Chargers. He missed last Sunday’s win over the Lions.”
“By landing on IR, Okudah will miss at least the next four games. The third overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Lions, the 26-year-old Okudah signed a one-year deal with the Vikings in March. He has appeared in six regular-season games.”
Okudah’s earliest return date would be Week 14 at home against the wayward Washington Commanders.
Now What? Probably More Fabian Moreau.
Let’s face it: Okudah out indefinitely is not a season-ending curse for the Vikings. But what’s next?
Well, Minnesota has played its hand. Missing the last two games, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has promoted veteran corner Fabian Moreau from the practice squad. The 31-year-old has mostly held up and has even looked better than Okudah.
Of course, Moreau is not a long-term solution at CB3. It’s also worth noting that Flores prefers to use safeties in his secondary as CB3s, so the setup isn’t like the typical panic over losing the third cornerback.
Too, Minnesota has now signed Moreau to the active roster. It was running out of practice-squad call-ups with him.
Okudah Struggled Aside from Injury
Okudah has produced a 146.5 passer rating against so far in 2025, which is about as poor as one could imagine in a laboratory. The other team’s quarterback usually identifies Okudah the moment he checks into a game, proceeding to throw in his direction. Wouldn’t you know it? The plan often works, and Okudah very visibly has looked like the secondary’s weak link.
It’s certainly sad that Okudah is battling the NFL’s concussion protocol, but he will not be a deadly loss via day-to-day operations for Flores’ defense. By the time he returns, Moreau could just stay at the CB3 post.
Where’s Dwight McGlothern?
Back in late August, second-year cornerback Dwight McGlothern earned a spot on the 53-man roster. Moreau did not.
Fast forward to the middle of the season, and the Vikings are not using McGlothern as a CB3 or CB4. He only sees the field in blowout losses, and in some ways, when Okudah went down, McGlothern didn’t feel like an option to replace him.
Minnesota hopped right to Moreau, who now has the CB3 gig for the time being.
It’s unclear why McGlothern is on the active depth chart if the team will not use him when an injury sidelines the man in front of him.
Other Okudah Perspectives
The Viking Age‘s Adam Carlson noted on Okudah last week, “Heading into the 2025 NFL season, there were a lot of rumblings that cornerback Jeff Okudah was making big strides in training camp and practices and could be a huge part of the team’s defense this season.”
“Instead, the free agent acquisition has not defended a single pass with the Vikings in six games, registering only 14 tackles and recovering one fumble. The former No. 3 overall pick of the Detroit Lions has been a disappointment thus far. The situation for Jeff Okudah looks even worse now that the Minnesota Vikings have announced that the 26-year-old defensive back has been placed on injured reserve, and fans may have seen the last of him in a purple and gold uniform.”
Minnesota’s defense ranks 11th in the NFL per EPA/Play through 10 weeks.
“Before this season, the Vikings signed Okudah to a 1 year deal worth $2.35 million. Although this isn’t a ton of salary cap space to spend, it is an investment the team hoped could have been a great value to help a questionable cornerback room be more competitive,” Carlson continued.
“Hopefully, Okudah can heal quickly and have another chance to make a comeback in the NFL. Injuries are one of the worst parts of the NFL, and it’s a shame that his opportunity to prove himself was cut short due to a concussion.”
Next up for Minnesota are the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium this Sunday.
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