Minnesota Vikings 2017 positional needs evaluation: Cornerback

A strong pass defense can make the difference between a victory and a crushing defeat. Do the Minnesota Vikings need to improve their cornerback situation?

The Minnesota Vikings have developed a reputation for being one of the toughest teams in the NFL to pass the ball against. They gave up the 3rd fewest passing yards per game in 2016 and tied for 6th in lowest completion percentage allowed.

Minnesota hopes to continue that trend into 2017, and could be on track to do just that with many of the big names from last season returning. However. that doesn’t mean the unit will be the same faces or have the same roles, especially with the team trying to replace Captain Munnerlyn in the nickel defense.

Here are the cornerbacks who are listed on the Minnesota Vikings roster and the final year of their contract according to the official team website and Spotrac:

Mackensie Alexander – Under contract through 2019
Trae Waynes – Under contract through 2018
Tre Roberson – Under contract through 2018
Cedric Thompson – Under contract through 2018
Xavier Rhodes – Under contract through 2017
Terence Newman – Under contract through 2017
Jabari Price – Under contract through 2017
Marcus Sherels – Under contract through 2017
Terrell Sinkfield – Under contract through 2017

The biggest takeaway here is that Xavier Rhodes is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2017 season. Of course, the team will likely lock him down to a massive long-term deal VERY soon, which is a must for keeping the secondary one of the top units in the league.

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Bringing back Terence Newman for 2017 was an important move. While Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander are both gaining experience, they now have the ability to be patient with their development again, giving these guys the best chance to succeed.

Rhodes, Newman, Waynes, and Alexander are the locks to return to the secondary. The other lock should be Marcus Sherels, who isn’t as much a cornerback as a return specialist and special teams ace. He’ll likely be an emergency cornerback as well.

That means there will be one other spot up for grabs on the 53-man roster. Roberson, Thompson, Price, and Sinkfield will all be fighting for that honor along with a spot on the practice squad. But the team may add a wild card to the mix.

Next: Vikings free agency tracker

The Minnesota Vikings would be smart to draft a cornerback in the 2017 NFL Draft. As long as they don’t have long-term deals in place, the team should always be trying to bring in the best talent at a position where the player contracts have once again become astronomically expensive. While it may not be a priority, the Vikings won’t pass on a talent that falls in their laps.

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