It seems to be assumed that Trae Waynes is taking over as the Minnesota Vikings’ second starting cornerback this season. But is that really the best idea?
On the fourth play of the San Francisco 49ers’ first offensive drive on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, 49ers wide receiver Pierre Garçon caught a quick slant pass and turned it into a 16-yard gain. Garçon was able to do this after putting a move on Vikings’ cornerback Trae Waynes that ended up with Waynes turning his back to the receiver and losing track of him.
Trae Waynes had a long, long night.. pic.twitter.com/lWfMITPxWE
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) August 28, 2017
It is plays like these that should make Minnesota skeptical about their likely decision to have Waynes begin the 2017 season as one of their two starting corners.
Despite the fact that he was an elderly, 38-years-old last year, Vikings cornerback Terence Newman still performed at a very high level in 2016. Yet, Minnesota appears ready to switch the veteran out of the starting lineup in exchange for Waynes.
Zone coverage matters too pic.twitter.com/youlbY9uFM
— PFF (@PFF) August 3, 2017
This upcoming season will be Waynes’ third with the Vikings and his first two were pretty underwhelming. After being stuck with mostly special teams work as a rookie in 2015, the cornerback got the opportunity to start a total of nine games last year.
When first glancing at Waynes’ stat sheet from 2016, one would see that the corner finished the season with 47 total tackles, 11 pass deflections, and three interceptions. However, two of his interceptions and almost 40 percent of his total tackles came during his first three games of the year.
The rest of his 2016 season did not really leave many with high hopes for the future.
Trae Waynes in the blender pic.twitter.com/BvMbEKSiK1
— Free Jeffrey (@CourtneeHendrix) June 8, 2017
It is hard to figure out why Waynes has yet to turn into the player Minnesota was hoping for back when they drafted him in the first round of the 2015 draft. He seems to have the tools necessary to perform at a high level, but sometimes it looks as though he forgets how much natural ability he actually possesses.
So what are the Vikings going to do if Waynes struggles to begin the 2017 regular season? Will they continue to rely on “Old Yeller” Newman or will they just let the young corner tough it out?
Of course, one would hope that Waynes can step it up this year and become a reliable asset for the Vikings’ defense. But if he is not, Minnesota does at least have a sufficient backup plan in Newman to lean on.
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The Vikings’ would just rather not have to resort to their backup plan at anytime this season.