Vikings Training Camp 2019: Previewing the secondary
By Chris Schad
The Minnesota Vikings still have one of the strongest secondaries in the NFL, but there could be a couple of new faces waiting to make an impact in 2019.
If you’ve followed the Minnesota Vikings since Mike Zimmer became head coach in 2014, you know that he loves his cornerbacks. Since taking over on the sidelines, Zimmer has put an emphasis on finding big, physical corners and coaching them up to give the Vikings one of the strongest secondaries in the NFL.
While that tidbit of information has become a punchline in some circles, the truth is that in a division with Aaron Rodgers, the secondary needs to be one of the strongest parts of the defense.
In 2017, the Vikings were up to the task as the quartet of Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Harrison Smith, and Andrew Sendejo helped Minnesota finish as the top defense in terms of yardage and scoring in the NFL.
Last year, the Vikings didn’t necessarily take a step back, but they weren’t the dominant unit they were during their run to the NFC Championship in 2017.
As Minnesota tries to pick up the pieces from a rough 2018, they will have to rebound in the secondary to help get the team back to the playoffs and make a deep run in 2019.