6 free-agent safeties the Vikings could sign in 2020
By Chris Schad
Devin McCourty
If the Vikings completely failed to keep Anthony Harris around for 2020 or just wanted to make a pivot, siphoning a piece of Bill Belichick’s defense in New England isn’t a bad place to start.
Devin McCourty has been a top safety in the NFL for the past decade with the Patriots and with five interceptions last year, he picked a good time to cash in on free agency.
Much like the top safeties in this year’s free-agent class, McCourty is a dynamo in coverage as he ranked eighth in passer rating allowed (44.4) last season. However, his tackling took a bit of a dive in 2019, averaging just 8.9 attempts per missed tackle, which ranked 44th among qualifying safeties.
Another red flag to watch here is the effect of players leaving New England. There haven’t been too many players to leave the Patriots and succeed and if the Vikings swing and miss with McCourty, they’ll have an expensive contract in the same mold as Patrick Chung, who signed with Philadelphia in 2013 and promptly returned to New England after just one season.
McCourty still plays at a high level, but with him turning 33 in August, Minnesota may be better suited to look for their replacement for Harris in free agency or in the NFL Draft.