How will the Minnesota Vikings cornerback depth chart look for the 2020 season?
The Minnesota Vikings watched three of their starting cornerbacks walk out of the door after the 2019 season. They responded by drafting plenty of young talent to pair with Mike Hughes and Holton Hill in the secondary.
Minnesota used their second pick of the first round to select Jeff Gladney, a feisty cornerback out of TCU. Cameron Dantzler and Harrison Hand were selected later in the draft, giving the Vikings a lot of young options at the position. With so many question marks heading into training camp, the depth chart is wide open.
Mike Hughes is the front-runner to be the team’s top cornerback when the new season begins. Still, he has yet to prove himself as a consistent impact player on the defensive side of the ball. His rookie season in 2018 was cut short due to injury and he played sparingly in 2019 thanks to a deep group in front of him. He also ended the season on injured reserve with a neck injury.
If Hughes can stay healthy, he will be relied upon to be a quality starter on the outside. If not, one of the rookies has the chance to step in and get plenty of early playing time.
How will the depth chart shake out prior to the 2020 regular season?
Starting cornerbacks
Mike Hughes has everything in his favor to be the starting cornerback on the outside on opening day. Everything beyond that is very much up in the air, including where Hughes will line up in different sets. Could he slide inside to the nickel when the Vikings play with three or four cornerbacks?
The second starting spot should come down to two players: Holton Hill and rookie Jeff Gladney. Hill has a leg up thanks to his experience and flashes of good play in his young career. Gladney, a first-round pick, will be itching to get onto the field to prove Mike Zimmer right.
Hill has the edge right now because he offers some size on the outside that the Vikings would be lacking with Gladney and Hughes in the lineup. With a history of suspensions and red flags, Holton Hill must prove that he can be a reliable player on and off the field, but the talent is there.
When the Vikings implement three cornerbacks, expect Jeff Gladney to be the third guy. Gladney, Hill, and Hughes bring some versatility in that regard, as Gladney and Hughes can alternate in the slot while using Hill’s size and physicality on the perimeter.
Depth and rotational players
I have a hard time believing the Vikings spent a third-round pick on Cameron Dantzler if they didn’t believe he could play right away. He has the length they desperately need on the outside and should be a key backup in case of injury. Dantzler lacks elite speed, but his length and ball skills are enough to make him stick on the roster.
After these four, we really hope that the Vikings will not need key contributions from any of the other cornerbacks. Any time you go five deep into the depth chart, things probably aren’t going well.
Harrison Hand has been mentioned as a future candidate at safety, so he may get some reps this summer. I think he makes the roster as a developmental piece who can contribute on special teams early in his career. That likely leaves one roster spot at cornerback, a special teams spot that comes down to Kris Boyd and Nevelle Clarke.
Boyd was a staple on special teams for the Vikings last year and he should fill that same role in 2020. Clarke, an undrafted free agent this year, will do enough to earn a spot on the practice squad and maneuver his way onto the roster if injuries pop up.
Expectations for 2020
The Vikings are banking on their young talent to find success in the cornerback room. Kris Boyd, if he makes the roster, will be the oldest cornerback at just 24 years old when the season begins. Mike Hughes (23), Jeff Gladney (23), and Cameron Dantzler (22) are all young with plenty of upside.
Mike Zimmer has revamped this defense ever since he stepped in as head coach. There is no reason to doubt the success of the cornerbacks this season, despite a lack of experience. There will likely be a dropoff in production, but nothing that is out of the ordinary for a secondary in this much flux.
With so much young talent at their disposal, the Vikings can try some new things and throw players into different situations throughout camp and the preseason. Mark Fields, Nevelle Clarke, and Nate Meadors offer competition for the practice squad, giving the Vikings open competition from top to bottom.
Regardless of how the roster shapes up, the Minnesota Vikings are in for an exciting summer, assuming the season is played.