5 free-agent cornerbacks the Vikings could sign in 2021
By Chris Schad
Desmond King
Our first target has been a player Vikings fans have had their eye on for a while. In the summer of 2020, Jaleel Johnson tweeted a bunch of eyeball emojis at Desmond King and suddenly the two were rumored to have a Hawkeye reunion in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, the University of Iowa teammates never joined forces and King ultimately was traded to the Tennessee Titans.
As the Vikings enter free agency, they could still have a use for King, who is one of the best slot cornerbacks on the market.
In 2017, King ranked 14th by PFF among qualifying corners by allowing 0.98 yards per coverage snap when defending the slot. In 2018, King was on the same level finishing 11th with 1.0 yards allowed per coverage snap and grading as PFF’s second-best overall cornerback.
Since the 2018 season though, King’s play has fallen off. His ranking slid to 31st with 1.19 yards per coverage snap allowed in 2019 and then midway through the 2020 campaign, the Los Angeles Chargers decided he was expendable and only got a sixth-round pick in return from the Titans.
King rebounded in Tennessee by ranking 11th with 0.97 yards allowed per coverage snap. But he also gave up a 116.2 passer rating when targeted, the 10th highest clip among qualifiers in 2020.
Despite his recent struggles, King would be an upgrade over Gladney in the slot, who allowed 1.30 yards per coverage snap in the slot last season. If King can inch closer to the form he showed in his first two years, this would be a shrewd signing.