5 free-agent cornerbacks the Vikings could sign in 2021
By Chris Schad
Darqueze Dennard
For most of the Vikings defense, getting an upgrade to an average player could make a big difference. Darqueze Dennard is far from a shutdown corner, but he has experience in a scheme similar to what Mike Zimmer runs in Minnesota.
The 29-year-old arrived in Cincinnati the year after Zimmer took the head coaching job with the Vikings, but the scheme had a lot of the same principles under Paul Guenther, who now is a defensive consultant with Minnesota.
Bringing Dennard on board solely because of his previous relationship with Guenther would be a mistake, but he played well for the Atlanta Falcons last season in eight games. In that stretch, Dennard allowed 1.02 yards per coverage snap, which would have ranked 38th among all corners had he qualified along with fellow free agent Shaquil Griffin.
One of the biggest downfalls for the Vikings’ secondary last year was finding guys that know what they’re doing. With experience in the Zimmer scheme and effectiveness as an eight-year veteran, Dennard would be a quality depth signing for Minnesota that could also start in the slot.