Vikings News: Minnesota adds familiar face to their secondary
By Adam Patrick
After a season away, cornerback Mackensie Alexander is re-joining the Minnesota Vikings.
Watching the Minnesota Vikings struggle to defend the pass last season was something that most probably never expected to happen for as long as Mike Zimmer was the team’s head coach.
But the Vikings lost their top three cornerbacks from 2019 and for the 2020 season, they decided to roll with inexperience and first-year players in their defensive backfield. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic did them no favors, but the inexperience of Minnesota’s corners was glaring last season.
In an effort to improve their pass defense, the Vikings recently went out and signed All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson. On Friday, Minnesota added another solid veteran to their current group of corners.
Mackensie Alexander returning to the Minnesota Vikings for 2021
One of the three notable cornerbacks to part ways with the Vikings after the 2019 season was Mackensie Alexander.
Some felt Alexander might return to the Vikings in 2020, but he decided to sign a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals instead. Well, after a season away, Alexander has agreed to re-join Minnesota according to his agent, Neil Schwartz.
This is great news for the chances of the Vikings secondary to make a dramatic turnaround in 2021. Alexander was just beginning to emerge as one of the top slot corners in the NFL when he decided to leave last year, so his return is a big addition to Minnesota’s roster.
With Alexander coming back and the addition of Peterson, the Vikings cornerback room is looking quite impressive. Don’t forget, this group also includes Cam Dantzler, who should be one of Minnesota’s two starters next season, and Jeff Gladney, who the Vikings used a first-round draft pick on last year.
Did we really think Zimmer was going to let the Vikings’ pass defense struggle for two-straight seasons? Of course not.