Mackensie Alexander return to Vikings signals the end for Mike Hughes
By Dean Jones
Mackensie Alexander’s return to the Minnesota Vikings could spell the end of cornerback Mike Hughes’ time with the organization.
Just where the Minnesota Vikings struggled during the 2020 season was pretty obvious. Their defense was a far cry from the dominant units we’ve seen in previous years under head coach Mike Zimmer and fixing a once-proud area of the roster was going to be a top priority this offseason.
Despite having little in the way of salary-cap space available, the Vikings have done a tremendous job of moving money around, making sacrifices where needed, and picking up high-impact players on good deals. Another fine example of this came on Friday evening when Minnesota confirmed the return of another old face in the form of Mackensie Alexander.
The cornerback agreed to a vet minimum deal in order to secure a move back to a team where he thrived in 2019. Alexander was regarded as one of the league’s top slot coverage guys before taking his chances with the Cincinnati Bengals, even though the Vikings wanted to keep him around.
This was considered a weak link for Minnesota last season in spite of some encouraging displays from rookie duo Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler. However, considering the Vikings also brought in All-Pro Patrick Peterson, Zimmer now has four quality options that should bring around a stark turnaround in fortunes.
There is going to be an odd man out.
And that appears to be Mike Hughes.
The former first-round pick had a big opportunity to become the team’s No. 1 after Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Alexander all left last year. But poor play and another early trip to the reserve/injured list once again might be the last straw for the Vikings where Hughes is concerned.