6 candidates to replace Jeff Gladney for the Minnesota Vikings
By Adam Patrick
Nickell Robey-Coleman
2020 Team: Philadelphia Eagles
If the Vikings end up looking to replace Jeff Gladney with a free agent who has a similar frame and skill-set, Nickell Robey-Coleman could be a guy worth checking out.
Robey-Coleman (5-foot-8, 180 pounds) is a little smaller than Gladney (5-foot-10, 190), but he’s still been able to hold his own in coverage during his NFL career. His performance slipped a bit last season with the Eagles, but Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer would probably be able to help get him back on track in 2021.
Dre Kirkpatrick
2020 Team: Arizona Cardinals
Dre Kirkpatrick is a free agent who has multiple connections to the Vikings. Not only was Zimmer his defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013 when both were with the Cincinnati Bengals, but he just spent a season with the Cardinals as a teammate of new Minnesota cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Kirkpatrick is someone who is familiar with Minnesota’s defensive scheme and he actually performed quite well with Arizona in 2020. He allowed a 66 percent completion percentage to his coverage and opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 80.1 when targeting him last season.