Some major Minnesota Vikings news dropped on Tuesday when it was reported that free-agent corner Byron Murphy has agreed to a deal with the purple and gold.
After some might have been sad to see Patrick Peterson sign elsewhere on Monday, a bit of Minnesota Vikings news dropped on Tuesday that should improve the morale of some of those disappointed fans as the team has reportedly agreed to a contract with free-agent cornerback Byron Murphy, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.
It's a 2-year deal worth roughly $22M, per me and @TomPelissero. One of the top CBs on the market. https://t.co/DhXW2eGVK7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2023
Vikings News: Minnesota bolsters their pass coverage with former Arizona Cardinals CB Byron Murphy
Even with the departure of Peterson, the Vikings’ pass defense has a chance to be much better than it was in 2022 following the reported addition of Murphy.
Selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Murphy has been a full-time starting cornerback for all four of his seasons in the league.
He had an outstanding season in 2021, finishing with 64 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and four interceptions.
In 2022, the former Arizona defensive back was limited to just nine games due to a back injury, and he only finished with the 46th-best overall defensive grade from PFF among qualifying corners.
However, Murphy is still only 25-years-old, and Minnesota clearly believes he has plenty of upside. The Vikings and new defensive coordinator Brian Flores will be hoping the veteran cornerback can help improve a pass defense that was the second-worst in the NFL last season.