Through the first six weeks of this 2025 campaign, the Minnesota Vikings were one of the top teams in the NFL in defending the pass, holding opposing offenses to an average of 157.6 net pass yards per contest.
This past Sunday, however, the Vikes were exposed something fierce in a 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing Jalen Hurts to complete 19 of 23 passes for 326 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions en route to earning a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Yes, Minnesota sacked him three times to take 10 yards off the final figure, but the 316 total passing yards allowed were easily the most this season and marked the first time any team had even surpassed the 200-yard mark.
Here's the thing, though. Despite the overall success the Vikings have had against the pass this season, there has been cause for concern at the cornerback position for quite some time now, as the real rock stars of the Minnesota secondary have been the safeties.
At the corner, Byron Murphy Jr. hasn't lived up to the $66 million extension he received in the offseason. And outside of his ridiculous performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, Isaiah Rodgers has been wildly inconsistent and was easily the worst defender on the field against Philly on Sunday. And when called upon to contribute, backup Jeff Okudah hasn't been much help, nor has Dwight McGlothern in his limited action.
There is a call Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could make, however, to get Kevin O'Connell and Brian Flores some help in this department, with that call going to none other than Stephon Gilmore, who is surprisingly still sitting at home after going unsigned during the offseason.
The Minnesota Vikings should consider a reunion with Stephon Gilmore
Gilmore, of course, was with Minnesota a season ago and performed nicely, racking up 56 total tackles, nine pass deflections, and an interception in 15 regular-season appearances. Was it the best campaign of his career? Obviously not. He was the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year with the Patriots, after all.
Back in July, Gilmore explicitly stated that he still has a desire to play if and when the "right situation" came along. Well, here it is.
Now, we're not saying that the 35-year-old needs to come in and start for the Vikings, as he's obviously not going to replace either Murphy or Rodgers. But he can still come in and play some meaningful snaps. Yes, he's primarily been a perimeter guy, but he has played some nickel in the past and could contribute in that aspect as well. And if any of the players mentioned above happen to go down with an injury, he's there to pick up the slack.
Furthermore, it bodes well for any team to have a strong veteran presence in the locker room, especially one who is willing to serve as a mentor, which Gilmore has no problem doing. Two years ago, as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, he helped DaRon Bland to a First-Team All-Pro campaign and also helped Murphy to his first Pro Bowl selection a season ago.
This is a no-brainer call for the Vikings to make.