Training camp has been in full force for the Minnesota Vikings and appears to have the roster built for a postseason run, but they might have one question to answer in the preseason.
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport recently went over one question for each NFL team that needs to be answered during the preseason. Davenport is not taking the easy question with quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Instead, he's more worried about the pass defense in Minnesota.
"It's not that the Vikings don't have talent on defense. With the addition of Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, Minnesota has arguably the best front four in the league. The loss of safety Camryn Bynum stings, but the Vikes still have Josh Metellus and the venerable Harrison Smith at safety.
Yet, the Vikings were 28th in the league against the pass last year, because outside Byron Murphy Jr., the team cornerbacks struggled mightily.
Murphy is back with the team in 2025. So is second-year pro Mekhi Blackmon, who missed his rookie year with an ACL tear. The Vikings also brought over Isaiah Rodgers from the Super Bowl champion Eagles to give a boost on the back end and took a flier on former first-round pick Jeff Okudah.
Frankly, it's a secondary group that doesn't appear markedly better than last year's attempt to roll out aging veterans like Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin.
And if the Vikes have a bottom-five pass defense again in 2025, the pressure will be high on McCarthy and the offense to match opponents score for score."
How much should the Minnesota Vikings worry about their secondary?
Look, there are still some key pieces within the secondary that are worth noting. Murphy was re-signed during the offseason as he will hold down at least one starting cornerback position for a while. The safeties are secured with veteran Harrison Smith and the recently extended Metellus.
The source of all the concerns is the uncertainty surrounding three particular cornerbacks. Blackmon is back from his ACL injury, but Vikings fans don't know what they have in him. Rodgers has only started a handful of games, but showed some promise with the Eagles last year, as well as getting glowing endorsements from defensive coordinator Brian Flores this offseason. Okudah has also been getting praise from Flores.
Blackmon and Rodgers will most likely join Murphy in the starting lineup in 2025. There is potential there to be great, but Vikings fans have no idea what kind of players they will be getting.
If the secondary struggles to start the season, don't be surprised to see general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah go into free agency or the trade market to find one cornerback to help or the offseason could be big changes.