As the Minnesota Vikings spent more than every other NFC team in free agency this year, the biggest red flags came at the cornerback position.
Keeping versatile Pro Bowler Byron Murphy Jr. in the fold was certainly a priority, but the Vikings filled the depth chart behind him with a bunch of low-key signings, like Isaiah Rodgers, Jeff Okudah and undrafted rookie Zemaiah Vaughn.
We learned early on in the process that defensive coordinator Brian Flores had a vision for Rodgers, who won a Super Bowl championship with the Philadelphia Eagles last season. The team’s decision to sign Okudah to a modest one-year, $2.35 million deal felt more like a flier on a once-promising college prospect with a top-five pick pedigree.
Since the start of spring OTAs, Okudah has been a mainstay with the first-team and one of the stars of Vikings training camp. And while fans should be thrilled that their team found a potential steal at a key position of need, the leaders of Minnesota’s defense aren’t surprised. Per Alec Lewis of The Athletic, they saw Okudah being a fit in this defense a mile away.
Adding Jeff Okudah was part of Brian Flores’ master plan for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason
The Vikings aren’t the first team to take a chance on Okudah, a former No. 3 overall pick of the Detroit Lions. He’s played for both the Falcons and Texans in recent seasons, but injuries and on-field struggles sent him back into free agency this offseason with an uncertain future.
Enter Minnesota, which, per The Athletic, invited Okudah for a workout and sold their vision for his role in their defense — instead of pitching a potential career rival.
“Okudah possesses many of the characteristics that coaches in Flores’ defensive tree look for at the position: speed, length and toughness.
A few days into the free agency period, Minnesota’s front office invited Okudah for a visit. The staffers impressed upon him that they thought he could contribute. Okudah wasn’t sold by the words so much as the tone in which they were uttered.”
We now know from practice what Flores’ vision for Okudah was all along — slot corner.
The Vikings have guys like Murphy Jr. and Josh Metellus who can help in that role, but with Murphy now earning CB1 money, and Metellus poised for a more full-time job at safety following Cam Bynum’s departure, the need was there. You have to give the Vikings credit for finding a cost-effective solution they actually believed in.
Okudah has always been an intriguing prospect. He’ll have to start producing on the field for this to be scored a win for GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and crew.
But the Vikings have a knack for finding hidden gems in free agency, and based on his “phenomenal camp” so far, as head coach Kevin O’Connell recently put it, Okudah could be their latest bullseye.