It might be easy to forget every player the Minnesota Vikings signed during the offseason after spending a whopping $300 million on free agent players.
From rebuilding the offensive and defensive lines to acquiring support for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings have been focused on assembling the right pieces for another postseason run. Minnesota also made sure to give Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores some help in the secondary with one starting to grab his attention.
New cornerback Jeff Okudah is playing for his fourth team in the last four years as he attempts to get his career back on track. Flores praised Okudah when recently speaking with the media for his daily improvement and his commitment to becoming better.
"In his time here, he's been as diligent. From on the field, off the field, training room, weight room. He's always looking to do extra film work. I don't know what's happened in other buildings. I know that since he's been here, it's been great to coach him.
I think he's getting better, I think he's getting more comfortable within the defense and what we're gonna ask him to do. And he's shown up positively, really in every way. I'm excited to watch him continue to improve. I think he's got a lot of skill."
Jeff Okudah might be on his last legs if he can't shine at Minnesota Vikings training camp
The expectations were high for the former third overall pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft. It's been an unfortunate number of events with injuries and inconsistencies that have led to a disappointing career for Okudah.
During his five-year career, the 26-year-old corner has made 177 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 14 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 44 games. He hasn't made an interception since the 2022 season with the Lions. Okudah has played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans for the last two years.
Struggles in coverage have made Okudah an easy target, as he has allowed a completion rate of over 70 percent in three of his five NFL seasons. What might look worse is that his lowest passer rating allowed is 87.6, the only time in his career he was under 90.
Something this might be it for Okudah, who needs to have the best training camp of his career to keep his playing days going. He was brought in with Isaiah Rodgers to help a struggling secondary that allowed the fifth-most passing yards in 2024.
Rodgers is projected to be one of the starters at cornerback with Byron Murphy Jr. and Mekhi Blackmon. Okudah is good enough to be with the second team as a fourth cornerback on the depth chart based on his experience on the field.
Minnesota might be stacking its chips in the middle of the table for Okudah in the hopes that he can step up. Flores seems to be happy with the cornerback so far. That can't change for Okudah if he wants to step on the field in 2025.