Should We Be Concerned About Minnesota's Secondary Depth?

The Minnesota Vikings have had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL for the past two seasons. They allowed 7.2 yards per attempt in 2020 and 6.9 yards per attempt in 2021. Those totals were fourth-worst and eighth-worst in the NFL, respectively.

And, once again, the Vikings are heading into a season with a shaky secondary that does not have much veteran depth at its disposal.

Patrick Peterson and Harrison Smith are the only proven players the Vikings will have in the back end this season. They both have accolade-filled careers and will be considered for the Hall of Fame after they retire. However, they also have arguably lost a step and are no longer the All-Pro-caliber players they once were. Still, they are the rocks of this secondary, and their health will be of the utmost importance during the season.

Chandon Sullivan, the next-most experienced player behind them, will take over for Mackensie Alexander in the slot. The Vikings signed the former Green Bay Packers corner in the offseason. He's an above-average slot corner, but even if he is an average player it will be a massive upgrade over Alexander, who became a liability last season.

The Vikings have very little experience outside of those three players, though.

Cameron Dantzler looks like he will be a Week 1 starter. He's only logged 17 starts in the NFL, but he has shown flashes of being a good corner during his young career. Still, he has a decent amount of learning to do.

Some have argued that former head coach Mike Zimmer did not give Dantzler a fair shot. However, Dantzler has by no means won the hearts of the new Vikings coaching staff either, which is evident from seeing him play in a meaningless preseason game.

Kris Boyd is the most experienced corner behind Dantzler. He's an extremely likable character off the field; however, his play is concerning. Boyd allowed 10.3 yards per target last season, with a 145.2 passer rating allowed when targeted. Those two numbers alone indicate that Boyd would not do a serviceable job if Dantzler went down.

For that reason, the Vikings drafted two rookies, Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans, who impressed throughout training camp and the preseason. Even still, they are a pair of rookies who need some polish before they’ll be ready for meaningful snaps.

At safety, the depth gets a little better. Camryn Bynum and first-round rookie Lewis Cine will compete for the free safety position next to Smith. Additionally, Cine can likely fill the strong safety role if Smith falls with an injury.

There is a silver lining to this, though. The new regime is not trying to heal a bullet wound with a band-aid.

Last season, we watched as both Bashaud Breeland and Xavier Woods came and went. Rick Spielman and Zimmer thought they could fix the secondary with two mediocre veterans on one-year deals — but they were wrong.

Now, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is in charge. He has drafted the Vikings secondary of the future by securing Cine, Booth, and Evans. That's three players who all have the potential to be starting for this team within two years.

At first glance, the Vikings' secondary this season looks like the best they have had in years. However, injuries are inevitable. If they happen among the safeties or the corners, their depth may not hold up.