With starting cornerback Shaq Griffin out and Byron Murphy Jr. getting only one drive, Akayleb Evans, Jay Ward and Fabian Moreau took plenty of snaps.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 11, 2024 at 2:30AM
The Vikings are still struggling at cornerback depth, with Akayleb Evans (21), Jay Ward and Fabian Moreau taking plenty of snaps in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. (Charlie Neibergall)
The Vikings front office has been turning over rock after rock for cornerback help.
During Saturday’s 24-23 preseason win over the Raiders, they likely didn’t see much progress to deter their ongoing search. The Vikings will host former Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore on a free-agent visit on Monday, according to ESPN, a day after Raiders quarterbacks Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew combined to throw 13 of 21 for 193 yards and a touchdown.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell spoke like a coach ready to add Gilmore’s talent.
“What I can say is [General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah] and his staff have been looking for ways as we’ve really tried to piece together a plan,” O’Connell said. “There’s been a significant hit to the depth there. I’ve had a ton of respect in Stephon Gilmore’s career playing against him. This is a guy that’s done it at a really high level for a long time. If that’s something that ends up being a possibility, I know Kwesi and his staff will get us going in the right direction.”
The Vikings played without starting cornerback Shaq Griffin, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, and only gave one drive to starter Byron Murphy Jr. That left a lot of snaps for cornerbacks Akayleb Evans, Jay Ward and Fabian Moreau, who signed July 31.
Gilmore, 33, is looking for his fifth different team in the last five years. The former 2012 first-round pick — selected 10th overall, 19 spots ahead of safety Harrison Smith — started every game for the Cowboys last season. He deflected 13 passes, had two interceptions and a forced fumble.
He overlapped with defensive coordinator Brian Flores in New England, where they spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons together, the last of which Flores served as Patriots play caller in a Super Bowl-winning season. Gilmore’s decorated career — five Pro Bowls, two All-Pro selections — would bring experience to a Vikings secondary already thinned by attrition.
The Vikings lost cornerback Mekhi Blackmon to a torn ACL at the start of camp, and fourth-round rookie Khyree Jackson died in a car accident in July. Jackson’s mother Ebbony, father Raymond and brother Kolston served as honorary captains during Saturday’s coin toss.
On Friday, the Vikings both held a team-wide celebration of life with Jackson’s family — and later traded cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., a 2022 second-round pick, to the Cowboys in exchange for cornerback Nahshon Wright, who did not play on Saturday.
“It’s been a hectic 24 hours,” Wright said of the trade. “We were getting ready for [Cowboys] practice, and they pulled me aside.”
Jefferson, Jones among sidelined starters
Six projected starters — Griffin, receiver Justin Jefferson, safety Smith, running back Aaron Jones, and outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel — were held out of the game. Jefferson wore a headset to hear the play calls, and a microphone during the third quarter for online and TV content.
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O’Connell said he expects many starters to return for next week’s joint practices in Cleveland, including Greenard, Van Ginkel and Jones.
Some injured reserves, including guard Dalton Risner and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, did not play.
Darnold’s headset issues
Quarterback Sam Darnold’s Vikings debut, a 12-play, 66-yard drive, didn’t come without hiccups. Darnold’s in-helmet speaker didn’t function properly, so he couldn’t hear all of O’Connell’s play calls. He had to make some trips to the sideline.
“It was just kind of going in and out,” Darnold said. “I kind of had to run over to [O’Connell] a couple times, like it was high school. I got my cardio in.”
‘Actually kind of loud’
Kicker Will Reichard’s first NFL field goal attempt, a 36-yard try, was blocked by Raiders defensive end T.J. Franklin in the second quarter. Reichard, the sixth-round pick out of Alabama, said he wasn’t sure if he kicked too low. But he responded with a 38-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired.
“It was kind of funny because I didn’t realize there were going to be so many people here for the preseason game,” Reichard said. “It was actually kind of loud.”
